‘Belonging is not an accidental group of people; it’s not agreeing with an apparent aggregation. Belonging means having the others within oneself’.

The sense of belonging sung by Giorgio Gaber is the leitmotiv of our XIII film festival edition: it is the inner bond which ties a person to a place, an event, a group that embodies his identity. It’s a feeling that permeates the whole program, both films and collateral event of the cinematographic kermess.

Time has passed fast and the festival has acquired appreciation, being recognized as one of the most important thematic festivals in Italy.

Among the audiovisuals submitted, thirty have been selected. They are mainly regional, national and international premieres. They narrate stories about earth, sea and sky whose protagonists are men, women and children: ancient civilizations, leaving a tangible mark of their existence; modern people, who have to deal with a harsh past, in order to accept or reconsider it.

But there are also collective stories, joined by the necessity of a shared effort for the good luck of a venture, such as an excavation, a religious feast or a social protest. Collective stories, shared effort, sense of belonging also permeate the organizational aspects of the 2023 festival edition, enhanced by the collaboration with interesting organizations set within this territory.

It is an important sign for us as artistic directors, since we have always been promoting a cultural event actively lived by the local community, that is its first beneficiary.

During the festival days, different languages, new faces and ideas liven up the town of Licodia Eubea, that becomes international. It hosts film directors and producers, journalists and experts of Antiquity, but also amateurs and curious people, young people and tourists who take part to the event, discovering the magic of one of the most beautiful villages in the Hyblean Mountains. A place where we have often dreamt to belong to.