Organized by the Aquileia Foundation with Archeologia Viva and Firenze Archeofilm in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, the Municipality of Aquileia and the Basilica of Aquileia, and with the support of PromoTurismoFVG, the festival dedicated to archaeological and cultural cinema offers a program that combines major documentaries, premieres, and meetings with archaeologists, historians, journalists, and research leaders, transforming cinema into a tool for knowledge and dialogue.

The 2026 edition – explains the president of the Aquileia Foundation Roberto Corciulo – invites the public to look beyond the surface. The invisible is what archaeology brings to light, but also what cinema can tell: the stories hidden in places, the connections between past and present, the people who dedicate their lives to protecting heritage, the collective memories that continue to build the identity of our country. communities. Furthermore, – he adds – this year too, the Aquileia Film Festival renews its commitment to a truly accessible culture. All documentaries will be available with subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing and audio description for the blind and visually impaired through the Earcatch app, while the conversations will be accompanied by a dedicated transcription service.

Screenings begin every evening at 9 pm. Admission is free with mandatory online reservation (starting July 14th at www.fondazioneaquileia.it), with the exception of the two INCinema OUTSIDE evenings (August 1st-2nd), which are free to enter. Furthermore, on the evenings of July 29th, 30th, and 31st, the public will be able to vote for their favorite film, and on the evening of Friday, July 31st, the screening will be held. The Aquileia Prize was awarded, which this year doubles, placing alongside the mosaic created by the Friuli Mosaic School a precious glass object blown in the glass furnace of Aquileia.

The festival opens on Tuesday, July 28, with a special evening dedicated to the fiftieth anniversary of the 1976 Friuli earthquake: the program includes the presentation of the book Quando tornano le rondini. Friuli 1976: memorie di un terremoto by Giada Messetti, journalist and sinologist who will be interviewed by the journalist and writer Elena Commessatti, and the screening of the documentary Orcolat by Federico Savonitto, a choral tale of memory, reconstruction, and resilience of a territory.

In the following evenings, presented by Giulia Pruneti, journalist and PR manager of Archeologia Viva, the public will get to the heart of the Festival and embark on a journey through the history of the region. A journey through cinema through some of the most fascinating themes of contemporary archaeology: from UNESCO's mission to defend cultural heritage to the surprising discoveries underground in Rome during the construction of the Metro C, through the documentaries that will be screened on Wednesday, July 29: In the Minds of Men. UNESCO 1945-2025, by Eugenio Farioli Vecchioli and Brigida Gullo, and Underground Rome, a Metro in History by Laurent Portes. From the enigmatic "desert kites" between Saudi Arabia and Jordan to the precious Roman glass recovered from the Mediterranean seabed that we will discover on Thursday, July 30 through the films The Mystery of the Desert Kites by Nathalie Laville and Vitrum - the Glass of the Romans by Marcello Adamo; up to the world premiere on Friday, July 31 of the documentary The Assyrian Empire – Luis Miranda's revealed story recounts the work of a German archaeological mission and the complex research program of an institution of excellence in our territory, the Italian mission of the University of Udine directed by Professor Daniele Morandi Bonacossi, which has been committed for years to safeguarding a heritage threatened by conflicts in Iraqi Kurdistan.

The bond between Aquileia and its territory is also expressed in the screening of the documentary Aquileia and the Lost Christians by Massimo Garlatti Costa (Monday, August 3) and on the final evening (Tuesday, August 4) with the documentary Quello che resta by Marco D'Agostini, dedicated to the still living rituals of Friuli Venezia Giulia.

In addition to the screenings, the festival will host Authoritative guests from the world of culture and research will be interviewed by Piero Pruneti, director of Archeologia Viva, on topics that span heritage conservation, memory, landscape, and the role of archaeology in contemporary society. On Wednesday, July 29, guests will include Alfonsina Russo, head of the Department for the Promotion of Cultural Heritage at the Ministry of Culture, and Simone Quilici, director of the Colosseum Archaeological Park; on Thursday, July 30, Evelina Christillin, president of the Egyptian Antiquities Museum Foundation, will speak, and on Friday, July 31, the speakers will be Daniele Morandi Bonacossi and Francesca Simi, respectively full professor of Near Eastern Archaeology and History of Art and researcher in Near Eastern Archaeology at the University of Udine. As director and deputy director, they lead the Italian archaeological mission Land of Niniveh Archaeological Project in Iraqi Kurdistan.

The final evening on Tuesday, August 4, will be moderated by Paolo Mosanghini, journalist and co-director of the Messaggero Veneto, who will interview Elena Commessatti, author of the novel "Il tempo delle viole" (The Time of Violets). published by Newton Compton, which narrates the lives of three girls who intertwine in an Italy facing the new century between modernity and tradition, between the toil of work and the desire for emancipation.

The program is also enriched by the collaboration with INCinema – Inclusive Cinema Festival, which on Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd August will bring to the stage in Aquileia two great classics of cinema history, Rear Window by Alfred Hitchcock and The Seven Year Itch by Billy Wilder, in original language versions with Italian subtitles and completely accessible, with free admission.

The entire program is available on www.fondazioneaquileia.it and www.discoveraquileia.com