The 38th edition of the Bolzano Film Festival Bozen (BFFB) offered ten intense days of cinema, meetings and music, involving the city with a rich and participative programme.
Artistic director Vincenzo Bugno gave a positive assessment of this year's edition: "We believe in festivals as places to meet, experience and share emotions, discover and rediscover well-known and new directors. The BFFB is one such place. It is a festival that is growing, with an increasingly defined identity and a programme that the public clearly appreciates. 'Absolutely local, absolutely international' was in some ways this year's slogan: four words that sum up who we are, our curiosity and our open spirit, without forgetting the territory that hosts us. A place that, thanks also to solid collaborations, is increasingly becoming a centre for cinema, including in terms of training and production."
In terms of numbers, the festival also confirmed its strength, attracting over 6,000 spectators.
Over ten days, almost 80 films were screened and three musical events were held, ranging from electronic music to short films made by students from the Monteverdi Conservatory, to a live soundtrack for the silent film Carmen and a concert by Damian Dalla Torre, whose latest album was named best contemporary album of 2024 by The Guardian.
More than 100 guests from the international film world came to Bolzano during the festival. Over 40 directors from 15 countries presented their films and talked with the audience during Q&A sessions.
Special moments included the Lifetime Achievement Awards ceremony, live-streamed with Alba Rohrwacher and held in the Capitol theatre with Christian Petzold, and the visit of a Taiwanese film delegation, composed of producer Stefano Centini, actress Lu Yi-Ching, indigenous director Laha Mebow and documentary filmmaker Tsai Tsung Lung. The latter held a masterclass at the Zelig film school, and a public meeting moderated by Centini offered an in-depth look at the contemporary Taiwanese film scene.
One of the highlights of the programme was Norwegian director Dag Johan Haugerud's “Trilogy of Relationships”, presented for the first time in Italy in its complete form and as part of a festival. The trilogy comprises Sex (2024, presented at the 2024 Berlinale), Love (in competition at the 2024 Venice Film Festival) and Dreams, the most recent chapter, winner of the Golden Bear at the 2025 Berlinale, currently in Italian cinemas.
As a guest in Bolzano, Haugerud met with the audience and participated in an in-depth BFFB Talk with festival director Vincenzo Bugno, offering insight into his creative approach. With great stylistic precision and emotional depth, the trilogy explores interpersonal dynamics and social tensions with a sharp and sensitive eye.
The three films are distributed in Italy by Wanted Cinema: Love will be released in theatres on 17 April 2025, while Sex will be distributed from 15 May 2025.
South Tyrol as a centre for film development at all levels was also emphasised through the industry programme organised in cooperation with key partners. As part of Nord/Est/Doc/Camp, filmmakers were able to present their projects to industry experts and receive personalised feedback. A significant result: the winner of the 2025 Audience Award, My Boyfriend el Fascista by Matthias Lintner, was presented in the previous edition of this format.
There was also great interest in MASO, the training programme created by BFFB and IDM to support the development, production and promotion of short films. Participants in the first edition took part in a workshop and a pitching event in Bolzano. At the same time, the second edition was launched, for which applications can already be submitted via the IDM Film Commission website.
The festival awarded prizes totalling €32,000. The winning films were:
· Wind, Talk to Me by Stefan Djordjevic – Autonomous Province of Bolzano Award for Best Film in the BFFB38 Competition
· Come la notte (Where the Night Stands Still) by Liryc Dela Cruz – Cassa di Risparmio di Bolzano Foundation Award for Best Artistic Performance
· Viet and Nam by Tru’o’ng Minh Quý – Special Jury Prize
· Unsere Zeit wird kommen (Our Time Will Come) by Ivette Löcker – Trentino-Alto Adige Autonomous Region Award for Distribution Support
· My Boyfriend el Fascista by Matthias Lintner – Honourable Mention from the International Jury and Audience Award from the City of Bolzano
· Worüber man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man reden by Karl Prossliner – IDM Film Commission South Tyrol Award for Best EUREGIO Feature Film
· Moving Mountains by Andrea Costa – IDM Film Commission South Tyrol Award for Best EUREGIO Short Film
· Karuara, la gente del río by Miguel Araoz Cartagena and Stephanie Boyd – Special Award “Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage Site”
· Raíz (Through Rocks and Clouds) by Franco García Becerra – Special Mention “Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage Site”
· Last Swim by Sasha Nathwani – Euregio Young Jury Award for Best Film
The event concluded with the Italian premiere of Marianengraben by Eileen Byrne, a co-production between South Tyrol (Albolina), Luxembourg (Samsa Film) and Austria (Film AG), made with the support of the IDM Film Commission Südtirol.
