Fescaaal 2026: Milan Prepares for 35th Edition of African, Asian and Latin American Film Festival

Milan is gearing up to host the 35th edition of the Festival del Cinema Africano, d’Asia e America Latina (Fescaaal) from March 20 to 29, 2026. A special pre-festival event will be held on Thursday, March 19, 2026, organized by Coe Ets and Terre des Hommes Italia, in collaboration with Eni, focusing on dialogue between continents and new frontiers in international cooperation.

Pre-Festival Event Highlights

The pre-festival event will commence at 5:00 PM with a screening of Valentino Orsini’s 1966 film, Chilometri 1696 – Gasducto del Sur. The film, produced by Istituto Luce, documents the construction of energy infrastructure in South America and features a musical score by Luciano Chailly and collaboration from Paolo Taviani.

Following the screening, a discussion will be coordinated by Lucia Nardi, director of the Eni Historical Archive, and will include Elena Buscemi, President of the Milan City Council, and film critic Sergio Toffetti.

Panel Discussion: Collaboration for Africa’s Development

From 6:30 PM onwards, a panel discussion titled “Public – Private – Private Social: together towards an increasingly virtuous collaboration for the development of Africa” will take place. Moderated by Massimo Zaurrini, editor of Africa e Affari, the panel will feature key figures in the field of international cooperation, including Marco Rusconi, director of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (Aics), and Raffaele Cattaneo, Undersecretary of the Lombardy Region with responsibility for international relations. Representatives from Fondazione Cariplo, the Municipality of Milan, and the Polytechnic of Milan will similarly participate, focusing on scientific diplomacy and global health.

The event is by invitation only and serves as a prelude to the official opening of Fescaaal, which will bring ten days of screenings and cultural exchange events to Milan, celebrating the cinema and cultures of Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Fescaaal 2026 and MiWorld Young Film Festival

Alongside Fescaaal, the 7th MIWORLD YOUNG FILM FESTIVAL – MiWY will run from March 20th to March 28th. MiWY is Italy’s first and only film festival for schools dedicated to the cinematographies and cultures of Africa, Asia, and Latin America, and intercultural exchange, offered in a hybrid format – both in-person, and online.