A new international film project celebrating cinema, talent, culture and one of Italy’s most iconic UNESCO World Heritage landscapes will be unveiled at the Venice Film Festival on September 5.
A new cinematic event is set to make its debut in Italy: the Conegliano – Prosecco Hills Film Festival, an ambitious cultural project bringing together cinema, talent, creativity and territory in the heart of one of Italy’s most extraordinary landscapes – the Prosecco Hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The new festival will be officially presented on Saturday, September 5, 2026, at 7:00 p.m., at the Hotel Excelsior on the Venice Lido, within the space hosted by the Veneto Region and the Veneto Film Commission, during the 83rd Venice International Film Festival.
The festival’s Artistic Directors are cultural manager Maximilian Law and journalist and television presenter Claudia Conte. Working alongside Operational Director Valentina Vendrame, they have created a project designed to combine the universal language of cinema with the extraordinary cultural, artistic and natural identity of the Veneto region.
The Conegliano – Prosecco Hills Film Festival was conceived with the ambition of promoting the heritage of the Prosecco Hills through cinematic storytelling while creating a new meeting point for filmmakers, artists, authors, actors, audiovisual professionals and audiences.
GIORGIO PASOTTI APPOINTED HONORARY PRESIDENT
Acclaimed Italian actor and director Giorgio Pasotti will serve as the Festival’s Honorary President.
With a career spanning three decades and collaborations with some of Italy’s most celebrated filmmakers, including Paolo Sorrentino and Gabriele Muccino, Pasotti’s involvement will further strengthen the Festival’s connection with the world of cinema and its leading figures.
His presence represents an important endorsement for a project that aims to establish itself as a new cultural reference point within Italy’s growing network of film festivals and audiovisual events.
THE VENICE LAUNCH
The official presentation in Venice will mark the national premiere of the project and its first public appearance on one of the world’s most prestigious cinematic stages.
Opening remarks on behalf of the Veneto Region will be delivered by Valeria Mantovan, Regional Councillor for Culture, Education and Equal Opportunities.
The event will also feature contributions from Federico Mollicone, President of the Culture Committee of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, and Fabio Chies, Mayor of Conegliano, highlighting the strong institutional and territorial support behind the new initiative.
The presentation will be hosted by Claudia Conte.
THE MADE IN ITALY EXCELLENCE AWARD
During the Venice presentation, the Made in Italy Excellence Award will be presented to Fabia Maserati, in recognition of a family and entrepreneurial history that has contributed to creating one of the most iconic symbols of Italian ingenuity, talent and excellence worldwide.
The award takes on particular significance at a moment of renewed international interest in the story of the Maserati family.
The upcoming international feature film Maserati: The Brothers, directed by Bobby Moresco and produced by Andrea Iervolino, will soon bring the extraordinary story of the Maserati brothers to cinema audiences around the world.
The film tells the story behind the birth of a brand that became synonymous with innovation, engineering, creativity and Italian excellence.
Cinema, memory, entrepreneurship and Made in Italy will therefore come together in a special moment that fully reflects the vision of the new Conegliano Film Festival: telling great stories and celebrating the talents and achievements that have made Italy internationally recognisable through the universal language of cinema.
PARTNERSHIPS AND COLLABORATIONS
The Festival is held under the patronage of the Municipality of Conegliano.
The Cultural Association Artiglio will serve as the Festival’s operational partner, while the prestigious I.C.E. Agency will act as strategic consulting partner.
Media coverage and communication will be supported by the two platforms of the Eurocomunicazione Think Tank, an organisation working closely with European institutions and operating under the patronage of the European Parliament Office in Italy and the Representation in Italy of the European Commission.
Ca’ Del Poggio, the renowned resort nestled among the Prosecco Hills and located along one of the most spectacular stages of the Giro d’Italia, will serve as the Festival’s hospitality partner.
Cinema and territory will therefore become part of a shared journey in which the identity of the Prosecco Hills will not simply provide the backdrop to the Festival but will become an integral part of its narrative.
FEDERCINEMA AND THE UNITED NATIONS CONNECTION
The Venice presentation will also offer the audience a first official preview of FederCinema, a new network of film festivals of which the Conegliano – Prosecco Hills Film Festival will become part.
Led by Maximilian Law and Claudia Conte, FederCinema aims to create opportunities for dialogue, collaboration and mutual promotion among national and international film festivals and cultural organisations.
The network’s international dimension is further reinforced by the recent inclusion of Maximilian Law in the United Nations Global Marketplace (UNGM) as a Strategic Consultant, within cultural promotion activities focused on Human Rights.
These initiatives are coordinated in Italy by Martina Manfredini, also representing United Planet Foundation, an NGO accredited with the United Nations Economic and Social Council.
The project reflects a growing commitment to using culture and cinema as tools for dialogue, international cooperation and the promotion of fundamental human values.
THE PROGRAMME
The first edition of the Conegliano – Prosecco Hills Film Festival will take place over three days, from October 2 to October 4, 2026.
The programme will focus on cinema and the promotion of the territory, featuring:
- Film premieres and meetings with authors, directors and actors;
- Gala evenings open to the public and Festival guests;
- Awards dedicated to films, talents and innovative projects;
- Talks and discussions exploring major issues in cinema, audiovisual production, landscape and cultural identity;
- Cultural and promotional initiatives dedicated to the Prosecco Hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2019.
The Conegliano – Prosecco Hills Film Festival aims to become a new space for dialogue and exchange, where cinema encounters a territory that will not simply serve as the setting for the event but will become an essential part of its identity and storytelling.
Cinema, talent and territory are the three pillars of a new cultural and cinematic project that looks toward the future with the ambition of establishing a distinctive and recognisable event within Italy’s national cultural landscape.
With its official launch at the Venice Film Festival and its first edition scheduled for October, the Conegliano – Prosecco Hills Film Festival begins its journey with a clear vision: transforming one of Italy’s most extraordinary landscapes into a place where stories, creativity, international talent and cultural excellence can meet.
A new cinematic journey begins among the hills of Prosecco – where Italy’s landscape becomes part of the story.