A Festival of Stories, Encounters and Participation
The 22nd edition of Biografilm has come to a close, with 64 films in the official selection, including 23 Italian productions or co-productions, 54 premieres and 34 countries represented. The international festival dedicated to life stories, held annually in Bologna, once again welcomed Italian and international guests, thought-provoking discussions and unforgettable stories. The 2026 edition recorded 18,000 total attendees, more than 2,150 accredited guests and 16 sold-out screenings.
Among the Festival’s greatest strengths once again were the enthusiasm of audiences and guests, the power of the stories on screen, the creativity of young people involved through educational and social inclusion projects, and the commitment of more than 50 local associations, foundations and collectives, whose collaboration helped amplify the impact of the films and deepen the conversations they inspired.
Attendance was strong across all screening venues in Bologna, including Cinema Lumière, BIOGRAFILM HERA THEATRE | Pop Up Cinema Arlecchino, the Cloister of the Church of Santa Cristina “della Fondazza”, and Cinema Modernissimo. Audience response was equally remarkable for the Festival’s free events, including the screening of Everybody to Kenmure Street as part of the initiatives promoted by the Emilia-Romagna Region to celebrate the 80th anniversary of universal suffrage, the screening of Hussein Habibi on the occasion of World Refugee Day, and the screening of The Voice of Hind Rajab in Piazza Maggiore, which drew an audience of 5,000 people.
From Local Communities to Digital Audiences
The Festival’s online programme on MYmovies ONE recorded 3,560 admissions and more than 2,500 viewing hours. Viewers connected from all across Italy, with Emilia-Romagna ranking first, followed by Lombardy, Lazio and Piedmont. The most watched and most appreciated film was Between Brothers by Tom Fassaert, winner of the MYmovies | Biografilm 2026 Award, a distribution prize on MYmovies ONE assigned by the platform’s viewers to the most appreciated Biografilm title available in the Biografilm Hera Virtual Theatre.
Biografilm also extended its reach beyond the city through Biografilm in the Square, the free screening programme held in Castel Maggiore at Centro Commerciale Le Piazze from 16 to 18 June and in Castenaso, in collaboration with Cinema Italia and Arena Italia, from 19 to 21 June.
Thanks to its continued commitment to innovation and sustainability, the renewed website recorded 62,196 visits between 27 May and 15 June 2026, an increase of 224.17% compared to the same period in 2025, with 37,000 active users, up 288% year on year.
Bio to B – Industry Days: A Growing Market
The 2026 edition of Bio to B – Industry Days, Biografilm’s annual event dedicated to projects in development, also came to a successful close. Bio to B – Industry Days | Doc took place from 8 to 10 June for its 13th edition, once again occupying the dual venues of Salaborsa and Cinema Modernissimo in the heart of Bologna. Three days of meetings, creativity and exchange brought together national and international industry players working across documentary and fiction.
At the same time, on 8 and 9 June, the fifth edition of Bio to B – Industry Days | Drama took place in the spaces of Salaborsa, including the Auditorium Enzo Biagi and Sala della Musica, welcoming more than 180 professionals from the audiovisual and publishing sectors.
The market continues its growth trajectory and confirms its importance for both the Italian and European audiovisual industries, with more than 500 accredited participants, including around 130 European producers working in documentary and fiction, over 100 directors, authors, writers and screenwriters, and more than 100 industry players, including regional Film Commissions, leading European documentary organisations, sales agents, distributors, broadcasters, international OTT platforms, representatives of major European festivals and markets, literary agents and publishers.
Biografilm and Bio to B – Industry Days | Doc are part of Doc Around Europe, the European network dedicated to supporting emerging documentary talent and strengthening collaboration among festivals, industry platforms and audiovisual professionals across Europe. During the 2026 edition, representatives from DOK.fest München and MakeDox met with three emerging European projects and five Italian projects selected from the 16 documentary projects participating in the market activities.
Looking Ahead to Biografilm 2027
“With the image of a packed Piazza Maggiore still fresh in our minds, we can only be grateful for the extraordinary response of our community, which found its favourite films within this more compact yet highly curated programme and enthusiastically embraced the many new features introduced this year, from the evening dedicated to poetry to the one focused on podcasts, from literary encounters to the activities hosted in the Festival’s relaxation area,” commented Chiara Liberti and Massimo Benvegnù, Artistic Directors of Biografilm.
“Showing extraordinary stories to our audience and discovering them together, nurturing new talents, and bringing filmmakers, storytellers and creative people from around the world together in Bologna: this is why film festivals continue to have a meaningful role within the cultural ecosystem of a city. Thank you Bologna (and the surrounding area), thank you Biografilm!”
The appointment is now set for the 23rd edition of Biografilm, returning to Bologna in June 2027.
