The 83rd Venice International Film Festival brings with it Casa Cinema Giovani – Il luogo delle opportunità (“The Place of Opportunities”). For the industry, it represents a further investment in training and in bringing young people into the film world, with effects that extend beyond this single edition of the festival.
The initiative will run from September 2 to 12, 2026, on the Lido, free of charge. It has been set up by ANEC and ACEC, the two associations representing Italian cinema exhibitors, with support from the Minister for Sport and Youth. The project is part of the National Plan for Cinema and Images for Schools, the program through which the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Education bring audiovisual literacy into Italian schools. For organizations involved in CIPS grants, the House serves as a visibility platform during the festival.
The ribbon-cutting is scheduled for September 3 at 10:00 a.m. and will be carried out by the Undersecretary of State for Culture, Sen. Lucia Borgonzoni. Her presence confirms the Ministry’s interest in the sector and its support for training initiatives aimed at young people in audiovisual media. Also attending will be Giuseppe Pierro, head of the Department for Youth Policies and Universal Civil Service, along with the leadership of ANEC, ACEC and the Fondazione Accademia del Cinema Italiano – Premi David di Donatello.
Young people themselves will run the space day to day. Students from the Venice Academy of Fine Arts will handle the visual documentation of the initiative. Students from the Andrea Barbarigo Hospitality Institute will take care of hospitality and catering, in a hands-on work-study experience.
On the program side, September 4 is reserved for a review of the projects funded under the National Plan for Cinema and Images for Schools. On September 7 and 8, organizations benefiting from CIPS grants — including Cineteca di Bologna, Cineteca di Milano, Fondazione Sistema Toscana and ZaLab — will present their training programs. On September 9, the focus shifts to cinema and social engagement, with an event held together with UNICEF and its spokesperson Andrea Iacomini. The following day, ACEC organizes a dialogue between young people and the Signis and Interfilm juries.
Two events stand out from the regular schedule: the documentary Waiting for Ken Loach, by Simone Amendola, tells the story of the Mesagne cinema, run entirely by young people aged 11 to 18. SAIL, produced in part by Frank Marshall, brings the story of the America’s Cup to Venice.
The Leoncino d’Oro Jury also finds a home here, now in its 38th edition: one representative per Italian region, chosen among high school students. The award runs alongside David Giovani as part of the film literacy program promoted by Agis, Agiscuola, ANEC and the Fondazione Accademia del Cinema Italiano.
The program wraps up on September 11. At 4:00 p.m., at the Italian Pavilion, the Leoncino d’Oro award ceremony takes place. For industry professionals, it remains to be seen whether Casa Cinema Giovani will become a fixture at future editions of the festival.
PhotoCredits: Foto di Andrew Wong su Unsplash
