Milan is preparing to host the twelfth edition of Visioni dal Mondo, the International Documentary Festival. The event runs from 16 to 20 September 2026. Founded and directed by Francesco Bizzarri, the festival’s artistic direction this year is led by Maurizio Nichetti. The Gksd Group is the main sponsor.
The programme includes 39 documentaries, all in their Italian or international premiere. The films are spread across five sections. This year’s theme is “Beyond the Border.” The selected works explore migration, the climate crisis, digital identity and memory.
The Italian Competition is the festival’s largest section. It presents twenty documentaries in world premiere, including feature-length films and the new New Talent Short Docs section, dedicated to short films by emerging directors. The International Competition brings nine titles in their Italian premiere, from Europe, Africa, Asia and the United States, all previously selected by other international festivals.
Part of the programme is dedicated to biographical stories. The festival features documentaries on Gino Paoli, Mino Damato, Felice Andreasi and Luigi Broglio. These are figures who left their mark on Italian culture, science and entertainment. The film on Andreasi recalls his role in Milan’s 1970s cabaret scene, alongside Enzo Jannacci at the Derby Club. The one on Broglio tells the story of the space base built in Kenya during the 1960s.
The Visioni VR Competition brings together seven immersive works. They come from Italy, France, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia. The section is developed in collaboration with the Leonardo da Vinci National Museum of Science and Technology. The projects range across science, the environment, art and memory.
The festival also has a professional side. Visioni Incontra is the Industry section, curated by Cinzia Masòtina. It takes place on 16 and 17 September. It presents eighteen documentary projects, divided between the Work in Progress and Final Development categories. It is designed for networking among authors, producers, broadcasters and platforms.
Among the main guests is Silvio Soldini, guest of honour of the 2026 edition. The director will meet the public on Friday 18 September at noon, at Teatro Litta, in conversation with Nichetti.
The festival will officially open on the evening of 16 September with the documentary on Gino Paoli, “Senza Fine – Quella soffitta sul mare” (“Endless – That Attic by the Sea”). The invitation-only screening precedes the film’s broadcast on Rai3, scheduled for 18 September. Other special events in the Out-of-Competition Panorama section include a new work by mountaineer Hervé Barmasse, produced with Amref.
“Making a documentary today means practising democracy,” said Bizzarri, stressing the genre’s role as a tool for reading reality. Nichetti, meanwhile, described an edition built to “observe the world from different perspectives.”
Check the full programme on the official website
PhotoCredits: Foto di Headway su Unsplash
