Three days of Mediterranean cinema at the Italian Cultural Institute on Park Avenue
The first edition of MedFilm Festival in New York has successfully come to a close. The international spin-off of Rome’s MedFilm Festival brought to the Italian Cultural Institute of New York, from 16 to 18 April, a selection of works dedicated to the cinematographies and cultures of the Mediterranean.
Over three days, New York audiences took part with enthusiasm in screenings, meetings, and moments of discussion that confirmed the strong interest in a cinema capable of telling stories of identity, social transformation, memory, and dialogue between different cultures. The festival presented nine works, including feature films and short films from various countries of the Euro-Mediterranean area, offering a contemporary and plural perspective on the many realities of the Mediterranean.
“It is with great pleasure that the Italian Cultural Institute of New York welcomed the MedFilm Festival, which, after more than thirty years of success in Rome, arrived in a city naturally devoted to the encounter between cultures,” said the Director of the Institute, Claudio Pagliara.
“New York, home of the United Nations and a metropolis where communities from all over the world live side by side, with more than 700 languages spoken, represents, like the Mediterranean, a space of dialogue, exchange, and cross-fertilization. Within this horizon, Italy holds a central role, both for its geographical position and for its strategic vision. The arrival of the MedFilm Festival in New York has therefore strengthened the cultural bridge between Italy and the United States and confirmed the value of cinema as a tool for mutual understanding and dialogue among peoples.”
The Festival’s Artistic Director and Founder, Ginella Vocca, stated: “The outcome of this first edition of the MedFilm Festival in New York has been extremely positive and confirms the strength of the cultural path built over more than thirty years of activity. We witnessed great attention and participation from the audience, who welcomed with interest a programme dedicated to the quality of contemporary Mediterranean cinema and to dialogue between cultures. We are very pleased with the result achieved and deeply grateful to the Italian Cultural Institute of New York, the Consulate General of Italy, our partners, and all those who contributed to making this initiative possible. New York has proven to be an ideal setting for reaffirming the value of cinema as a space for encounter and international dialogue.”
With this first edition in New York, the MedFilm Festival strengthens its international path and renews its mission of promoting cinema as a space of encounter between shores, cultures, and communities. After New York, the festival’s 2026 international programme will continue with events in Tunisia and Morocco, ahead of the thirty-second edition of the festival, which will take place in Rome from 5 to 15 November.
