Cinema and sport take centre stage in Campitello Matese: the International Sport Film Festival 2026 preview concludes
Two days of screenings and encounters devoted to the values of sport, friendship and inclusion
CAMPITELLO MATESE – Two days in which cinema met sport, becoming a means of storytelling, awareness and participation. The preview of the International Sport Film Festival 2026has concluded in Campitello Matese. Held on 10 and 11 August at La Piramide, it was organised in collaboration with the Municipality of San Massimo.
The programme combined sports-themed audiovisual screenings with encounters featuring representatives of the sporting world and public institutions. Audiences heard experiences and testimonies united by the values of friendship, inclusion, commitment and participation.
During the first day speakers included Michele D’Aversa, a FISI Level II STF alpine skiing coach; Professor Guido Cavaliere, former president of CONI Molise; and Antonello Merola, a Level III federal alpine skiing coach.
D’Aversa highlighted the importance of work in schools to introduce children and young people to sport. Cavaliere emphasised cinema’s value as a means of spreading positive messages and raising awareness of inclusion and access to sport for people with disabilities. Merola focused on the central role of schools and the need to strengthen facilities and pathways for students’ sporting activities.
A welcome from Mayor Alfonso Leggieri
The second day was opened by Alfonso Leggieri, Mayor of San Massimo, who underlined the importance of the International Sport Film Festival and cinema’s ability to tell the stories of sport, its protagonists and the values it represents.
The Mayor also thanked the organisers for their work and for choosing Campitello Matese to host this special preview of the Festival’s fifth edition.
Stefano Ciallella and the state of Paralympic sport
Paralympic sport featured prominently in the contribution by Stefano Ciallella, the coaches’ representative on the FISPES Federal Council.
Ciallella outlined the current state of Italy’s Paralympic movement, focusing on sports facilities and the improvements still needed to ensure genuine accessibility for athletes. In particular, he drew attention to the importance of connections between homes and sports venues: an area that requires continued work so that people with disabilities can easily reach training facilities and take part in sport regularly.
His contribution showed that accessibility is not only about removing barriers inside venues. It must also encompass mobility, transport and every stage of athletes’ daily journeys.
Campobasso FC: local identity and cinematic storytelling
Campobasso FC also took part in the day, represented by General Manager Giuseppe Praticò and Marketing Director and Social Media Manager Andrea Zita.
Praticò stressed the importance of sport as a means of growth, bringing people together and conveying positive values. He also highlighted the strong bond between Campobasso FC and its region, noting that the club is a point of reference not only for the city but for the whole of Molise.
Andrea Zita described the club’s experience during ten months of work with an ESPN film production crew on ‘Running with the Wolves’, the series about Campobasso FC currently being distributed in the United States and Canada.
The project used film to tell not just the team’s sporting story, but also its relationship with supporters, the identity of the region and the passion of an entire community. Trailers for the series were also screened during the encounter.
The guests’ testimonies and the audiovisual works presented over the two days confirmed sports cinema’s ability to go beyond competitive results, telling stories of challenges, ambitions and individual and collective journeys.
The Campitello Matese preview marked a step towards the fifth International Sport Film Festival, scheduled for 23–28 November 2026 in Castellammare di Stabia.
The International Sport Film Festival is organised by Parallax Vision ETS and directed by Nicola D’Auria and Ciro Sorrentino.