The Apulia Film Commission has unveiled a new €5 million Apulia Film Fund for 2026 at the 83rd Venice Film Festival, as the region outlined a broader strategy aimed at strengthening its audiovisual sector and attracting further international production.

The announcement came during an event held on 5 September at the Italian Pavilion at Hotel Excelsior, attended by Apulia Film Commission president Anna Maria Tosto and general director Antonio Parente, alongside regional rep Francesco Paolicelli, Bif&st head Oscar Iarussi, Film London chief executive Adrian Wootton and filmmakers whose works are screening at the festival.

Four Apulia-linked titles are represented across the Venice programme. Paolo Strippoli’s The Spiral, starring Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Jasmine Trinca and Adriano Giannini, is playing in the main competition and received €320,000 from the Apulia Film Fund, generating more than €638,000 in reported regional expenditure. Walter Fasano’s documentary Nino – Un film su Nino Rota, screening out of competition, received €120,000 in support, whilst Tommaso Acquarone’s latest short Angelo Azzurro, selected for Orizzonti, was made as part of the European INTERREG REEL initiative. Simone Amendola’s Waiting for Ken Loach, about the youth-run Piccolo Cinema in Mesagne, completes the line-up in the Giornate degli Autori.

At the centre of the presentation was the new €5 million Apulia Film Fund, designed to support film and audiovisual production in the region while generating local expenditure, employment and opportunities for crews, companies and service providers. The commission pointed to the results of its previous funding cycle: more than €13 million in public resources supported 66 productions, which generated around €35 million in direct spending in Apulia and an estimated overall economic impact of approximately €70 million.

The region is also expanding its development and internationalisation tools. The next Apulia Film Forum will run in Bari from 13-15 November, in partnership with the European Producers Club. Eight Apulian projects will be selected for one-to-one meetings with European producers and industry stakeholders, while the call is due to open on 7 September and close on 9 October.

Meanwhile, Apulia Digital Experience, organised with Rai Com, will return to Bari from 11-13 December, focusing on artificial intelligence, immersive content, video games, and emerging production and distribution models. A further €100,000 have been earmarked for the new CineMarket Voucher Puglia, which will reimburse eligible costs incurred by regional SMEs attending key national and international film and audiovisual markets.

The presentation also touched on the future of the Bif&st – Bari International Film&TV Festival, now helmed by Iarussi, and the Apulia Film Commission’s continuing partnership with Film London, which focuses on professional development, training and projects with Italian-UK co-production potential.

Another southern Italian region will take the spotlight at the Italian Pavilion on 6 September, when the Lucana Film Commission will present its own industry strategy during a panel tiled “Quando il cinema è territorio”. The Basilicata-based body will introduce its new €1.5 million PO Val d’Agri 2026 fund, targeting productions set across 35 municipalities, while APA president Chiara Sbarigia, Lucana Film Commission president Margherita Gina Romaniello and actor-producer Riccardo Scamarcio will be among the guests. The session will also showcase Sulle tracce di Federico II in Basilicata, a new 20-minute work directed by Francesco Lopez and featuring the aforementioned Scamarcio, who is also involved as a co-producer.