The Films:
Full Programme to be announced.
Visioni dal Mondo Festival 2026
Visioni dal Mondo is a small but excellent documentary film festival featuring an accompanying Industry Forum and XR competition. The festival and industry center is located in the heart of Milan, in a historic 18th-century palace housing Milan’s oldest theater, a charming restaurant/café, and adjacent rooms for round tables and one-on-ones. The XR section takes place at Italy’s largest science museum, the Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci.
Festival
The Visioni dal Mondo International Documentary Film Festival in Milan is one of Italy’s most important documentary film festivals and has been held for over 10 years. It is dedicated to contemporary documentary film and screens Italian and international documentaries of 50 or 65 minutes in length, while also placing an emphasis on emerging filmmakers, whose works are presented in a dedicated section. Films must have an Italian premiere. Visioni dal Mondo seeks powerful and original works that address the most pressing national and global issues of our time and shed light on social issues, economic dynamics, cultural transformation processes, and moving personal stories.
The international selection of films is small but of high quality. The festival program is exciting, featuring many relevant and moving films. It’s easy to network with Italian and international filmmakers, and decision-makers are also easily accessible. The festival is professionally organized and offers a friendly, welcoming atmosphere with good food and drinks in the heart of one of Europe’s most beautiful cities.
In 2026, the festival will be extended by one day to offer even more opportunities for meetings, pitches, talks, and networking.
Film Submission:
The submission fee is 30 EUR. The festival provides one or two nights of hotel accommodation for the director of each selected film.
All information regarding submissions can be found here: https://www.visionidalmondo.it/en/contest-rules-2026/
The deadline is May 31, 2026
Industry Forum
There is also an Industry Section where filmmakers can submit documentary projects in the development and financing stages. Filmmakers pitch their projects to a panel of international editors and distributors, as well as to the audience. The roundtables and one-on-ones are well-attended. Visioni dal Mondo is also one of the most important documentary film festivals in Europe for creatives interested in immersive content. There are numerous networking opportunities.
The festival succeeds in attracting top-tier decision-makers from Sky and RAI. International editors come from European broadcasters, as well as Arte, ARD, and ZDF.
Submission of projects in development for the pitches:
The submission fee is 30 EUR. The festival provides hotel accommodation for one or two nights for the director and production team for each selected project.
All information regarding submissions can be found here: https://www.visionidalmondo.it/en/visioni-incontra-contest-2026/
The deadline is May 31, 2026
XR Section
Visioni dal Mondo recognized the importance of immersive formats for documentary film years ago and is one of the few festivals that actively fosters collaboration between XR creators and documentary filmmakers. We are seeking XR (VR, AR, MR) projects, both linear and interactive.
Submission of XR Projects:
The submission fee is 30 EUR. The festival will provide hotel accommodation for one or two nights for the director of each selected project.
All information regarding submissions can be found here: https://www.visionidalmondo.it/en/visioni-vr-contest-2026/
The deadline is May 31, 2026
Review
The last edition featured a few dozen premieres and daily networking events. The festival also organized several panels on current, relevant topics, often in conjunction with a film. With a few hundred attendees and about 30 international guests, it’s a fairly mid-sized festival, but that’s precisely its strength. At large festivals, it’s often difficult to make connections. The strength of festivals like Visioni dal Mondo lies in the fact that you keep running into each other. Whether it’s meeting up for breakfast in the morning because almost everyone is staying at the same hotel, or bumping into each other again and again at the festival center with its cozy café in the courtyard.
Further Information
Further information about the festival can be found here: https://www.visionidalmondo.it/en/
Good luck with your projects.
Best regards,
Björn
