Aquileia Film Festival 2026 – 17th edition

The international archaeological film festival is organized by the Aquileia Foundation with Archeologia Viva and Firenze Archeofilm.

The full program is available at www.fondazioneaquileia.it

TUESDAY, JULY 28 - Special event for the 50th anniversary of the 1976 Friuli earthquake
Book presentation
When the Swallows Return. Friuli 1976: Memories of an Earthquake
The book tells the story of a wounded land, but also of a possible rebirth because the earthquake was followed by a "moment of choice," the choice to get up and look forward, but above all the choice to do it together, in a solidarity pact that involved institutions and citizens.

Conversation
edited by Elena Commessatti, journalist and writer
with Giada Messetti
A journalist and sinologist born in Gemona del Friuli. After graduating in Oriental Languages from Ca' Foscari University of Venice, she lived in Beijing from 2005 to 2011, working for RAI, Corriere della Sera, and Repubblica. Upon returning to Italy, she became a writer for television and radio programs for RAI, Mediaset, and La7. In 2026, she published Quando tornano le rondini. Friuli 1976: memorie di un terremoto, published by Mondadori.

Projection
Orcolat
Narrated by the unmistakable voice of Bruno Pizzul, Orcolat is a choral tale that intertwines memory, identity, and the rebirth of Friuli, nearly fifty years after the 1976 earthquake. Through the testimonies of artists, athletes, writers, and scholars—including Dino Zoff, Manuela Di Centa, Fabio Capello, Paolo Rumiz, Ester Kinsky, Davide Toffolo, Tullio Avoledo, and many others—the film creates an emotional and collective mosaic of that historical moment that indelibly marked the region and its people. Far from rhetoric, Orcolat explores not only the strength and solidarity of reconstruction, but also its contradictions and the shadows of the initial relief efforts. With music by Tre Allegri Ragazzi Morti and Elisa, the film becomes a journey into the memory and resilience of a people capable of rebirth, transforming pain into vital energy and a shared heritage.

Country: Italy, Director: Federico Savonitto
Running time: 92', Year: 2025, Production: Kublai Film, RAI Cinema
Language: Italian, Editing and animation: Elia Risato
Music: Lorenzo Commissio, Three Merry Dead Boys, Elisa