The festival dates back to 1952, when Trento hosted the first international competition of alpine cinema; its organisers describe it as the oldest thematic film festival in the world. It is devoted to mountains, adventure, exploration and mountain cultures. The international competition presents documentaries, fiction and short films, and a jury of figures from cinema, culture and mountaineering awards the Gentians. Other sections are Premieres, Highlands, Alp&ism, Near Horizons, a guest-country strand and T4Future, a programme for children, families and schools.
A cultural association founded by the Club Alpino Italiano, the municipalities of Trento and Bolzano and the two chambers of commerce organises the festival, which runs alongside the MontagnaLibri mountain book fair. The 75th edition takes place in Trento from 24 April to 2 May 2027.
Awards and prizes
International competition, awarded by an international jury (2027 regulations): "City of Trento" Grand Prix - Golden Gentian (6,000 EUR, for the film that best represents the cultural objectives of the festival and is of high artistic quality); Club Alpino Italiano Prize - Golden Gentian (3,000 EUR, best film on mountaineering); City of Bolzano Prize - Golden Gentian (3,000 EUR, best film on exploration or adventure); Silver Gentian (1,500 EUR, best artistic-technical contribution); Silver Gentian (1,500 EUR, best short film); Special Jury Prize (2,000 EUR). There are no joint winners.
Audience awards and special prizes: Audience Award for Best Mountaineering Film; Audience Award for Best Full-Length Film; T4Future Award for the best film in the T4Future section, awarded by a jury of pupils from secondary schools in Trentino; and special prizes offered by associations or partner organisations, awarded by independent juries.
Festival rules
Rules of the 75th edition (2027 regulations, dated 19 June 2026). Films of any kind, format and duration are admitted if they deal with the mountains and mountain cultures, mountaineering, environmental protection and sustainable development in the mountains, geographical areas, peoples and cultures, or mountain sports. Submission is free of charge, through the online form on the festival website or through the International Alliance for Mountain Film platform, with a preview link. Films not in Italian need English subtitles, unless already in English. Works submitted to previous editions are not eligible.
Sections: International competition (full-length films, over 40 minutes, and short films, mainly documentaries; films distributed in Italian cinemas are not admitted), Premieres, Special screenings, Highlands, Alp&ism, Near Horizons (films not shown in Trentino-Alto Adige and Tyrol), Destination... (guest country) and T4Future.
Deadlines: 10 January 2027 for works produced in 2025 and 2026; 10 February 2027 for works produced in 2027. Selected films are notified by mid-March 2027, and screening copies are due by 5 April 2027. Accepted screening formats are DCP and HD file (H264 or ProRes, .mov or .mp4, at least 30 Mbps).
