Social Film Festival ArTelesia is an international competition of social cinema in Benevento, in the Italian region of Campania. It is organised by the non-profit cultural association Libero Teatro and dates back to 2008, when it was conceived by Francesco Tomasiello, a young man with a disability. Its DivAbili section is reserved for films made by directors with disabilities or featuring actors with disabilities. Other competitive sections cover emerging and professional filmmakers, world premieres, animation, and works made in schools and universities, whose winners are chosen by student juries during the Back to School morning screenings. Further prizes are awarded by a jury of inmates of Benevento prison and by Arcigay Antinoo Napoli. Each edition has its own theme, and the programme adds talks, masterclasses and stage events. The festival is a member of the Association of Italian Film Festivals (AFIC).
The 18th edition, on the theme “Eroi” (Heroes), is held in Benevento on 7–11 October 2026.
Awards and prizes
Filmmaker and DivAbili sections: Best Film, Best Director, Best Subject, Best Cinematography, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best New Actor, Best Debut Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, Best Location, Best Soundtrack, Best Fiction of the Year, AncheCinema distribution prize. The Assanti Award for young emerging directors has been given since the 13th edition.
School and University section: awards chosen by student juries, including a Smartmetraggio award for works made with smartphones.
World Premieres and Animation sections: a contract for the purchase of rights by national platforms and broadcasters.
Other prizes include the Cortincarcere Prize, awarded by a jury of inmates of Benevento prison, the Antinoo Movie Prize of Arcigay Antinoo Napoli, the Drinkorto Prize and Best Foreign Short Film.
Festival rules
Competitive sections (2026 call): Filmmaker (emerging and professional directors, production and distribution companies); DivAbili (works by directors with disabilities or involving actors with disabilities, not necessarily about disability); World Premieres; Animation; School and University.
Accepted works: feature films of at least 60 minutes; short films of up to 20 minutes including credits; spots of up to 120 seconds; TV series and fiction in the Filmmaker and DivAbili sections. Works made entirely with smartphones are eligible in the School and University section.
Films are submitted by email as a link to an online platform (preferably FilmFreeway), together with the signed entry form, trailer, poster and two stills. Entry is free in the Filmmaker, DivAbili, World Premieres and School and University sections. Films must not be freely available on YouTube or similar platforms; for the 2026 edition, works had to date from 2025 or later. Foreign-language works must be subtitled or translated into Italian. An author may enter more than one work.
Works are preselected by a Young Jury, a Popular Jury and a pre-selection committee; the finalists are judged by a Technical Jury. Winners collect their awards in person; hospitality is provided for those living more than 100 km from Benevento.
Each edition sets its own themes. For 2026: I Belong to Me; Integration; Roots; Ortometraggio (stories of sustainable agriculture); free theme. School and University themes: I Care (environment and sustainability); Cinelibriamoci (works inspired by literature); The Clock on 20.30 (good practices for sustainable development); Education and Care.
