Trento Film Festival 2026

Destination… South Korea

Every year, the Trento Film Festival takes us to a different part of the world. While 2025 was dedicated to Argentina, the 2026 edition now turns its gaze eastward, focusing on South Korea, a country that has long been at the heart of a cinematic revolution.

From the rich output of Korean cinema in recent years, 15 films have been selected, including 9 feature-length films and 6 short films. Among the titles most closely connected to the mountain theme are Run-Off by Kim Jong-hyun, which follows a women’s ice hockey team on the eve of the 2009 Asian Winter Games, and The Himalayas by Lee Seok-hoon, recounting the extraordinary achievements of mountaineer Um Hong-gil, the first climber to have conquered all 16 of the world’s highest peaks. Um Hong-gil will also attend the Trento Film Festival 2026 as a special guest.

The festival will also pay tribute to two recently deceased icons of international cinema, Claudia Cardinale and Robert Redford. In their memory, the programme will include screenings of some landmark films from their careers, such as The Pink Panther, The Horse Whisperer, and The Electric Horseman.

Not just cinema

South Korea will therefore take center stage not only on the big screens, but also in the streets and public squares, with a rich calendar of accompanying events.

Among the highlights is a special evening dedicated to a dialogue between two outstanding explorers: Kim Young-mi, South Korean mountaineer and explorer, and Alex Bellini, explorer and environmental communicator. Through travel stories, images and personal reflections, the two speakers connect experiences lived at the very edges of the world.

The programme also includes a literary event with the presentation of the book Made in Korea. From Its Origins to K-pop by Noemi Pelagalli, the most comprehensive Italian-language volume on Korean history. The schedule further features cultural talks, the traditional show cooking sessions at Palazzo Roccabruna—with tastings of fermented and alcoholic beverages from Eastern traditions—hands-on workshops, and an exhibition dedicated to the guest country.

The full event programme will be released in early April 2026.