Reviews, Fantasy Day Film Festival Returns to the Santa Maria La Nova Complex

From 9 to 13 July, the Chiostro di S. Giacomo della Marca in Naples will complete the Fantasy Day Film Festival 2025, which began in June on the occasion of Fantasy Day. In collaboration with the Monumental Complex of Santa Maria La Nova, the Altanur Cultural Association will offer the public five evenings with a varied and engaging program. The Festival, dedicated to fantasy shorts, in this third edition wanted to propose a broad program in two parts: the first, with workshops and meetings, held from 6 to 8 June during Fantasy Day in Villa Vannucchi in San Giorgio a Cremano and the second, which will be held from 9 to 13 July, at this prestigious Neapolitan museum with screenings of the finalist shorts, famous guests and awards.

For each evening there is an entrance ticket - at a cost of € 5.00 - which will allow you to visit the Monumental Complex of Santa Maria La Nova until the start of the video projections. It will be a propitious occasion for all those who want to discover a true treasure chest of art and at the same time enjoy the projections of fantastic, dreamlike, sci-fi works. The Complex is also famous for the important studies on the tomb of Vlad Tepes III, known to most as the literary character of Dracula. The Final Evening on July 13 will be accessible by showing an entrance ticket purchased for the previous evenings from 9/7 to 12/7 and until all available seats are filled.

Led by Salvatore De Chiara (Director and Artistic Director of the Fantasy Day Film Festival) and Giuseppe Reale (Director of the Monumental Complex of Santa Maria La Nova), the program will range from viewing the short films in competition to meeting famous actors, directors and producers. And more: cult films, a steampunk exhibition and world previews.

THE PROGRAM

Wednesday 9 July – from 8pm screenings of the short films in the Visionary Category, meetings with the authors, viewing of the silent film with live music: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, a cult work of German Expressionist cinema.

Thursday 10 July – at 7 pm inauguration of the steampunk exhibition “L'Officina della Natura – Simon Saronni exposes with imagination”, at 8 pm screenings of the short films of the Visionary Category. At 9:15 pm the eagerly awaited meeting with Giovanni Esposito and the screening of his film 'NERO'. The evening ends with the assignment of the Fantasy Day Film Festival Special Award – First Work to the director Giovanni Esposito and with the Award Ceremony of the works of the Visionary Category.

Friday 11 July – at 7 pm the Special Evening dedicated to previews and looks at the Cinema of other Countries begins. It begins with the absolute preview presentation of some sequences of Janus'House by Simone Trucco which will be in theaters in 2026. A talk will follow with two of the protagonists of the film: Annalisa Pennino (a well-known face of Un Posto Al Sole) and Carola Santopaolo, with the producers Samantha Cito of Flicktales, Armando Ciotola and Antonio Acampora of Cinemafiction. At 8 pm a look at the history and legend with 'Egregora' by Andrei Chiriac who will join us from Romania. At 9:30 pm screening of a very particular Japanese feature film.

Saturday 12 July – from 8pm screenings of the Short Films in Competition and a meeting with the directors, a talk with Enrico Iannaccone, President of the Jury, and screening of his short film 'Diatriba'.

Sunday 13 July – from 8 pm Final evening. Accompanied by Carla Grimaldi's violin, we will meet Claudio Gargano and his book Il cinema di Cthulhu. L'influenza di Lovecraft sull'immaginario filmico (Martin Eden Edizioni, 2025) and we will give voice to the representatives of the Festivals twinned with the Fantasy Day Film Festival.

During the evening, the following awards will be presented: Lifetime Achievement Award to director Sergio Stivaletti; Fantasy Day Film Festival Special Award to director Andrei Chiriac for Egregora, selected at the Bucharest International Film Festival 2023, which retraces the path of the Romanian people between history and legend among beautiful and engaging landscapes; Awards to the Winners of the Fantasy Day Film Festival.