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Born in 1997 as the first Italian festival of spiritual cinema and inter-religious dialogue, in 2026 it will celebrate its 29th anniversary, a significant and demanding milestone that prompts us to look back, to measure our progress. The Religion Today Film Festival has come a long way, and today this appointment with religious cinema is well known and
appreciated all over the world; it has many admirers and friends, and it makes films travel, but above all, people and ideas. Religion Today allows us to consolidate that image of Trentino as a land that has linked its fate to one of the most significant events in the spiritual history of the West - the Council of Trent - but which has been able to renew itself from those foundations with creativity, commitment, and tenacity, becoming a land of welcome, inter-religious dialogue, solidarity and peace. 29 years ago, the themes of migration and multiculturalism, now part of the fabric of an increasingly interconnected global community, were already in the air, though they had not yet received the attention they deserved. In a world profoundly troubled by a global pandemic that has sown death and disease, these issues are as topical as ever and impose the need to fight the virus of selfishness and fear. Injecting into today's society robust antibodies capable of fighting the germs of racism, radicalism, and extremism that threaten our community from within, that foment hatred rather than promote dialogue. Religion Today is even more current, necessary to give space to ideas and all religions, filtering them through the art of cinema and its great protagonists, narrators of our time.
Religion Today is an international and itinerant film festival dedicated to religious diversity for a culture of peace and interfaith dialogue. It promotes a journey “exploring the differences”, both in religious practices and beliefs and in cinematic styles and languages, towards a mutual enrichment through reciprocal knowledge and comparison.
Together with the world cinema competition, open to any film with a religious connection, it offers a platform for exchanging ideas and viewpoints, including a “living workshop” involving filmmakers of different faiths and nationalities.
This year's theme is: "Does the habit make the monk? Ethics, image and imagination."
The 29th edition of the Religion Today Film Festival explores the connection between fashion, spirituality, and visual storytelling in an era defined by images. Between fast fashion, sustainability, and the ethical challenges of global consumption, fashion emerges as a cultural and religious language that has shaped identities across centuries and traditions.
Cinema shows how clothing defines characters, eras, and symbols, revealing what words often cannot.
This edition invites younger generations to reflect on responsible consumption, creativity, diversity, and the power of symbols, transforming fashion from mere appearance into an act of awareness. A journey dedicated to a “beauty that does not deceive,” where ethics, aesthetics, and storytelling meet to imagine a more just and authentic future.
The 29th edition of the Festival will take place in September 2026 in Trento and will include the following sections:
> International competition;
> Thematic sessions for special awards.
The films admitted to the International competition will be judged by an Inter-religious Jury of experts that will award the Religion Today "In the Spirit of Faith, in addition to the prizes for each film category. The directors of nominated films will be our guests in Trento.
From among all the nominations, the SIGNIS (World Catholic Association for Communication) Jury will award its prize. The films admitted to the Thematic sessions will compete for the special awards, which will be conferred by Italian technical juries.
