Ischia Global Fest Recap

Ischia Global Film & Music Fest: A Week of Stars on the Island

The 13th Annual Ischia Global Film & Music Fest has just come to a close. This highly anticipated event takes place at the height of summer, usually starting around July 11th and running for a full week. During these days Ischia is sprinkled with “gold”, as some of the film and music industry’s greatest talents populate the island.

Stars such as Antonio Banderas, Helen Mirren, Taylor Hackford, Matteo Garrone, Jimmy Kimmel and Cheryl Boone Isaacs are just some of the guests who have been seen around town. Local venues enthusiastically support the festival and host private screenings spread throughout the island. Screenings are often free entry and on a first come, first served basis, making the event accessible to all film lovers.

Highlights: Boulevard and Robin Williams’ Final Performance

Critics particularly praised the film chosen to kick off the week: an invitation-only screening of Boulevard by Dito Montiel, held at the beautiful Albergo della Regina Isabella Hotel (which can be reached by private boat transfers directly from the mainland or from the islands of Capri and Naples).

Guests arrived dressed to the nines and perfectly on time, not wanting to miss a single moment of Robin Williams in his final film. In Boulevard, Williams plays a married bank employee whose encounter with a young hustler forces him to confront his repressed homosexuality. The film was first screened at Sundance Film Festival in 2014 and was released in the U.S. on July 10, 2015, right before the opening of the festival.

“We are proud to inaugurate the festival with a long-awaited work,” announced the festival’s director Pascal Vicedomini. “The first trailer of this movie—recently launched on the web—has touched the hearts of millions of fans who will soon commemorate the first anniversary of Williams’ passing on August 11.”

Other critically acclaimed films also made their way to Ischia, making this edition of the festival a truly unforgettable week.

Streaming, Italy and the Future of Entertainment

One of the most interesting questions raised during the festival is how this event may influence the future of the Italian entertainment industry. “Italy is one of the great film and television centers of the world,” said Ted Sarandos, Netflix Chief Content Officer, who attended the festival and met with Italian talent and key industry players.

Italy has been slower than other countries to fully embrace on-demand movies and internet streaming, but Sarandos believes this is changing. With growing demand for content in European countries such as France and Germany, Italy is likely to follow the trend.

“Next year we will spend 5 billion dollars a year on content globally,” he said. “We are on track to spend about 20 percent of that on original productions, and those productions are being made everywhere in the world. Today we are in production in 17 countries.” Discussions about funding an Italian-based series are already underway and will certainly drive more traffic to the platform in the near future.

Ischia Charter Boat and the Global Fest

Ischia Charter Boat has worked with the Global Fest organisers to provide boat transportation and tours during the festival. Our services cover Capri, Ischia, Positano, Amalfi and Naples, both for guests and public attendees.

During the festival we can arrange:

• Private boat transfers between Ischia and nearby islands such as Capri and Procida;
• Transfers between Naples and Ischia for festival guests;
• Custom boat tours along the Amalfi Coast and around the island of Ischia.

For inquiries about boat rentals and transfers for future editions of the festival, feel free to contact us at info@ischiacharterboat.com or visit our website www.ischiacharterboat.it.

Watch the Ischia Global Fest Recap Video

Get a taste of the atmosphere of the festival with this short recap video: