PRO-PENTEDATTILO ASS. - Pentedattilo Film Festival

In order to understand the activities carried out by Pro Pentedattilo Association, it is useful to spend a few words on the situation of the ancient village of Pentedattilo in 1994.
At that time the ancient village appeared completely abandoned after all the villagers moved out in the '60s. It was in a serious state of decay, with most of the houses half-destroyed because of the abandonment and the consequent vandalism. There was a very serious situation of lawlessness which affected the environment. Several arsons took place, the last of which forced the few artists living permanently in the village to leave. In this scenario, a spontaneous, natural movement of "civil resistance" took place. It was made up of ordinary people, young people and older ones, professionals, national and international associations who decided to commit themselves to prevent this wonderful old village (extolled in the books for centuries and with the enormous geological, cultural and historical importance) from getting lost both physically and in people’s memory.

Hence arose Pro Pentedattilo Association. Active since 1996, it has the social and cultural purpose of promoting the image of forgotten sites, transforming them from "abandonment monuments" to "encounter places", where the themes of solidarity, tolerance, peace, interculturality, respect for the environment can live and be discussed through the involvement and the active participation of the inhabitants of the community and the tourists, visitors and volunteers who each year populate the old village. Finding yourself in Pentedattilo and in the places related to the association, becomes an opportunity to not forget the culture and the traditions of the village but not with the aim of making historical memory "a museum", rather to enhance it as a resource for planning the future.

Since 2006 Pentedattilo Film Festival has been the cultural event that identifies artistically the village of Pentedattilo every year.