Festival Mediterraneo Cinema 2026: B2B merch for producers, distributors and cultural institutions at Castello Carlo V in Lecce

Merchandising for teams at the Festival Mediterraneo Cinema 2026

Dates

12 – 19 June 2026 (film market 11–13 June, public screenings 12–19 June, closing ceremony 19 June)

Venue

Castello Carlo V, Via XXV Luglio 30, 73100 Lecce LE, Italy

Organiser

Non-profit cultural foundation, with the support of Regione Puglia, the Comune di Lecce and a regional office of the Ministry of Culture

Sections

Feature film competition, documentary competition, Maghreb focus, Italy panorama, annual Mediterranean retrospective, film market

Operational calendar

Build-up 8–11 June, film market 11–13 June, public opening 12 June, closing 19 June, breakdown 20–21 June

The Festival Mediterraneo Cinema is an independent-cinema showcase dedicated to the Mediterranean basin, held each year in Lecce in the second half of June, structured around an international feature-film competition, a documentary competition, a Maghreb focus, an Italy panorama and an annual retrospective on a Mediterranean filmmaker, complemented by a film market dedicated to co-production between countries of the northern and southern Mediterranean shore. The 2026 edition centres on the Castello Carlo V in Lecce, an Angevin fortress in the heart of the Salento capital, and draws on a network of partner venues (Cinema Teatro Massimo, Multisala Andromeda, the Palazzo Carafa Exhibition Space) that host decentralised sections of the festival, alongside a pavilion dedicated to the film market and an hospitality area for international delegates. The festival opens with the film market on Thursday, runs across a week of public programming and closes with an awards ceremony on Saturday evening.

From the Milan hub, Corp-Merch.IT coordinates the full merch plan for the producers, distributors, festival partners and cultural institutions taking part in the Festival Mediterraneo Cinema: graphic pre-production adaptation (including festival catalogues that call for typographic work, sewn binding, two-colour print or coloured paper stocks), district-level producer selection aligned with the requested processing (Como for silk, Scandicci for leather, Vigevano for small leather goods, Maniago for small metalwork, Murano for art glass, Faenza for ceramics, Padova for technical print, Florence for hand-binding, Lecce for local pietra leccese paper and cartapesta objects), physical pre-production samples for limited editions, and a structured response within 48 working hours of the brief. Festival catalogues and editorial materials are printed on FSC-certified paper with low-impact processes, and on request we add sewn binding, ribbon bookmark and a slipcase with a die-cut window.

For buyers with Italian VAT registration the invoice goes out in EUR with 22% VAT via the Italian Sistema di Interscambio (SdI) of the Agenzia delle Entrate, delivered to the buyer's Codice Destinatario or PEC; reduced 10% VAT rate applies to festival catalogues comparable to editorial publications, 5% to art catalogues under current Italian rules. Reverse charge for intra-EU buyers with a valid VIES number, split payment for public-sector stands and self-invoicing for public entities that request it per art. 17 of DPR 633/72. For clients subject to CSRD reporting (D.Lgs. 125/2024) we provide a sustainability data sheet per order with Scope 3 CO₂e estimates under the GHG Protocol on the Italian legs and on the provenances from the named districts, aligned with ESRS E1 (Climate Change) and S2 (Workers in the Value Chain).

The festival calendar falls in the week of the summer solstice, and often overlaps with the just-concluded Cannes Film Festival and the upcoming Taormina Film Fest (a few weeks later), concentrating in Lecce producers, distributors, sales agents, festival directors and international press. Direct deliveries to the Castello Carlo V have to be coordinated with the venue's loading calendar and the courier access passes; a buffer at a partner hotel in the historic centre or at our Milan hub lowers the risk of off-window deliveries. For delegates also participating in the film market we often propose a single coordination of the logistical plan, with separate packing lists per destination (film market, screening room, welcome hotel, Italy hosting meetings) and dedicated on-site labelling. For heavy loads and co-edited catalogues we work with partners specialised in climate-controlled transport so that prints, bindings and programmes keep their condition through the temporary-warehouse phases.

For public institutions or public-sector venues hosting decentralised sections of the festival we operate in split-payment regime with VAT paid directly to the Treasury, and on request we handle the buyer's self-invoice per art. 17 of DPR 633/72. For extra-EU buyers based outside the EU the invoice goes out without Italian VAT citing the relevant regulatory exemption; for intra-EU buyers with a valid VIES number reverse charge applies with the relevant article cited. Goods travel with DDT, packing list and origin declaration, and split deliveries between the Castello Carlo V, Multisala Andromeda and other partner venues are managed with separate packing lists per destination, dedicated on-site labelling and courier-express tracking. For productions structured as cooperatives or social enterprises we pay particular attention to correct bill-to details and to VAT-register reconciliation, aligned with Agenzia delle Entrate guidance.

Production and logistics to Castello Carlo V in Lecce

Before launching production we confirm artwork, edition size, binding type and on-site recipient. Assigned-space number, screening calendar and dock-in slot must be checked against the latest operational plan issued by the festival organisation and against the courier pass calendar for the Castello Carlo V. The venue runs on nominal vehicle passes during the build-up phase, so loading windows must be cross-checked with the courier pass and with the calendar published by the festival's operational secretariat. For sewn-bound festival catalogues and art editions specific packing rules apply: single-piece glassine wrapping, label per edition number, dedicated packing list and, on request, pre-shipment photography.

For an Italian programme routed through Milan, shipments are consolidated at the hub and forwarded by BRT, SDA, GLS or DHL Express Italy with 24-hour windows across most Italian postcodes, and by appointment for direct loads to Castello Carlo V in Lecce. For programmes above 1,000 pieces we offer appointment delivery with phone pre-notice and, on request, on-site set-up by our staff. For sewn-bound festival catalogues and editorial materials we work with partners specialised in climate-controlled transport so that prints, bindings and bookmarks keep their condition through the temporary-warehouse phases. For clients subject to CSRD reporting (D.Lgs. 125/2024) we provide a sustainability data sheet per PO with Scope 3 CO₂e estimates under the GHG Protocol on the Italian legs and on the provenances from the named districts, aligned with ESRS E1 (Climate Change) and S2 (Workers in the Value Chain).

For public institutions or public-sector venues hosting decentralised sections of the festival we operate in split-payment regime with VAT paid directly to the Treasury, and on request we handle the buyer's self-invoice per art. 17 of DPR 633/72. For extra-EU buyers based outside the EU the invoice goes out without Italian VAT citing the relevant regulatory exemption; for intra-EU buyers with a valid VIES number reverse charge applies with the relevant article cited. Goods travel with DDT, packing list and origin declaration, and split deliveries between the Castello Carlo V, Multisala Andromeda, Cinema Teatro Massimo and other partner venues are managed with separate packing lists per destination, dedicated on-site labelling and courier-express tracking.

Frequently asked questions