In Turkey, the new art director of the second edition of the International Urla Gastronomy Film Festival 2026 will be an Italian actor and director Ferdinando Maddaloni. We’re taking advantage of his availability to delve deeper into the topic of Italian art and culture abroad. For about seven years, Ferdinando has been dividing his time between Rome, Istanbul, Naples, and now Izmir (Smyrna).
Ferdinando, a few months ago you were appointed art director of the International Urla Gastronomy Film Festival 2026. How did this project come about?
Cinema and food are everyday topics of conversation between me and my partner, Yesim. I’m from Naples, raised on bread and friarielli, and she’s Turkish, with a past as a chef. Then came the decisive meeting with Gülper Şahin Ergün, who won us over with her enthusiasm and professionalism. Believe me, together with Yesim, who serves as general organizer, they are a real force of nature!
Such a delicate role in a festival is a big responsibility.
I’m aware of it, but I love to challenge myself continuously. I’ve been a jury member for years in various festivals and as a producer, director, author, and leading actor of my works, I’ve traveled to festivals around the world, winning many awards and accumulating a lot of experience. Among my fondest memories are the wins in Rio de Janeiro, Montreal, Porto, without forgetting the disappointment of not being able to collect the award at the 2016 Hollywood Independent International Documentary Award with my docu-fiction “Never Look for Logic If It’s Not Your Logic”.
Why didn’t you go?
The first time, in December 2016, the award ceremony (which you must attend in person in Hollywood) coincided with a theatre show of “Natale in casa Cupiello/ Christmas at the Cupiellos” by Luigi de Filippo. The American festival’s organizers exceptionally wanted to give it to me during the next edition, but even then, in March 2017, I was busy with theater, this time with “Mariti e mogli/ Husbands and wives” with Monica Guerritore.
Let’s get back to the festival. When will it take place?
The festival will take place from June 5th to June 7th, 2026, in the magnificent location of Urladam in Izmir (Smyrna). These will be three intense days with many events planned. There will be screenings and awards for short films with the presence of artists. We’ll also have meetings with international jury members and various international chefs, including our Claudio Chinali, Executive Chef of Eataly Istanbul. With him, I dream of staging a show/ lesson on Her Majesty Queen Margherita, the most famous pizza in history.
As known, Italian food has just become a UNESCO heritage site. How will it impact your direction of the international gastronomic festival?
It’s a very important recognition, but also a great responsibility. The fact that Italian food has entered the UNESCO heritage will be a starting point for an international journey inspired by urgency and curiosity. With my team, consisting of two precious collaborators, Yağmur Yağcı and Seda Kanburoğlu, we feel the urgency to describe food not just as pleasure or consumption, but as a cultural, political, and human language; and the curiosity to make interact worlds that apparently don’t communicate enough, such as cinema, gastronomy, and territories. The International Urla Gastronomy Film Festival wants to be just that: a meeting ppint where stories pass through flavors, hands, traditions, and face the contradictions of our time. When I was offered the role of art director, I felt there was a possibility to build up a project that wasn’t just a showcase of films, but a living experience, capable of questioning the present and imagining the future starting from what unites us all: food and the stories it brings about. Just like in my short film “See Naples and then (Not) Die” where two terrorists give up on carrying out an attack thanks to the love that blossomed for traditional Neapolitan delicacies (pizza and frittata di maccheroni) and innovations like our kepurp, the antagonist of Kebab. At table, good food unites, it doesn’t divide!
How can one participate in Urla Gastronomy Film Festival 2026?
Just log in to the Filmfreeway platform and register for the festival following the link.
https://filmfreeway.com/UGFF2026
There are three international sections for short films and documentaries up to 20 minutes, an award for a script, and for young Turkish students and non-professionals (up to 35 years old), a national section “Momentum” is foreseen for works up to 5 minutes long, shot with a phone and having the following subject: “The Place Where I Grew Up”…
What awards can be won?
I’m proud to highlight that the awards will be in cash, with amounts ranging from 850 euros for the International Klazomeinai 2026 Award for best short film, to 400 euros for documentaries, up to 250 euros for scripts. I know very well that every prize, regardless of the amount, has a huge symbolic and artistic value. But I also believe that a concrete financial recognition can represent a real stimulus to believe even more in one’s work. My wish is that these prizes aren’t just a goal, but a starting point, maybe, to return to Urla also in 2027, with new stories, new visions, and the same desire to speak to the world through cinema and food.
Apart from the Festival, what projects do you have for 2026?
I’m writing the text for my new show, which will premiere on Saturday, March 29th, at the Teatro Teder in Naples, directed by Veronica Mazza, titled “Ai nostri primi sessant’anni assieme” (To our first sixty years together). It’s my autobiography and a funny diary written by myself as an actor and as a Napoli football team fan, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of my beloved team, and my 60th birthday to be celebrated in December. Then there will be many new things… and not just work-related. Maybe we’ll talk about it some other time!
We thank Ferdinando Maddaloni for his smart answers and wish him good luck!
Olga Matsyna
Paese Roma
