Film festivals, cultural events for territorial and touristic development: the case study of Taormina Film Fest

Festivals represent a vital part of human society. They are predominantly social phenomena, traditionally offer respite from hard work and mundane activities and therefore are an opportunity for socializing whilst also enjoying some form of cultural entertainment. These festivals have become fundamental tools of the movie industry for promoting and selling films but also a means to enhance film awareness and the territorial attractiveness of the regions hosting the event. Film Festivals can generate direct, indirect and induced socio-economic benefits for the hosting territories: increased local tourist flows can be counted among direct economic effects, while new territorial brands linked to a cinematic identity can be surely considered indirect or induced impacts. The focus of this paper is analysing risks, opportunities and potentialities of film festivals in terms of socio-economic, territorial and touristic development, through an in-depth overview of a Sicilian case study: the Taormina Film Fest. The case of the TFF, still little discussed in the literature, is very particular and interesting because despite being a moderately low-budget event in terms of organization, it nevertheless manages to have very wide territorial effects.