...journalists, filmmakers, activists, writers, artists, and dissidents — those who risk everything to document and to denounce.

Our mission has always been to fill a void — in the media landscape, in public discourse, in cultural memory — reminding everyone that power should not be worshipped or tamed, but held to account, questioned, and confronted.

Throughout the year, we organize exhibitions, concerts, and public talks. We bring investigative journalism and documentaries into schools, hoping to spark critical thinking where it matters most — among the young.

DIG, to us, is a philosophy. It is a pack of radical strays, a free-thinking tribe. A chosen family — even if we’re not fond of the word — that gives space to works of investigation that dig deep, when depth is often ignored in a world chasing clicks.

In recent years, our association has accumulated a debt of about €50,000. Staying afloat has become increasingly difficult. Raising that amount is ambitious, yes — but for us, it’s essential. Not just to survive, but to keep building what we've spent eleven years creating.

We are still facing the consequences of a political and legal assault from the former right-wing administration of Riccione, where our first festivals took place. The battle continues in court and casts a long shadow. Thanks to our tireless legal team, we’ve resisted. But the cost — emotional and economic — has been immense.

On top of that, the rising cost of living has nearly doubled the Festival’s budget. Despite the loyal support of the Municipality of Modena, the Emilia-Romagna Region, and a few selected sponsors, our debt keeps growing — and no amount of ingenuity can make up the difference anymore.

Political independence has a price. And it’s rising.Not only because freedom of expression is increasingly under threat, but because major funders prefer docile, tamed projects. They want a culture that’s compliant and easy to manage.

DIG is not that kind of creature.

We’ve never accepted funding from just anyone. Especially not from those who see culture as a branding opportunity, or as a way to sway public opinion for their own gain. Staying free and true means saying no. We believe it’s the right choice — but we can’t do it alone.

And yet, our community has grown — in numbers, in strength, in creativity, in shared vision. The energy surrounding DIG is powerful. It compels us to do more: to train, to inform, to resist — and to dream. As authoritarian winds close the space for dissent, we want to open new spaces, and defend the ones we have.

In early 2022, we lost our friend Matteo Scanni — our president, and our compass. Since then, we have poured all our strength into building the Festival we had always imagined with him — with the support of the Foundation that bears his name.

We have a thousand projects. We want to bring investigative, independent journalism into schools, into prisons, into neglected neighborhoods — to create democratic antidotes wherever they are most needed. We believe in a vigilant journalism — not submissive. One that is financially sustainable, ethically sound, and politically fearless. But for this to happen, we need resources, skills, and above all, a passionate and active community to grow and protect this project with us. DIG is all of that.

SUPPORT DIG

To defend investigative and independent journalism. To protect freedom of thought and expression. To keep critical thinking alive — in Italy, and beyond.

Find out how you can help: gofundme.com/f/sostieni-dig