Rome Film Festival: entire program revealed

The eighteenth edition of the Rome Film Festival is about to kick off, promising a rich program of films, audience encounters, and exciting awards. From October 18 to October 29, 2023, the Auditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone will be the beating heart of the event, which will also involve numerous other locations and cultural entities in the Capital. This year, the Rome Film Festival will stand out for its extended duration, adding one more day of programming to provide cinema enthusiasts with an extraordinary experience.

Organizers and Partners

The Rome Film Festival is an event produced by the Cinema per Roma Foundation and promoted by Roma Capitale, Regione Lazio, Cinecittà (on behalf of the Ministry of Culture), the Chamber of Commerce Industry Crafts and Agriculture of Rome, and the Musica per Roma Foundation. The President of the Cinema per Roma Foundation, Gian Luca Farinelli, leads the Board of Directors composed of Manuela Cacciamani, Nicola Maccanico, Valerio Toniolo, and Daniele Pitteri. The General Director of the Foundation is Francesca Via. At the same time, the Artistic Director of the Rome Film Festival and the Cinema per Roma Foundation is Paola Malanga, supported by a selection committee consisting of Giovanna Fulvi, Enrico Magrelli, Emanuela Martini, Nico Marzano, and Alberto Pezzotta.

The Program

The Rome Film Festival offers an eclectic and engaging program divided into various sections. Since 2022, the event has been officially recognized as a Competitive Festival by the FIAPF (Fédération Internationale des Associations de Producteurs de Films). The heart of the festival is the “Progressive Cinema Competition – Visions for the World of Tomorrow,” which includes a selection of 18 international titles competing for various awards, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and many more.

In addition to the Competition, the Festival features other non-competitive sections, including “Freestyle”, dedicated to free formats and styles, “Grand Public” for a wider audience, “Special Screenings” for unique works, and “Best of 2023”, showcasing some of the best titles of the season from other international festivals. “Storia del Cinema” is a special section that restores cinematic masterpieces to their original glory and offers tributes and insights into the work of Italian and international cinema icons.

The Festival is not limited to film screenings alone; it also offers two sections dedicated to audience encounters: “Paso Doble”, a dialogue between two authors, and “Absolute Beginners”, where an established author shares the story of their cinematic debut. Additionally, alongside the film program, the Festival hosts a series of events in various locations throughout the Capital. Alice nella città also organizes a film showcase for young audiences.

Films in Competition: A Global Competition

The heart of the Rome Film Festival is the Progressive Cinema Competition, which presents an eclectic selection of films from around the world. Here are the titles in the Competition:

• THERE IS STILL TOMORROW (Opening Film) Directed by Paola Cortellesi, Italy, 2023, 118′ | Debut Feature || Cast: Paola Cortellesi, Valerio Mastandrea, Romana Maggiora Vergano, Emanuela Fanelli, Giorgio Colangeli, Vinicio Marchioni
• UN AMOR Directed by Isabel Coixet, Spain, 2023, 128′ || Cast: Laia Costa, Hovik Keuchkerian, Hugo Silva, Luis Bermejo, Ingrid García-Jonsson, Francesco Carril
• ASHIL (ACHILLES) Directed by Farhad Delaram, Iran, Germany, France, 2023, 116′ | Debut Feature || Cast: Mirsaeed Molavian, Behdokht Valian, Roya Afshar, Neda Aghighi, Firouz Agheli
• AVANT QUE LES FLAMMES NE S’ETEIGNENT (AFTER THE FIRE) Directed by Mehdi Fikri, France, 2023, 96′ | Debut Feature || Cast: Camélia Jordana, Sofiane Zermani, Sonia Faidi, Sofian Khammes, Makita Samba, Hammou Graia, Samir Guesmi
• BLACK BOX Directed by Asli Özge, Germany, Belgium, 2023, 120′ || Cast: Luise Heyer, Felix Kramer, Christian Berkel, Timur Magomedgadzhiev, Manal Issa, André Szymanski, Sascha Alexander Geršak, Jonathan Berlin, Anne Ratte-Polle, Inka Friedrich, Anna Brüggemann, Marc Zinga
• COMME UN FILS (LIKE A SON) Directed by Nicolas Boukhrief, France, 2023, 105′ || Cast: Vincent Lindon, Karole Rocher, Stefan Virgil Stoica
• EN DAG KOMMER ALLT DET HÄR BLI DITT (ONE DAY ALL THIS WILL BE YOURS) Directed by Andreas Öhman, Sweden, 2023, 105′ || Cast: Karin Franz Körlof, Peter Haber, Suzanne Reuter, Liv Mjönes, Emil Almén, Arvin Kananian, Mattias Fransson, Filip Berg
• LA ERECCION DE TORIBIO BARDELLI (THE ERECTION OF TORIBIO BARDELLI) Directed by Adrián Saba, Peru, Brazil, 2023, 82′ || Cast: Gustavo Bueno, Gisela Ponce de León, Rodrigo Sánchez Patiño, Michele Abascal, Lucélia Santos
• FREMONT Directed by Babak Jalali, United States, 2023, 88′ || Cast: Anaita Wali Zada, Gregg Turkington, Jeremy Allen White
• HOLIDAY Directed by Edoardo Gabbriellini, Italy, 2023, 102′ || Cast: Margherita Corradi, Giorgia Frank, Alessandro Tedeschi, Alice Arcuri, Alessia Giuliani, Flavio Furno, Massimo Mesciulam, Alessio De Persio, Alessio Raffaghelli, Francesca Maselli, Anna Argenti, Asia Spina
• HYPNOSEN (THE HYPNOSIS) Directed by Ernst De Geer, Sweden, Norway, France, 2023, 98′ | Debut Feature || Cast: Herbert Nordrum, Asta Kamma August
• MI FANNO MALE I CAPELLI Directed by Roberta Torre, Italy, 2023, 83′ || Cast: Alba Rohrwacher, Filippo Timi
• THE MONK AND THE GUN Directed by Pawo Choyning Dorji, Bhutan, United States, France, Taiwan, 2023, 107′ || Cast: Tandin Wangchuk, Deki Lhamo, Pema Zangmo Sherpa, Tandin Sonam, Harry Einhorn, Choeying Jatsho, Tandin Phubz, Yuphel Lhendup Selden, Kelsang Choejay
• PEDÁGIO (TOLL) Directed by Carolina Markowicz, Brazil, Portugal, 2023, 101′ | Debut Feature || Cast: Maeve Jinkings, Kauan Alvarenga, Thomás Aquino, Aline Marta Maia, Isac Graça
• PELURI – KUOLEMA ON ELÄVIEN ONGELMA (LA MORTE È UN PROBLEMA DEI VIVI) Directed by Teemu Nikki, Finland, Italy, 2023, 97′ || Cast: Pekka Strang, Jari Virman, Elina Knihtilä, Hannamaija Nikander, Pihla Penttinen
• UN SILENCE (A SILENCE) Directed by Joachim Lafosse, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, 2023, 100′ || Cast: Daniel Auteuil, Emmanuelle Devos, Matthieu Galoux, Salomé Dewaels, Jeanne Cherhal
• SWEET SUE Directed by Leo Leigh, United Kingdom, 2023, 97′ | Debut Feature || Cast: Maggie O’Neill, Tony Pitts, Harry Trevaldwyn
• UROTCITE NA BLAGA (BLAGA’S LESSONS) Directed by Stephan Komandarev, Bulgaria, Germany, 2023, 114′ || Cast: Eli Skorcheva, Gerasim Georgiev – Gero, Rozalia Abgarian, Ivan Barnev, Stefan Denolyubov, Ivaylo Hristov

Quality Series

One of the strengths of the Rome Film Festival is its ability to anticipate trends in television series. This year, the film festival presents a preview of the first two episodes of the fourth season of “Mare Fuori”, a series co-produced with  Alice nella Città. But that’s not all because the audience will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in other intriguing serial offerings. “I Leoni di Sicilia”, directed by Paolo Genovese and featuring a stellar cast that includes Miriam Leone and Michele Riondino, is one of the most highly anticipated series. Additionally, there is “La Storia”, an adaptation of Elsa Morante’s work directed by Francesca Archibugi and featuring a cast of talents such as Jasmine Trinca, Elio Germano, Asia Argento, and Valerio Mastandrea. And let’s not forget “SuburrÆterna”, another foray into the world of “Suburra” with Giacomo Ferrara returning as Spadino.

Films for the Public

The “Grand Public” section offers a selection of films that promise to entertain the audience. Among the most anticipated titles is “Diabolik, Chi sei?” the third instalment of the Manetti Bros.’ saga, featuring a cast that includes Giacomo Gianniotti, Miriam Leone, Valerio Mastandrea, and Monica Bellucci. Ferzan Ozpetek presents “Nuovo Olimpo”, and Ginevra Elkan brings the film “Te l’avevo detto”, boasting an exceptional cast with Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Danny Huston, Greta Scacchi, Riccardo Scamarcio, Andrea Rossi, Alba Rohrwacher, Valeria Golino, Marisa Borini, and Sofia Panizzi. “Dream Scenario” , directed by Kristoffer Borgli and starring Nicolas Cage, is one of the most anticipated films, promising solid emotions. “The End We Start From”, directed by Mahalia Belo and featuring a stellar cast including Jodie Comer, Joel Fry, Katherine Waterson, Mark Strong, and Benedict Cumberbatch, is another film not to be missed. Finally, “Fingernails” , directed by Christos Nikou and starring Jessie Buckley, Riz Ahmed, Jeremy Allen White, and Luke Wilson, promises to surprise the audience.

Hayao Miyazaki’s Masterpiece

A unique event at the Rome Film Festival is the premiere of “Il Ragazzo e l’Airone”, the latest creation from the master of Japanese animation cinema, Hayao Miyazaki. This film is one of the gems of the event and could be considered the most precious film of the entire Rome Film Festival—an extraordinary opportunity for animation lovers from around the world.

Directorial Debuts

The Rome Film Festival also celebrates the directorial debuts of some Italian cinema figures. In addition to Alessandra Mastronardi,  Margherita Buy presents “Volare”, while Kasia Smutniak offers the documentary “Mur”, exploring the refugee crisis in the European Union. Giovanna Mezzogiorno presents the short film “Unfitting”, and Michele Riondino presents “Palazzina Laf”, a work dedicated to the Ilva of Taranto.

For detailed information about the entire program, visit the website www.romacinemafest.it.

So, for all cinema lovers, mark your calendars from October 18 to October 29, 2023, in Rome for a true celebration of the seventh art.