ROME LIGHTS UP: THE FILM FEST CELEBRATES MONICA VITTI!
Films, talks and exhibitions filled Rome from 13 to 25 October. The 21st edition, whose official image honoured Monica Vitti, has ended with its official awards.
A face from Italian cinema looks out at today’s Rome from a photograph taken in 1962. It is Monica Vitti, chosen for the official image of the 21st Rome Film Fest: an encounter between cinema’s memory and stories still waiting to be discovered.
From 13 to 25 October, the festival, under artistic director Paola Malanga, brought films, documentaries and talks to the Auditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone and other venues across the capital. This page now remains as an archive of the 21st edition.
Sunday 25 October was the final day. The official programme included Roma–Lazio in serie at noon and Un tranquillo funerale di famiglia at 18:30 in Sala Sinopoli, as well as repeat screenings of award-winning films.
Monica, a lasting presence
In the year Vitti would have turned 95, the festival honours her with Sergio Strizzi’s photograph from the set of Michelangelo Antonioni’s L’eclisse. Released in 1962, the film used Rome’s EUR district as one of its distinctive settings.
The choice invites us to revisit an actress who left a profound mark on Italian cinema. For those who know her work, it may be a chance to watch her again; for those who know only her name, a place to start.
Three couples, a fragile balance
The film selected to open the festival on 13 October was Paolo Genovese’s Il rumore delle cose nuove. It follows three couples whose comfortable lives are unsettled by an unexpected event. The cast includes Emanuela Fanelli, Claudia Pandolfi, Vittoria Puccini and Stefano Accorsi.
Its premise raises a question that can follow us beyond the cinema: what happens when familiar habits start to feel restrictive? A reason to be curious about the answers its characters will find.
Where to begin exploring
Titles to explore include Susanna Nicchiarelli’s Giorni felici, featuring Riccardo Scamarcio, and Mustang, a documentary directed by Kasia Smutniak. Cambogia marks Valerio Lundini’s feature directing debut, with Benedetta Porcaroli among the cast.
For those drawn to art and imagination, the programme also includes Luca Rea’s documentary Il caso Modigliani and Paolo Borraccetti’s Pinocchio, il bambino del mondo. These are starting points: read the individual film descriptions and follow your own interests.
The awards are in: four titles to know
Clio Barnard’s I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning won best film. Rafiki Fariala’s Congo Boy and Kasia Smutniak’s Mustang shared the Terna Audience Award; Lisa Forslund’s Clementine Orange won best first feature and Mahsa Karampour’s Dans la gueule de l’ogre won best documentary.
A cinema outing for us too
During the festival, many screenings were open to ticket holders. The 2026 edition has ended; its official website keeps the programme, film pages and results.
The programme offered plenty to choose from, but there was no need to see everything. Sometimes one film is enough to leave you with something you cannot wait to discuss.
