Rome Film Fest to be held from 15-26 October
The 2025 Rome Film Fest is set to take place from October 15-26, offering cinema enthusiasts 12 days of exciting movie premieres, screenings, masterclasses, and special guest appearances in the Italian capital. The festival, led by artistic director Paola Malanga, will be based at the Auditorium Parco della Musica – Ennio Morricone, with events also taking place in other cultural venues around the city.
Among the most anticipated guests are Jennifer Lawrence, star of Lynne Ramsay’s “Die My Love”, and Christoph Waltz, who will be appearing in “Dracula” alongside Italian actress Matilda De Angelis. Actors James McAvoy and Brian Cox will also be in attendance, both making their directorial debuts with “California Schemin'” and “Glenrothan”, respectively.
Notable Guests and Jury
The jury will be chaired by Paola Cortellesi, and two Lifetime Achievement Awards will be presented: the first to Iranian director Jafar Panahi, presented by Oscar-winning director Giuseppe Tornatore; the second to award-winning film producer Lord David Puttnam. The festival will open with Riccardo Milani’s film “Life goes like this”, starring Virginia Raffaele and Geppi Cucciari, which recounts 20 years of community life in Sardinia.
Film Lineup and Competitions
There are 18 films in competition, four of which are Italian: “40 Seconds” by Vincenzo Alfieri, “The piano accident” by Quentin Dupieux, “Chang ye Jiang Jin” by Wang Tong, and “this island” by Lorraine Jones Molina. Other notable films include “Good boy” by Jan Komasa, “Kota” by Gyorgy Palfi, and “Miss Carbon” by Agustina Macri.
The festival also includes “Palestine 36”, a historical drama by Annemarie Jacir about the Palestinian revolt of 1936–39 against British colonial rule; “Anna”, Monica Guerritore’s film about the life of Anna Magnani; and “Hamnet” by director Chloé Zhao, which explores the life of Shakespeare’s wife Agnes after the death of their son.
Tributes and Special Screenings
The programme features tributes to Pier Paolo Pasolini, special effects genius Carlo Rambaldi, and photographer Franco Pinna, whose iconic image of the set of Fellini’s 1965 film Giulietta degli Spiriti is the official poster of the festival. Other films to watch out for include “Couture”, produced by and starring Angelina Jolie; “Moss & Freud”, produced by Kate Moss; and Paolo Virzì’s new film “Five seconds”, starring Valerio Mastandrea.
According to Salvatore Nastasi, president of Fondazione Cinema per Roma, “This year we’re presenting more than 150 titles from 38 different countries. The goal is to surpass last year’s 110,000 attendees and make the festival a home for independent filmmakers. Looking at the film list, I think we’ve achieved that.” For full details of the programme and tickets, visit the festival’s official website. Find more information Here