Rome Film Fest: Over 150 films expected, with Paola Cortellesi as jury president.
The recognition, one of the new features introduced by the 2025 edition, is intended to honor figures from the global film industry who, with their memorable careers, have left an indelible mark on the history of the seventh art. The award will be presented by the producer, director, and screenwriter Uberto Pasolini, a long-time collaborator of Puttnam between the 1980s and 1990s.
From October 15th to 26th, the Rome Film Fest will be in the spotlight at the Auditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone. There are 18 films in competition, including four Italian titles, with over 150 films scheduled. There will also be tributes, restored films, exhibitions, and previews of highly anticipated series like Sandokan. This, in short, is the program for the twentieth edition, presented this morning at the Auditorium by the president. Salvatore Nastasi and by the artistic director Paola Malanga in the presence, among others, of the mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, and the president of the Chamber of Commerce, Lorenzo TagliavantiThe event will also involve other venues and cultural entities in the capital, bringing cinema to the outskirts. Many new features are being presented. For the first time this year, the Festival is establishing an award for works that explore real-life cinema. The jury, chaired by Romanian director, cinematographer, editor, and producer Alexander Nanau and composed of director and screenwriter Santiago Maza and producer Nadia Trevisan, will award the Best Documentary Prize from a selection of titles on the program. The award-winning film producer Lord David Puttnam, one of the most prominent figures in contemporary culture, will receive the Industry Lifetime Achievement Award during the opening night of the twentieth edition of the Rome Film Fest. The recognition, one of the new features introduced by the 2025 edition, is intended to honor figures from the global film industry who, with their memorable careers, have left an indelible mark on the history of the seventh art. The award will be presented by the producer, director, and screenwriter Uberto Pasolini, a long-time collaborator of Puttnam between the 1980s and 1990s.
During the Film Fest, three films by the great producer will be screened in the History of Cinema section: Chariots of Fire by Hugh Hudson, Local Hero by Bill Forsyth, and The Mission by Roland Joffé. Another new feature is the "Ciak for Children's Rights" Award, sponsored by Save the Children. Furthermore, the twentieth edition of the Film Fest will award the Lifetime Achievement Award to one of the greatest contemporary auteurs, the great Iranian director Jafar Panahi, on the occasion of the presentation of his new film, Un simple accident (A simple accident), Palme d'Or at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. The award will be presented by the Oscar-winning director Giuseppe TornatoreAmong the films in competition, the Italian selection is significant. Among the titles in competition are "40 Seconds" by Vincenzo Alfieri, Andrea De Sica's "Gli occhi degli altri," "Cinque secondi" by Paolo Virzì, and "Io sono Rosa Ricci" by Lyda Patitucci. Among the documentaries, "Rino Gaetano – Sempre più blu" by Giorgio Verdelli and "La commedia non esiste. Salemme prova Eduardo" by Raffaele Rago.
The jury chaired by the actress, screenwriter, author and director Paola cortellesi The Jury, composed of Finnish director and screenwriter Teemu Nikki, British director and screenwriter William Oldroyd, American writer and illustrator Brian Selznick, and French-Finnish actress Nadia Tereszkiewicz, will award the following prizes to the films in the Progressive Cinema Competition: Best Film, Grand Jury Prize, Best Director, Best Screenplay, the “Monica Vitti” Award for Best Actress, the “Vittorio Gassman” Award for Best Actor, and a Special Jury Prize in one of the following categories: Cinematography, Editing, or Original Score. Thirty-eight countries are participating in the Rome Film Fest: Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Latvia, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Qatar, Palestine, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, the United States. The event is promoted by Rome Capital, the Lazio Region, Cinecittà (representing the Ministry of Culture), the Rome Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Crafts and Agriculture, and the Musica per Roma Foundation.