Rome film festival opens 13 October with Genovese’s Il rumore delle cose nuove

The 21st Rome Film Festival, known in Italian as the Festa del Cinema di Roma, runs from 13 to 25 October 2026 at the Auditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone. Paolo Genovese’s *Il rumore delle cose nuove* opens the festival in its Grand Public section, and DJ and broadcaster Ema Stokholma hosts the opening ceremony. The same evening was scheduled to carry an industry honour for British producer Tessa Ross, according to Cinefilos.

The start date differs across sources. MIA Market’s July listing gives 14 October as the first day. Agenzia Nova, dated 25 September, Cinefilos and Turismo Roma all give 13 October, and Cinefilos places the Ross presentation on the opening evening of Tuesday 13 October.

An ensemble drama set in Milan leads the programme

Genovese and Igor Artibani adapted the film for the screen from his own novel. It follows three couples from different social backgrounds who live in the same district of Milan. An unexpected event brings their stories together, according to MIA Market.

The cast is led by Emanuela Fanelli, Claudia Pandolfi, Vittoria Puccini, Stefano Accorsi, Lino Musella and Edoardo Pesce, with a special appearance by Claudio Santamaria. Lotus Production, a Leone Film Group company, produces with Rai Cinema, in collaboration with Disney+. The film was made with the support of the Italian Ministry of Culture’s Fund for the Development of Investments in Cinema and Audiovisual.

Speaking at Ciné 2026 in Riccione, Genovese said the three couples will each be pushed to let go of what no longer belongs in their lives. 01 Distribution is set to release the film in Italy on 12 November, less than three weeks after the festival closes.

The festival in numbers
Agenzia Nova reports about 150 films from 55 countries, with 18 films in the international competition, and the festival runs from 13 to 25 October 2026.

An industry honour for Tessa Ross on opening night

The Industry Lifetime Achievement Award was created in 2025 for figures in international film whose careers have made a significant contribution to cinema history. Salvatore Nastasi, president of the Fondazione Cinema per Roma, announced the Ross award on the proposal of artistic director Paola Malanga. Director Edward Berger, who worked with Ross on *Conclave*, was scheduled to present it.

Cinefilos lists Ross as an executive producer on *The Last King of Scotland*, *12 Years a Slave* and *The Zone of Interest*, and as Oscar-nominated for *Conclave*. She was Controller of Film and Drama at Channel 4, where she helped fund films including *This Is England*, *Under the Skin* and *Room*. She has been chief executive of House Productions, the company she co-founded, since 2016. The same report records a 2013 BAFTA for outstanding British contribution to cinema.

Her upcoming projects include *Ink*, written by James Graham and directed by Danny Boyle, and *Sweetsick*, with Alice Birch credited. Cinefilos gives no clock time for the presentation.

How large the festival has become

Agenzia Nova reports about 150 films from 55 countries, with screenings at the Auditorium and at other venues across Rome. Turismo Roma lists nine venues in total, including Teatro Palladium, Teatro Olimpico, MAXXI, Casa del Cinema and Sant’Angelo Castle.

Agenzia Nova also reports that the festival is officially recognised by FIAPF as a Competitive Festival, and that it will also reach Latina. It quotes officials saying the festival has reached the peak of its expansion.

The partner list is broad. Rome Capitale, the Lazio Region, Cinecittà, which acts for the Ministry of Culture, and the Rome Chamber of Commerce promote the event. Collaborators include the Cineteca di Bologna, the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia and MAXXI. Taken together, the listings show a festival with a competitive status and a set of public and academic partners.

The opening film is an ensemble drama set in a single Milan district, and the festival will also reach Latina.

The competition and the sections to watch

Eighteen films compete in Progressive Cinema, titled Visions for the World of Tomorrow, across fiction, documentary and animation. Prizes include Best Film, a Grand Jury Prize, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actress, Best Actor and a Special Jury Prize. Cinefilos names *Mustang*, *Giorni felici* and *Voilà, c’est fini* among the competition titles.

The six sections are Progressive Cinema, Freestyle, Grand Public, Special Screenings, Best of 2026 and History of Cinema. Grand Public holds 26 titles, including the opening film. Best of 2026 gathers films from other international festivals. Special Screenings include numerous documentaries on music, culture, history, sport and politics, according to Cinefilos.

Freestyle covers films, arts and series, with the series strand run alongside the Fondazione Roma Lazio Film Commission. History of Cinema combines restored works with retrospectives, with the documentary strand curated by Gian Luca Farinelli and Bruno Deloye.

Two awards are new this year. The Banca Ifis Music Award is made with the Fondazione Cinema per Roma and the Fondazione Musica per Roma. The first Gillo Pontecorvo award marks twenty years since his death, Agenzia Nova reports.

The tribute, the prizes and the dates to track

The official image honours Monica Vitti on the 95th anniversary of her birth. It is a photograph by Sergio Strizzi taken on the set of Michelangelo Antonioni’s *L’eclisse*, which Turismo Roma notes won the Special Jury Prize at Cannes in 1962.

The festival’s prizes also include the Poste Italiane award for best first film, a best documentary award and the Terna Audience Award. Paso Doble sessions pair two authors in conversation, alongside masterclasses and audience meetings, per Cinefilos.

The dates to track are 13 October for the opening evening, 25 October for the close and 12 November for the Italian release of the opening film. The sources point to three markers of the festival’s profile: its competitive status, its nine venues, and an industry honour placed beside the opening film.

Photo: tato grasso · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons