The 18th Rome Film Festival took place from 18 to 29 October 2023 in the Auditorium Parco della Musica, Rome. The festival programme was unveiled by Gian Luca Farinelli, the chair of the Rome Cinema Foundation on 22 September 2023. It opened with There's Still Tomorrow the directorial debut film of Italian actress, screenwriter Paola Cortellesi.
The official image of the event was dedicated to Anna Magnani, on the occasion of fiftieth anniversary of her death, which was taken from the press conference for the Oscar for Best Actress in 1956, awarded for her performance in 1955 film The Rose Tattoo. In addition to the main screenings at the Renzo Piano-designed auditorium, screenings were also held in various other venues, including a program of fresh films and talks in local penitentiaries.
The award ceremony took place on 28 October at the Auditorium Parco della Musica. Progressive Cinema Competition Award for Best Film was awarded to Toll, a Brazilian-Portuguese drama film by Carolina Markowicz. Shigeru Umebayashi, a Japanese composer, and Isabella Rossellini, an Italian-American actress and model, were honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award.
Events
Masterclass: A journey through the careers, lives and works of famous stars of the big screen. Isabella Rossellini, recipient of Lifetime Achievement Award Shigeru Umebayashi, recipient of Lifetime Achievement Award Michel Gondry
Absolute Beginners: Successful authors recall the story of their debut in cinema. Giuseppe Tornatore Gianfranco Rosi
Paso Doble: Dialogue and confrontation on stage between two authors. Emma Dante, Elena Stancanelli Lisandro Alonso, Alessio Rigo De Righi
Jury
Progressive Cinema Competition Award
Gael García Bernal, Mexican actor and filmmaker – president Sarah Gavron, British film director. Mikko Myllylahti, director, Finland Melvil Poupaud, French actor, director and screenwriter Jasmine Trinca, Italian actress and director
Best First Work Award BNL BNP Paribas
Paolo Virzì, director (Italy) – president Adeline Fontan Tessaur, producer (France) Abi Morgan, screenwriter (United Kingdom)
Ugo Tognazzi Award for Best Comedy
Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, actress (France) – president Alessandro Aronadio, director and screenwriter (Italy) Lisa Nur Sultan, screenwriter (Italy)
SIAE Cinema Award
Nicola Guaglianone, screenwriter (Italy) – president Carlo Cresto-Dina, film producer (Italy) Pivio, Italian composer
Official sections
Progressive Cinema Competition – Visions for the World of Tomorrow
Un amor, directed by Isabel Coixet (Spain) Achilles, directed by Farhad Delaram (Iran, Germany, France) – first work Avant que les flammes ne s'eteignent, directed by Mehdi Fikri (France) – first work Black Box, directed by Aslı Özge (Germany, Belgium) There's Still Tomorrow, directed by Paola Cortellesi (Italy) – first work – (opening film) Like a Son, directed by Nicolas Boukhrief (France) En dag kommer allt det här bli ditt, directed by Andreas Öhman (Sweden) The Erection of Toribio Bardelli, directed by Adrián Saba (Peru, Brazil) Fremont, directed by Babak Jalali (United States) Holiday, directed by Edoardo Gabbriellini (Italy) The Hypnosis, directed by Ernst De Geer (Sweden, Norway, France) – first work My Hair Hurts, directed by Roberta Torre (Italy) The Monk and the Gun, directed by Pawo Choyning Dorji (Bhutan, United States, France, Taiwan) Toll, directed by Carolina Markowicz (Brazil, Portugal) – first work Death Is a Problem for the Living, directed by Teemu Nikki (Finland, Italy) A Silence, directed by Joachim Lafosse (Belgium, France, Luxembourg) Sweet Sue, directed by Leo Leigh (United Kingdom) – first feature Blaga's Lessons, directed by Stephan Komandarev (Bulgaria, Germany)
Freestyle Film Accattaroma, directed by Daniele Costantini (Italy) They Lost the Pianist, directed by Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal (Spain, France) – animation The Immortals, directed by Anne Riitta Ciccone (Italy) Jeʹvida, directed by Katja Gauriloff (Finland) Mother, Couch, directed by Niclas Larsson (United States, Denmark, Sweden) – first work The Persian Version, directed by Maryam Keshavarz (United States) In Search, directed by Giulio Base (Italy) Signs of Life, directed by Leandro Picarella (Italy, Switzerland) – documentary Too Blue, directed by Filippo Barbagallo (Italy) – first work Wanted, directed by Fabrizio Ferraro (Italy)
TV series The Lions of Sicily, directed by Paolo Genovese, 2 episodes (Italy) The Sea Beyond, 4th season, directed by Ivan Silvestrini, 2 episodes (Italy) La Storia, directed by Francesca Archibugi, 1 episode (Italy) Suburræterna, directed by Ciro D'Emilio and Alessandro Tonda, 2 episodes (Italy)
Great Public
A Hundred Sundays, directed by Antonio Albanese (Italy) Cottontail, directed by Patrick Dickinson (United Kingdom, Japan) – first feature From the Top of a Cold Tower, directed by Francesco Frangipane (Italy) – first work Diabolik: Who Are You?, directed by Manetti Bros. (Italy) Dream Scenario, directed by Kristoffer Borgli (United States) Eileen, directed by William Oldroyd (United States) The End We Start From, directed by Mahalia Belo (United Kingdom) – first work Et la fête continue, directed by Robert Guédiguian (France, Italy) Fingernails, directed by Chrīstos Nikou (United States) Gonzo Girl, directed by Patricia Arquette (United States) Jules, directed by Marc Turtletaub (United States) The Boy and the Heron, directed by Hayao Miyazaki (Japan) Winter Lemons, directed by Caterina Carone (Italy, Poland) Nuovo Olimpo, directed by Ferzan Özpetek (Italy) Palazzina Laf, directed by Michele Riondino (Italy) – first work The Performance, directed by Shira Piven (United States) The Royal Hotel, directed by Kitty Green (Australia) Saltburn, directed by Emerald Fennell (United Kingdom) Second Tour, directed by Albert Dupontel (France) Te l'avevo detto, directed by Ginevra Elkann (Italy) Volare, directed by Margherita Buy (Italy) – first work Widow Clicquot, directed by Thomas Napper (France, United Kingdom)
Special screenings
The Compass - The Star Collector, directed by Andrea Soldani (Italy) – documentary Enigma Rol, directed by Anselma Dell'Olio (Italy) – documentary High & Low - John Galliano, directed by Kevin Macdonald (France, United States, United Kingdom) – documentary The Empire of Nature. A Night at the Colosseum Park, directed by Luca Lancise and Marco Gentili (Italy) – documentary Me, Us and Gaber, directed by Riccardo Milani (Italy) – documentary Kripton, directed by Francesco Munzi (Italy) – documentary Maria Callas. Letters and Memoirs, directed by Tom Volf and Yannis Dimolitsas (Italy) – documentary The Eternal Memory, directed by Maite Alberdi (Chile) – documentary Misericordia, directed by Emma Dante (Italy) Mur, directed by Kasia Smutniak (Italy) – documentary May I Come in? An ode to Naples, directed by Trudie Styler (Italy) – documentary Rome, Holy and Damned, directed by Roberto D'Agostino, Marco Giusti and Daniele Ciprì (Italy) – documentary Four Fifths, directed by Stefano Urbanetti (Italy) – documentary Rule of Two Walls, directed by David Gutnik (Ukraine) – documentary Carrozzanti and spiritelli. 50 years of life of the Teatro Franco Parenti, directed by Michele Mally (Italy) – documentary Many Faces in Memory, directed by Francesca Comencini (Italy) Unfitting, directed by Giovanna Mezzogiorno (Italy) – short film Men on the March, directed by Peter Marcias (Italy) – documentary Via Sicilia 57/59. Giorgio Albertazzi. Theatre is life, directed by Pino Strabioli and Fabio Masi (Italy) – documentary Sugar - Sugar Fornaciari, directed by Valentina Zanella and Giangiacomo De Stefano (Italy) – documentary
Absolute beginners
Boatman - Voyage on the Ganges, directed by Gianfranco Rosi (Italy, United States, 1993) – documentary Il Camorrista - The Series, directed by Giuseppe Tornatore – TV series, episodes 1 and 4 (Italy, 1986)
Best of 2023
Anatomy of a Fall, directed by Justine Triet (France) Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg, directed by Alexis Bloom and Svetlana Zill (United States) – documentary La chimera, directed by Alice Rohrwacher (Italy, France, Switzerland) Eureka, directed by Lisandro Alonso (France, Argentina, Germany, Portugal, Mexico) Firebrand, directed by Karim Aïnouz (United Kingdom) Kiss the Future, directed by Nenad Cicin-Sain (United States, Ireland) – documentary Orlando, My Political Biography, directed by Paul B. Preciado (France) – documentary The Taste of Things (La Passion de Dodin Bouffant), directed by Trần Anh Hùng (France) Past Lives, directed by Celine Song (United States) The Zone of Interest, directed by Jonathan Glazer (United States, United Kingdom, Poland)
History of cinema
Homage to Isabella Rossellini
Animals Distract Me, directed by Isabella Rossellini (United States, 2011) – documentary
Darwin, What?, directed by Isabella Rossellini, Paul David Magid (Greece, 2020) – short film Fox Film, directed by Isabella Rossellini (United States) – short film Green Porno, directed by Jody Shapiro and Isabella Rossellini, 18 episodes (United States, 2008-2009) – TV series Mammas, directed by Isabella Rossellini, 10 episodes (United States, 2013) – TV series Seduce Me, directed by Isabella Rossellini, 10 episodes (United States, 2010) – TV series Blue Velvet, directed by David Lynch (United States, 1986) Death Becomes Her, directed by Robert Zemeckis (United States, 1992) Left Luggage, directed by Jeroen Krabbé (United States, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Belgium, 1998) My Dad Is 100 Years Old, directed by Guy Maddin (Canada, 2005) – short film The Saddest Music in the World, directed by Guy Maddin (Canada, 2003) Another Side of Sunday Isabella Rossellini's Reports from New York – TV Program Autumn Sonata, directed by Ingmar Bergman (France, Germany, Sweden, 1978) – chosen by Isabella Rossellini Stromboli, directed by Roberto Rossellini (Italy, 1950) – chosen by Isabella Rossellini A Season with Isabella Rossellini, directed by Marian Lacombe (France, 2023) – documentary La chimera, directed by Alice Rohrwacher (Italy, France, Switzerland) – Best of 2023 section
Homage to Shigeru Umebayashi
Shigeru Umebayashi is a Japanese composer.
In the Mood for Love (Fa yeung nin wa), directed by Wong Kar-wai (Hong Kong, 2000) House of Flying Daggers (Shí miàn mái fú), directed by Zhang Yimou (China, 2004) A Single Man, directed by Tom Ford (United States, 2009)
Homage to Maria Grazia Buccella
Maria Grazia Buccella is an Italian actress, glamour model and beauty pageant titleholder.
Just Look at Her, directed by Luciano Salce (Italy, 1970) Dismissed on His Wedding Night, directed by Ugo Tognazzi (Italy, 1968)
Homage to Jean-Luc Godard
Jean-Luc Godard a French and Swiss film director, screenwriter, and film critic.
Godard par Godard, directed by Florence Platarets (France, 2023) – documentary
Tribute to Lorenza Mazzetti
Lorenza Mazzetti was an Italian film director, novelist, photographer and painter.
The Country Doctor, directed by Lorenza Mazzet (USA, 1953) – short film K (Metamorphosis), directed by Lorenza Mazzetti (UK, 1954) – short film Together, directed by Lorenza Mazzetti (United Kingdom, 1956) – medium-length film Together with Lorenza Mazzetti, directed by Brighid Lowe (Argentina, 2023) – documentary
Restorations
Hello Nì!, directed by Paolo Poeti (Italy, 1979) Folgore Division, directed by Duilio Coletti (Italy, 1954) The Way of the Dragon, directed by Bruce Lee (Hong Kong, 1972) The Flavor of Green Tea over Rice, directed by Yasujirō Ozu (Japan, 1952) The Scent of the Night, directed by Claudio Caligari (Italy, 1998) Ovosodo, directed by Paolo Virzì (Italy, 1997) Underground, directed by Emir Kusturica (Yugoslavia, Germany, France, Hungary, Czech Republic, 1995)
Documentaries
American Badass: A Michael Madsen Retrospective, directed by Dominique Milano (United States)