Rome Film Fest

Overview

The Rome Film Fest is a FIAPF-accredited competitive festival held annually in Rome at the Auditorium Parco della Musica and other venues across the city. The 21st edition runs October 14 to 25, 2026. The festival is organized by the Fondazione Cinema per Roma and is officially recognized by FIAPF as a specialised competitive film festival. The Progressive Cinema competition is the festival's main competitive section, limited to 18 titles, with jury prizes for Best Film, Jury Grand Prix, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actress, Best Actor, and a Special Jury Prize.

The 20th edition (October 15 to 26, 2025) awarded Best Film to Left-Handed Girl by Shih-Ching Tsou (Taiwan/France/USA/UK). The Jury Grand Prix went to Nino by Pauline Loques (France). The jury was chaired by Paola Cortellesi, with members including Teemu Nikki, William Oldroyd, Brian Selznick, and Nadia Tereszkiewicz. The Terna Audience Award was won by the documentary Roberto Rossellini: Più di una vita by Ilaria de Laurentiis, Andrea Paolo Massara, and Raffaele Brunetti.

Rome Film Fest also hosts Alice nella Citta, an autonomous and parallel section dedicated to younger generations, debut filmmakers, and emerging talent. Alice nella Citta runs in parallel with the main festival but operates independently with its own artistic directors and selection process. The 2025 Alice nella Citta competition included 11 international titles in competition, 6 out of competition, and 6 films competing for the Panorama Italia Audience Award. The 2025 edition featured the return of Daniel Day-Lewis in Anemone, the debut film by his son Ronan Day-Lewis, which won the Best Debut Feature Award.

Submission fees for the 2026 festival range from 60 EUR (early bird, file upload) to 150 EUR (regular, DCP or Blu-Ray shipment). The final deadline is July 30, 2026.

Submission Details

Submissions are made through the Rome Film Fest website. The final deadline for the 2026 festival is July 30, 2026.

Submission fees (Festa del Cinema):

• Early bird (until May 31, 2026):

- 60 EUR: film uploaded via Starbase platform or link to independent platform

- 100 EUR: film shipped as DCP or Blu-Ray Disc

• Regular (June 1 to July 30, 2026):

- 80 EUR: film uploaded via Starbase platform or link to independent platform

- 150 EUR: film shipped as DCP or Blu-Ray Disc

• Registration fee must be paid online by credit card

Eligibility:

• Films must be completed after November 1, 2025
• Priority is given to films with an international premiere, unpublished in the European Union or shown to the public only in their country of origin
• Works already screened in Italy in any mode, medium, or form are excluded from all sections except Encounters, Retrospectives, and Tributes
• The Festival Director and selection committee have sole discretion over selection and section placement

Alice nella Citta submissions:

• Submitted through FilmFreeway
• Deadline: August 11, 2026
• Alice nella Citta operates autonomously from the main festival with its own selection process

Key Sections

• Progressive Cinema: Visions of Today for the World of Tomorrow - the main competitive section, maximum 18 titles, with no distinction between fiction, documentary, and animation. Priority given to international premieres. Italian titles require a European premiere
• Freestyle - non-competitive section of approximately 15 titles, free format and style, ranging from TV series and streaming to video clips, films, advertising shorts, and video art. Priority given to international premieres; Italian proposals require a European premiere
• Grand Public - non-competitive section for wider audience cinema, approximately 15 titles, screened in prime time or weekday afternoons. Priority given to international premieres; Italian titles require a European premiere
• Best Of - non-competitive section of approximately 10 titles from other international festivals. An Italian premiere is strictly required
• Restorations, Tributes, and Retrospectives - programs dedicated to film history and heritage
• Alice nella Citta - autonomous parallel section dedicated to younger generations, debut filmmakers, and emerging talent, with its own competition and awards
• Special Screenings - event films and premieres outside the competitive sections

What Filmmakers Should Know

Rome Film Fest occupies a distinct position in the Italian festival landscape. Unlike Venice (the other major Italian festival), Rome is FIAPF-accredited as a "specialised competitive" festival rather than a "competitive feature film" festival. This classification gives the festival flexibility in its programming approach, which it uses to mix fiction, documentary, and animation in the same competitive section without genre distinction.

The Progressive Cinema competition is the festival's primary platform for international filmmakers. The section is capped at 18 titles, making it a selective competition. The jury awards prizes across 7 categories plus a Special Jury Prize. The 2025 Best Film winner, Left-Handed Girl by Shih-Ching Tsou, was a Taiwan/France/USA/UK co-production, reflecting the festival's international scope.

The festival's premiere requirements are strict. For the Progressive Cinema, Freestyle, and Grand Public sections, priority is given to international premieres. Italian titles require a European premiere. Works already screened in Italy are excluded from all competitive sections. The Best Of section requires an Italian premiere. Filmmakers should verify their film's premiere status against these requirements before submitting.

The Poste Italiane Best First Feature Award is a significant prize for debut filmmakers, selected from across the Progressive Cinema, Freestyle, and Grand Public sections. The 2025 winner was Tienimi Presente by Alberto Palmiero (Freestyle section), with a special mention for actors Samuel Bottomley and Seamus McLean Ross in California Schemin' by James McAvoy. The Best Documentary Award was introduced for the first time in 2025, won by Cuba & Alaska by Yegor Troyanovsky.

The Terna Audience Award is voted by festival audiences using QR codes at theater exits. The 2025 winner was the documentary Roberto Rossellini: Più di una vita, demonstrating that audience preferences at Rome can diverge from jury selections.

The festival's main venue is the Auditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone, a major cultural complex designed by Renzo Piano. The Fondazione Cinema per Roma also partners with the MIA Market (International Audio-Visual Market), which runs separately but is connected through the foundation's partnerships.

Major Awards

Progressive Cinema Competition (jury prizes):

• Best Film
• Jury Grand Prix
• Best Director
• Best Screenplay
• Best Actress ("Monica Vitti" Award)
• Best Actor ("Vittorio Gassman" Award)
• Special Jury Prize - proposed by the jury president, chosen from photography, editing, original soundtrack, or any other category

Transversal awards (across all sections):

• Poste Italiane Best First Feature Award - selected from Progressive Cinema, Freestyle, and Grand Public
• Best Documentary Award - selected from Progressive Cinema and Special Screenings
• Terna Audience Award - voted by audiences from Progressive Cinema Competition films
• Lifetime Achievement Awards - maximum of three, proposed by the Artistic Director

Alice nella Citta awards:

• Best Film (international competition)
• Best Debut Feature Award
• Audience Award (Panorama Italia)
• RB Casting Award
• UNITA Award

2025 Progressive Cinema winners:

• Best Film: Left-Handed Girl (Shih-Ching Tsou, Taiwan/France/USA/UK)
• Jury Grand Prix: Nino (Pauline Loques, France)
• Best Director: Wang Tong for Chang ye jiang jin (Wild Nights, Tamed Beasts)
• Best Screenplay: Alireza Khatami for The Things You Kill
• Best Actress: Jasmine Trinca for Gli occhi degli altri
• Best Actor: Anson Boon for Good Boy
• Special Jury Prize: cast of 40 Secondi
• Best First Feature: Tienimi Presente (Alberto Palmiero)
• Best Documentary: Cuba & Alaska (Yegor Troyanovsky)
• Terna Audience Award: Roberto Rossellini: Più di una vita

2025 Lifetime Achievement honorees:

• Lord David Puttnam (Industry Lifetime Achievement)
• Richard Linklater (Lifetime Achievement)
• Jafar Panahi (Lifetime Achievement)
• Edgar Reitz (Master of Film)
• Nia DaCosta (Progressive Lifetime Achievement)

Festival History

The Rome Film Fest was founded in 2006 by the Fondazione Cinema per Roma, a foundation established by the City of Rome, the Lazio Region, Cinecitta (representing the Ministry of Culture), the Chamber of Commerce of Rome, and the Fondazione Musica per Roma. The festival was created to provide Rome with a major international film event distinct from the Venice Film Festival, with a stronger emphasis on audience engagement and popular access.

From its first edition, Rome positioned itself as an audience-centered festival. The Terna Audience Award, voted by spectators using QR codes at theater exits, reflects this orientation. The festival's programming philosophy under artistic director Paola Malanga emphasizes "progressive cinema" that looks toward the future while remaining mindful of the past, with a focus on inspirational storytelling and prospective viewpoints.

Alice nella Citta, the festival's autonomous youth section, has evolved into a parallel festival in its own right. From 2025, Alice nella Citta operates wholly independently from the main festival while running in parallel. The section has its own artistic directors (Gianluca Giannelli and Fabia Bettini) and its own competition and awards. The 2025 edition featured Daniel Day-Lewis returning to the screen in his son Ronan's debut Anemone, which won the Best Debut Feature Award in Alice nella Citta.

The festival is held at the Auditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone, designed by architect Renzo Piano, and in other venues across Rome. The Fondazione Cinema per Roma is also a partner of the MIA Market (International Audio-Visual Market), connecting the festival to broader industry activity in Rome.

The current president of Fondazione Cinema per Roma is Salvatore Nastasi. The artistic director is Paola Malanga, assisted by a selection committee composed of Giovanna Fulvi, Alberto Libera, Enrico Magrelli, Emanuela Martini, and Alberto Pezzotta.

Past Winners (Best Film - Progressive Cinema Competition)

Recent Rome Film Fest Best Film winners and where the films landed:

• 2023: Pedaggio (Toll), dir. Carolina Markowicz. Won Best Film. A Brazilian drama about a woman navigating toll booths and personal boundaries. Screened at Toronto and Cannes before Rome.

Notable Alumni Films and Where They Ended Up

Rome has launched significant Italian and international films. Selected premieres and their outcomes:

• There's Still Tomorrow (C'e ancora domani) (2023) - Opened Rome Fest 2023. Directed by Paola Cortellesi. A major box office success in Italy, becoming one of the highest-grossing Italian films of all time. International sales through Vision Distribution. Demonstrates Rome's power as a launchpad for Italian commercial cinema.
• Mediterraneo: The Law of the Sea (2021) - Won the FS Audience Award. Distributed by Adler Entertainment in Italy. A drama about a Spanish rescue ship in the Mediterranean.
• The Departed (2006) - World premiere at the inaugural Rome Fest. Martin Scorsese's film that won the Oscar for Best Picture. Demonstrates Rome's ambition from its founding to rival Venice for major premieres.

Submission Tips Specific to Rome

1. Italian premiere requirements vary by section. Progressive Cinema Competition requires European premiere. Some sections require Italian premiere. Works already screened in Italy are excluded from competition sections. Check the specific requirements for your target section.
2. Submit via Starbase platform. Film files must be uploaded by July 30. Early bird fee is 60 EUR (digital upload) or 100 EUR (DCP or Blu-ray). Regular fee is 70 to 90 EUR. You can also provide an independent platform link.
3. No world premiere required. Rome does not require world premieres, allowing collaboration with other festivals like BFI London. This makes Rome more accessible for films that have already premiered elsewhere but not yet screened in Italy.
4. Multiple sections. Progressive Cinema Competition (competitive), Freestyle (non-competitive, innovative works), Grand Public (mainstream audience films), and Alice in the City (children and youth). Choose strategically based on your film's style and target audience.
5. MIA market runs alongside. The MIA (International Audiovisual Market) runs alongside the festival and has become a significant sales event. If you have a sales agent, ensure they register for MIA to maximize distribution potential in the Italian and European markets.

Industry Reputation Notes

• Founded in 2006 to rival Venice. Rome was established with ambitions to challenge Venice as Italy's premier film festival. While it has not overtaken Venice in prestige, it has carved a distinct niche as a city festival addressing every kind of audience.
• Buying ground for Italian distributors. Under artistic director Paola Malanga, Rome has evolved into a buying ground for Italian distributors, with many competition titles acquired by Italian buyers. This makes it a valuable festival for films seeking Italian distribution.
• FIAPF-recognized competitive festival. Rome is FIAPF-recognized as a competitive festival, giving it international standing. It runs alongside the MIA market, which has become a significant sales event for European content.
• Comparison to Venice and BFI London. Venice (September) is Italy's A-list festival with world premieres and awards season launches. Rome (October/November) is more audience-facing and does not require world premieres. BFI London (October) is similarly positioned after the major fall festivals and serves as a UK distribution launchpad. Rome and London complement each other rather than competing.

See Also

To calculate the return on your festival submission spending, use the Festival ROI Calculator. To estimate your probability of acceptance based on festival tier and film characteristics, use the Festival Acceptance Odds Estimator. For festival strategy guidance, see Film Festival Strategy. For understanding European cinema markets, see International Film Markets. For distribution deals, see Distribution Deals Explained.