Filming Italy Sardegna Festival 9th Edition

Olga Kurylenko at Filming Italy Sardegna Festival.

The 9th edition of the Filming Italy Sardegna Festival, conceived and directed by Tiziana Rocca, successfully concluded. The event brings together cinema and television through screenings, premieres, meetings, and presentations of films and television series. It involved leading film distributors and production companies alongside major television and VOD entertainment platforms. The festival was organized in collaboration with APA (Italian Audiovisual Producers Association), under the patronage of the Autonomous Region of Sardinia, the City of Cagliari, the Costa Smeralda Consortium, and in collaboration with Forte Village.

Tiziana Rocca, General Director of the Filming Italy Sardegna Festival, stated:

"Another edition of the Filming Italy Sardegna Festival comes to a close, once again representing the result of an enormous amount of work built on dedication, passion, and months of continuous commitment. Behind every screening, every meeting, every special session, and every Italian and international guest lies the tireless effort of an entire team, united by the goal of offering audiences a cultural experience of the highest quality.

She Added:

Our Festival continues to pursue a mission that I deeply believe in: encouraging audiences to return to movie theaters during the summer season and demonstrating that cinema is a place of emotion, sharing, and human connection that can be experienced all year round. Seeing packed theaters, enthusiastic audiences, and such meaningful dialogue between artists and spectators is our greatest reward."

James Franco at Filming Italy Sardegna Festival.

Festival Leadership & Honorees

• Honorary President: Harvey Keitel served as the Festival's Honorary President, receiving the Filming Italy International Award for his indelible mark on the history of contemporary cinema.

• Festival Ambassador: Micaela Ramazzotti served as the Festival Ambassador.

• Festival Godmother: Clara served as the Godmother of the 9th edition, receiving the Filming Italy Women Power Award.

The Short Film Competition

French César Award-winning actress Elsa Zylberstein served as President of the jury for the short film competition. Joining her were James Franco, Samuel Arnold, Rosa Diletta Rossi, Ilenia Pastorelli, Professors Massimo Arcangeli, Stefano Arduini, Andrea Minuz, Christian Uva, and Tiziana Rocca.

• Winning Short Film: Vorrei incontrarti tra 10 anni, directed by Andrea Castoldi.

• Broadcast & Distribution: The film will be broadcast on Rai Cinema Channel, streamed on MyMovies, and presented to American audiences during the next edition of Filming Italy - Los Angeles.

Special Awards & Recognitions

• Enel Special Award: Presented to Flora degli Alberi, produced by IIS Ovidio of Sulmona (AQ).

• Festina Award: Won by Parole per domani - La Voce della Scuola, directed by Diego Palma, for recognizing a work that translates time into storytelling, emotion, and reflection.

• Women in Film, Television & Media Italia Award: Won by Fiori Cadono, directed by Ludovica Galletta. It will be honored at the Filming Italy Venice Award during the 82nd Venice International Film Festival this September. Other featured shorts included Blu Silenzio, L'Estraneo, and Emy Nails.

• Filming Italy Nanni Loy Award: Presented to Roberto Andò and Agostina Belli (Achievement Award).

• Pietro Coccia Memorial Award: Presented to Elisabetta Pellini.

• Filming Italy Special Award: Presented to cultural journalist Valerio Cappelli.

• Elena Mirò Award: Presented to Micaela Ramazzotti to celebrate artistic independence and the uniqueness of every woman.

Franco Nero, Tiziana Rocca, and Harvey Keitel at Filming Italy Sardegna Festival.

International & Italian Guests

The event welcomed an outstanding lineup of internationally acclaimed actors, filmmakers, and artists.

International Honorees:

• Filming Italy International Award: Katherine McNamara, Jeremy Piven, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Alanah Bloor, Elsa Zylberstein, Marina Foïs, Olga Kurylenko, Ronn Moss, and Sam Levinson.

• Filming Italy Women Power Award: Erin Moriarty.

• Filming Italy Creativity Award: James Franco.

• Special Memorial Award: Christian Madsen, in memory of his father, Michael Madsen.

Italian Honorees:

• Filming Italy Achievement Award: Franco Nero.

• Filming Italy Women Power Award: Sveva Alviti, Barbara De Rossi, Cristina Chiabotto, Cristina Marino, Natasha Stefanenko, and Nina Zilli (Music).

• Filming Italy Creativity Award: Chiara Francini and Antonio Catania.

• Filming Italy Award: Matteo Paolillo, Peppe Iodice, Letizia Toni, Tea Falco, Roberto Lipari, Giorgia Palmas (Promotion of the Territory), Chiara Galiazzo (Music), Jalisse (Music), and Massimo Di Cataldo (Music).

• Filming Italy Best Actor Award: Giuseppe Ignazio Loi.

• Filming Italy Achievement Music Award: Romina Power.

Romina Power at Filming Italy Sardegna Festival.

Panels & Educational Initiatives

• Nuovo IMAIE Session: Irene Giancontieri and Beatrice Savignani participated in a special session with leading cinema figures and received the Filming Italy Spotlight Award.

• Superheroines: The Lesson of Ginger Rogers: A panel moderated by Luca Dini and Tiziana Rocca discussing the evolving role of women in contemporary cinema and television.

• Rai Cinema University Short Film Award: A national platform for short films produced by students from Italian universities, introduced in collaboration with Rai Cinema.

• Institutional Panel: "Cinema and Audiovisual: Italy Tells Its Story" examined the present and future of the Italian audiovisual sector and its international impact.

Marg Helgenberger at Filming Italy Sardegna Festival.

International & Italian Premieres

Supporting the summer reopening of Italian movie theaters, the event presented more than fifty premieres.

International Highlights:

• Toy Story 5 (Opening Film), Supergirl, Between Love and Lies, Misdirection, The Mummy, Song Sung Blue, Hamnet, Mortal Kombat II, The Third Floor Murder, Epic - Elvis Presley in Concert, The Life List, Super Mario Galaxy - The Movie, C'était mieux demain, Wuthering Heights, Michael, Other Side of Fame, They Will Kill You, Tex McKenzie - My Horse Is the Only Person I Trust, The Bride!, Reminders of Him, and A War on Women. The first episode of Walker: Independence was also screened.

Italian Highlights:

• Benvenuti in Campagna, Gli Occhi degli Altri, A Se Stesso, Alla Festa della Rivoluzione, Il Mestiere di Vivere, Innamorarsi e altre pessime idee, Il Nibbio, ...Che Dio Perdona a Tutti, Nel Tepore del Ballo, Duse - The Greatest, Antartica - Quasi una Fiaba, Notte prima degli esami 3.0, Agnus Dei, Le cose non dette, Illusione, La Terza Volta, Mi Batte il Corazon, Dacia, Vita Mia - Dialoghi Giapponesi, Il Dio dell'Amore, and La Sobrietà.

Katherine McNamara at Filming Italy Sardegna Festival.

Partnerships & Collaborations

• Intesa Sanpaolo: Supported the event through its Media & Culture Desk to promote the international development of Italy's audiovisual industry.

• Gerardo Sacco: Created the exclusive awards presented throughout the event.

• Italy for Movies: Renewed its partnership to provide comprehensive information on filming locations and production incentives.

• Sustainability: Partnered with FareAmbiente to strengthen environmental commitments.

• ICA - International Cinema Academy: Offered professional acting program lessons to the winners of the short film competition.

• Event Partners: Main partners included Intesa Sanpaolo, Enel, Festina, Elena Mirò, Gerardo Sacco, and Montegrappa. Cotril served as the Official Partner, alongside numerous Technical and Media Partners. The event was held under the patronage of the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy, Ministry of Tourism, Autonomous Region of Sardinia, City of Cagliari, and Municipality of Pula.