CINEMA MADE IN ITALY will once again return to its new home at BFI Southbank for its 16th edition. London’s favourite Italian film festival will take place from 4 - 8 March 2026, and Italian cinema lovers will be able to sample some of the best recent productions from Italy, in a diverse and enticing programme. As always, screenings will be followed by film-maker Q&A sessions, giving viewers the chance to become engaged in lively discussions. The 2026 programme includes ten new Italian films plus the 1959 classic title THE FACTS OF MURDER (Un Maledetto Imbroglio), directed by Pietro Germi. Four titles in the line-up are directed by female film-makers.
The opening night film is the renowned opera director Damiano Michieletto’s first feature PRIMAVERA, starring Tecla Insolia and Michele Riondino, recently seen in Billie August’s mini-series adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo. The film had its world premiere at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival and will be distributed in the UK by Curzon Film on 24 April 2026. The screenplay was co-written with Ludovica Rampoldi, one of Italy’s leading screenwriters, known for The Traitor and Gomorrah.
Ludovica Rampoldi will also be presenting her directorial debut A BRIEF AFFAIR (Breve Storia d’Amore), starring Valeria Golino (The Morning Show). The award-winning actress is also the lead in Mario Martone’s literary biopic FUORI, about noted Italian feminist writer and political activist Goliarda Sapienza (author of The Art of Joy), which screened in competition at this year’s Cannes International Film Festival, and Nicolangelo Gelormini’s dark fable GIOIA (La Gioia), which was in the Venice International Film Festival’s Venice Days section. Two other titles which had their premieres on the Venice Lido are ELISA, directed by Leonardo Di Costanzo, and Laura Samani’s well-received second film A YEAR OF SCHOOL (Un Anno di Scuola). Another debut feature in the line-up is Margherita Spampinato’s SWEETHEART (Gioia Mia), which premiered at the 78th Locarno Film Festival, where it won the Special Jury Prize and lead actress Aurora Quattrocchi was awarded the Pardo for Best Performance.
Alessio Rigo de Righi and Matteo Zoppis bring us their delightfully playful Euro-western HEADS OR TAILS? (Testa o Croce?) starring John C. Reilly, which screened to critical acclaim in this year’s Un Certain Regard strand in Cannes, along with Francesco Sossai’s soulful gem THE LAST ONE FOR THE ROAD (Le Città di Pianura), which will be released in the UK by Bulldog Film Distribution in spring 2026. THREE GOODBYES (Tre Ciotole) is the latest feature from the prolific Catalan film-maker Isabel Coixet. A heartfelt love letter to life based on the best-selling novel by Michela Murgia, and starring Alba Rohrwacher and Elio Germano, the film has scored key sales following its Toronto premiere.
The five-day annual event is organised by Cinecittà, the British Film Institute (BFI), with the support of the Italian Cultural Institute in London. The films were selected by Adrian Wootton OBE, CEO of Film London.
This year’s programme comprises the following 11 feature films. Screening dates and times will be announced shortly.
CINEMA MADE IN ITALY 2026
A BRIEF AFFAIR (Breve Storia d’Amore), directed by Ludovica Rampoldi
A YEAR OF SCHOOL (Un Anno di Scuola), directed by Laura Samani
ELISA, directed by Leonardo Di Costanzo
FUORI, directed by Mario Martone
HEADS OR TAILS? (Testa o Croce?), directed by Alessio Rigo de Righi and Matteo Zoppis
GIOIA (La Gioia), directed by Nicolangelo Gelormini
PRIMAVERA, directed by Damiano Michieletto - UK DISTRIBUTOR: CURZON FILM
SWEETHEART (Gioia Mia), directed by Margherita Spampinato
THE FACTS OF MURDER (Un Maledetto Imbroglio), directed by Pietro Germi
THE LAST ONE FOR THE ROAD (Le Città di Pianura), directed by Francesco Sossai - UK DISTRIBUTOR: BULLDOG FILM DISTRIBUTION
THREE GOODBYES (Tre Ciotole), directed by Isabel Coixet
