The fifth edition of the Cinecittà Italian Doc Season is set to return to London’s Bertha DocHouse this summer, showcasing a curated selection of acclaimed non-fiction films. Running across the weekend of July 4–5, 2026, this year’s residency features three striking documentaries that collectively explore the diverse facets, complexities, and veracities of the traditional Italian family. Supported by the Italian Cultural Institute of London, all three featured titles will celebrate their UK Premieres alongside exclusive filmmaker Q&As.
The curated lineup features an array of distinct, individual narratives that have already garnered international praise at major film festivals including Venice, IDFA, and Toronto’s Hot Docs. The season officially opens on Saturday, July 4, with Stories for Sandro (Storie per Sandro), a poignant father-son chronicle directed by Giacomo Boeri. The film follows Boeri’s real-life mission to use the magic of cinema to archive the slipping memories of his father, who has been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s.
The festival shifts to a lighter tone later that evening with Gianluca Matarrese’s I Want Her Dead (Il quieto vivere). The darkly comic, emotionally charged tale follows a southern Italian family on the verge of implosion over a bitter internal household feud, blending reality and farce. The residency concludes on Sunday, July 5, with the award-winning Roberto Rossellini, Living Without a Script (Roberto Rossellini, più di una vita). Constructed entirely from archival footage, the documentary tracks the legendary auteur's mid-career artistic crisis and his subsequent creative rebirth. The screening will also feature a rare cinema presentation of Rossellini’s 1940 debut documentary short, Fantasia Sottomarina.
Enhancing the historical depth of the festival, each main screening will be preceded by a curated selection of rare footage from the prestigious Istituto Luce archive, which is registered in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme.
