MONTHLY SERIES/SAN DIEGO
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MONTHLY SERIES/SAN DIEGO ~
San Diego
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Digital Gym
1100 Market St
San Diego, CA 92101 -
Thursday, January 29
LilianaThursday, February 26
Hey JoeThursday, March 26
Rapito (Kidnapped)Wednesday, April 15
Elvira Notari: Oltre il silenzio (Elvira Notari: Beyond Silence)Thursday, May 14
Qui rido io (The King of Laughter)
2026 Monthly Series
Our 2026 monthly series lineup is here. Join us at Digital Gym Cinema to experience powerful Italian films that bring history to life.
We are excited to share that 2026 festival passes are now available. Learn more and reserve your pass today.
Thursday, January 29
Liliana
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Digital Gym Cinema
Thu. 1/29 - 7:00 PM
$16 GA
$12 SDIFF Members
$7 Students & Military*Eventive fees not included in the price.
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Liliana is a compelling documentary that delves into the extraordinary life of Liliana Segre: renowned Italian Holocaust survivor, activist, and life senator, whose life embodies resilience, the pursuit of justice, and a commitment to combating hate and intolerance. The film weaves together historical accounts with a contemporary portrait of one of Italy’s most influential women going beyond the well-known aspects of Senator Segre’s life, uncovering her lesser-known qualities and revealing a modern cultural and political figure deeply committed to justice. Through her words and actions, the documentary highlights her passion for championing freedom, equality, and human rights, particularly in inspiring younger generations to embrace these values. Her presence and words are a poignant reminder of the past, a call to action in the present, and a beacon of hope for a more compassionate future.
In Italian with English subtitles.
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Year: Italy 2024, 84 mins
Directed by: Ruggero Gabbai
Editing: Cristian Dondi, Chiara Passoni
Cinematography: Pierluigi Laffi
Cast: Liliana Segre, Alberto Belli Paci, Luciano Belli Paci, Federica Belli Paci, Davide Belli Paci, Edoardo Belli Paci, Filippo Lo Jacono, Geppi Cucciari, Daniela Dana, Ferruccio De Bortoli, Fabio Fazio, Claudia Marsella, Enrico Mentana, Mario Monti, Milena Santerini, Franco Vaccari
Production: Forma International, Rai Cinema
Distribution: True Colours
Thursday, February 26
Hey Joe
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Digital Gym Cinema
Thu. 2/26 - 7:00 PM
$16 GA
$12 SDIFF Members
$7 Students & Military*Eventive fees not included in the price.
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In 1944 Dean Barry, an American sailor, 23, arrives in Naples, a city destroyed by bombing after the liberation of Italy. Dean meets Lucia, a young and very poor girl with whom he falls madly in love. Two years later, at the end of his service, Dean has to return to New Jersey and Lucia remains in Naples, alone and pregnant.
In Italian and Neapolitan with English subtitles; partially in English. -
Year: Italy 2024, 117 mins
Directed by: Claudio Giovannesi
Screenplay: Maurizio Braucci, Claudio Giovannesi
Editing: Giuseppe Trepiccione
Cinematography: Daniele Ciprì
Music: Andrea Moscianese
Cast: James Franco, Francesco Di Napoli, Giulia Ercolini, Aniello Arena, Francesca Montuori, Giada Savi, Samuel Wilberding
Production: Palomar, Rai Cinema, Vision Distribution
Distribution: Glass House Distribution
Thursday, March 26
Rapito | Kidnapped
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Digital Gym Cinema
Thu. 3/26 - 7:00 PM
$16 GA
$12 SDIFF Members
$7 Students & Military*Eventive fees not included in the price.
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In 1858, in the Jewish quarter of Bologna, the Pope’s soldiers burst into the home of the Mortara family. By order of the cardinal, they have come to take Edgardo, their seven-year-old son. The child had been secretly baptized by his nurse as a baby and the papal law is unquestionable: he must receive a Catholic education. Edgardo’s parents, distraught, will do anything to get their son back. Supported by public opinion and the international Jewish community, the Mortaras’ struggle quickly takes a political dimension. But the Church and the Pope will not agree to return the child, to consolidate an increasingly wavering power...
In Italian with English subtitles.
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Year: Italy, France, Germany, 2023, 125 mins
Directed by: Marco Bellocchio
Screenplay: Marco Bellocchio, Susanna Nicchiarelli, from the book Il caso Mortara by Daniele Scalise
Editing: Francesca Calvelli, Stefano Mariotti
Cinematography: Francesco di Giacomo
Music: Fabio Massimo Capogrosso
Cast: Paolo Pierobon, Fausto Russo Alesi, Enea Sala, Barbara Ronchi, Filippo Timi, Fabrizio Gifuni, Andrea Gherpelli, Samuele Teneggi, Corrado Invernizzi, Paolo Calabresi, Leonardo Maltese, Federica Fracassi, Bruno Cariello, Giustiniano Alpi
Production: IBC Movie, Kavac, Ad Vitam, Match Factory Productions, Rai Cinema, Arte
Distribution: Cohen Media Group
Wednesday, April 15
Elvira Notari: Oltre il silenzio | Beyond Silence
+ a special Q&A session with the Director Valerio Ciriaci
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Digital Gym Cinema
Wed. 4/15 - 7:00 PM
$25 GA
$21 SDIFF Members
$16 Students & Military*Eventive fees not included in the price.
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Elvira Notari: Beyond Silence is a feature documentary chronicling the life and work of Elvira Notari (1875-1946), Italy’s first woman film director. Despite directing hundreds of silent films that captivated from Naples to New York, Elvira was relegated to the margins of film history for half a century. Her films, poised between realism and staged drama, were deeply rooted in Neapolitan folklore. A woman in a man’s world, her works were targeted by Fascist censorship yet found the embrace of audiences on both sides of the Atlantic. The documentary interweaves voices of those who celebrate her legacy today – from the experts who rediscovered her films to contemporary artists reimagining her vision through new works – to resurrect Elvira’s singular vision. More than a biography, Elvira Notari: Beyond Silence is a portrait of an artist who continues to inspire new creative pathways.
Plus, a live discussion and Q&A with the Director Valerio Ciriaci!
In Italian with English subtitles.
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Year: Italy/USA 2025, 89 mins
Directed by: Valerio Ciriaci
Editing: Francesca Sofia Allegra
Cinematography: Isaak Liptzin
Music: Silvia Cignoli
Cast: Giuliana Bruno, Cristina Vatielli, Flavia Amabile, Francesca Consonni, Gian Luca Farinelli, Giuliana Muscio, Mario Franco, Simona Frasca, Pippo Santonastaso, Matteo Cirillo, Michele Signore, Antonella Monetti Maria Assunta Pimpinelli, Lucio Senatore, Giuseppe Solla, Teresa Saponangelo
Production: Parallelo 41 Produzioni, Awen Films, Luce Cinecittà
Distribution: Parallelo 41 Produzioni
Thursday, May 14
Qui rido io | The King of Laughter
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Digital Gym Cinema
Thu. 5/14 - 7:00 PM
$16 GA
$12 SDIFF Members
$7 Students & Military*Eventive fees not included in the price.
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Naples, 1904: Italian theatre is thriving, and comic actor Eduardo Scarpetta is the box office king. Known in the Neapolitan theater for his cheeky alter egos, Scarpetta’s larger-than-life stage productions were matched only by his eccentric personal life. Composed of wives, partners, lovers, legitimate and illegitimate children (including a young Eduardo De Filippo, famed Neapolitan playwright), Scarpetta’s home situation resembled one of his comedies more than a traditional family. At the height of his popularity, the comedian risked everything by staging a parody of the great Italian poet, Gabriele D’Annunzio. Booed and hissed from the stage by younger rivals, Scarpetta was sued for plagiarism, leading to the first ever copyright lawsuit in Italy. Despite legal troubles and familial strife, Scarpetta fought not only for his craft but for his legacy as one of the great performers of Italian theater. The King of Laughter is an extraordinary movie by film and theater director Mario Martone, featuring Italian star Toni Servillo.
In Italian and Neapolitan with English subtitles. -
Year: 2021, 133 mins, Italy/Spain
Directed by: Mario Martone
Screenplay: Mario Martone, Ippolita Di Majo
Editing: Jacopo Quadri
Cinematography: Renato Berta
Music: Sergio Bruni
Cast: Toni Servillo, Maria Nazionale, Cristiana Dell’Anna, Antonia Truppo, Eduardo Scarpetta, Paolo Pierobon, Lino Musella, Roberto De Francesco, Giovanni Mauriello, Chiara Baffi, Roberto Caccioppoli, Lucrezia Guidone, Elena Ghiaurov, Gigio Morra, Gianfelice Imparato, Iaia Forte
Production: Indigo Film, Tornasol, Rai Cinema
Distribution: Film Movement