FESTIVALE 2026

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FESTIVALE 2026 ~

Festivale 2026 / Sep. 30 – Oct. 10

Legacy: The Art of Fearless Storytelling

This fall, the San Diego Italian Film Festival celebrates its milestone 20th feStivale with the theme Legacy—honoring the stories, people, and shared experiences that have shaped two decades of Italian cinema and community in San Diego. Through feature films and shorts, this year’s feStivale celebrates all that SDIFF has built while looking ahead to the new voices, bold visions, and future stories that will carry its legacy forward. The 20th feStivale will include discussions with guest filmmakers, producers and artists, the 8th annual Ristretto Awards (our shorts competition), and the annual feSta: a party with the best in Italian food, live music, and the announcement of the winners of our Ristretto Award, all at the Museum of Photographic Arts at the Museum of Art and the Digital Gym Cinema.

Buona visione!

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FESTA 2026

The 2026 Line Up

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Wednesday, 9/30 |
Ristretto Shorts Night

  • Digital Gym Cinema

    Wed. 9/30 - 7:00 PM

    $20 GA
    $15 SDIFF Members
    $10 Students & Military

    *Eventive fees not included in the price.

  • Join us for a captivating night with an exciting selection of shorts. We are thrilled to present a special showcase of shorts finalists for the prestigious Ristretto Shorts Awards. Immerse yourself in the magic of Italian storytelling as we screen a carefully curated lineup of captivating short films. These finalists for the Ristretto Shorts Awards have been selected for their exceptional quality, creativity, and ability to convey profound narratives in a limited timeframe.

  • 2054 Seele by Edoardo Maione and Alice Gnech (12')

    Aura by Stefania Accettulli (15')

    Facciamo rumore (Let’s Make Noise) by Daniele Lince and Elena Beatrice (15')

    Finché morte non ci separi (Till Death Do Us Part) by Edoardo Maione and Alice Gnech (20')

    Little h=Hands by Tess Emmerson (10')

    Santa Maria by Carlo Gargiulo (7')

    Via Bellezza 11 by Giuseppe Cardaci (18')

    Viola by Marco Lorenzo Masante (10')

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Thursday, 10/1
C’è ancora domani |There’s Still Tomorrow

  • MOPA @ SDMA

    Thu. 10/2 - 7:00 PM

    $20 GA
    $15 SDIFF Members
    $10 Students & Military

    *Eventive fees not included in the price.

  • In this moving comedic drama set in postwar Rome, a working-class woman dreams of a better future for herself and her daughter while facing abuse at the hands of her patriarchal husband. When a mysterious letter arrives, she discovers the courage to change the circumstances of her life. A wonderful movie with brave women as main characters, and a box office phenomenon, also winner of six David di Donatello Awards.


    In Italian with English subtitles.

  • Year: Italy 2023, 118 mins

    Directed by: Paola Cortellesi

    Screenplay: Furio Andreotti, Giulia Calenda, Paola Cortelles

    Editing: Valentina Mariani

    Cinematography: Davide Leone

    Music: Lele Marchitelli

    Cast: Paola Cortellesi, Valerio Mastandrea, Romana Maggiora Vergano, Emanuela Fanelli, Giorgio Colangeli, Vinicio Marchioni, Alessia Barela, Francesco Centorame, Lele Vannoli, Paola Tiziana Cruciani, Yonv Joseph, Federico Tocci, Priscilla Micol Marino, Maria Chiara Orti, Silvia Salvatori, Mattia Baldo, Gianmarco Filippini

    Production: Wildside, Vision Distribution

    Distribution: Greenwich Entertainment

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Friday, 10/2 | Vermiglio

  • MOPA @ SDMA

    Fri. 10/3 - 7:00 PM

    $20 GA
    $15 SDIFF Members
    $10 Students & Military

    *Eventive fees not included in the price.

  • The lush and breathtaking beauty of the Alps, filmed with painterly grace under natural light from frigid winter to redemptive spring, provides the physical and emotional backdrop for Vermiglio, Maura Delpero’s visionary film, which won the Silver Lion at the 2024 Venice Film Festival. This singular portrait of a sprawling family, set in the small, mountainous village of Vermiglio during the waning days of WWII, follows a series of dramatic, consequential events after the arrival of a taciturn Sicilian soldier, who hides out in town after deserting the army. While there, the soldier develops a romance with the family’s eldest daughter, Lucia. Vermiglio shows the lives of a provincial family in a remote village suspended in time by the customs of a fading era. Conjuring stories from her own family’s past, Delpero creates a deeply personal and human tale that recalls the great neorealist movement in Italian cinema, but through Lucia’s perspective Vermiglio feels distinct and novel. Italy’s Official Selection for the 2025 Academy Awards.

    In Italian with English subtitles.

  • Year: Italy, France, Belgium 2024, 119 mins

    Directed by: Maura Delpero

    Screenplay: Maura Delpero

    Editing: Gianluca Mattei 

    Cinematography: Mikhail Krichman

    Cast: Tommaso Ragno, Giuseppe De Domenico, Carlotta Gamba, Roberta Rovelli, Martina Scrinzi, Sara Serraiocco, Orietta Notari, Santiago Fondevila Sancet, Rachele Potrich, Anna Thaler, Patrick Gardener, Enrico Panizza, Luis Thaler, Simone Benedetti

    Production: Cinedora, Charades, Versus, Rai Cinema 

    Distribution: Janus

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Saturday, 10/3 | Marcella

  • MOPA @ SDMA

    Sat. 10/4 - 7:00 PM

    $20 GA
    $15 SDIFF Members
    $10 Students & Military

    *Eventive fees not included in the price.

  • Marcella Hazan changed how we cook and experience Italian food. A disabled woman trained as a scientist, Marcella never cooked until she immigrated to America. But through her cookbooks and teaching – and an uncompromising commitment to Italian tradition – her impact was felt in millions of American home kitchens. The story of Marcella’s extraordinary life is told by friends, family, and culinary stars including Jacques Pépin, Danny Meyer, April Bloomfield, Lidia Bastianich, her son Giuliano Hazan, and her husband and writing partner, Victor Hazan.

    In English and Italian with English subtitles.

  • Year: USA 2025, 98 mins

    Directed by: Peter Miller

    Screenplay: Peter Miller

    Editing: Peter Miller

    Cinematography: Antonio Rossi

    Music: Fred Story 

    Cast: Marcella Hazan, Darina Allen, Jacques Pépin, Danny Meyer, April Bloomfield, Lidia Bastianich, Giuliano Hazan, Victor Hazan

    Production: Oak Street Pictures

    Distribution: Greenwich Entertainment

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Sunday, 10/4
Un mondo a parte|
A World Apart

  • MOPA @ SDMA

    Sun. 10/5 - 11:30 AM

    $20 GA
    $15 SDIFF Members
    $10 Students & Military

    *Eventive fees not included in the price.

  • Set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Abruzzo National Park, Un mondo a parte follows veteran teacher Michele Cortese as he begins an unexpected chapter in his life. Arriving during a snowstorm to take a post at a tiny rural school on the verge of closure, Cortese finds himself far from the comforts of Rome and faced with a lively, multi-age class. With the support of Agnese, the school’s passionate vice-principal, he gradually sheds his urban habits and rediscovers the true meaning of teaching — rooted in empathy, resilience, and the power of community.


    In Italian with English subtitles.

  • Year: Italy 2024, 112 mins

    Directed by: Riccardo Milani

    Screenplay: Michele Astori, Riccardo Milani

    Editing: Patrizia Ceresani, Francesco Renda

    Cinematography: Saverio Guarna

    Cast: Antonio Albanese, Virginia Raffaele, Sergio Saltarelli, Alessandra Barbonetti, Solidea Pistilli, Donatella La Cesa, Bianca Maria Macro, Corrado Oddi

    Production: Wildside, Medusa Film

    Distribution: Distrib Films

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Thursday 10/8
Il tempo che ci vuole |
The Time It Takes

  • MOPA @ SDMA

    Thu. 10/9 - 7:00 PM

    $20 GA
    $15 SDIFF Members
    $10 Students & Military

    *Eventive fees not included in the price.

  • Francesca Comencini returns with an intimate and deeply moving reflection on her relationship with her father, Luigi Comencini — a revered figure in Italian cinema, yet a distant and elusive presence at home. With both tenderness and restraint, she explores the contradictions of their bond, tracing a path from the wonder of childhood through the turmoil of adolescence, offering an honest and evocative portrait of love, memory, and the spaces in between. A devoted father and filmmaker shares a special bond with his young daughter, discovering the magic of childhood together — especially on the fantastical Pinocchio set he’s working on, where chaos and wonder collide. But as the daughter grows, the enchantment begins to fade. Adolescence brings distance and disillusionment; she spirals into drug use, concealing her struggles from her father. Refusing to turn away, he takes a decisive step — bringing her to Paris in a final attempt to rekindle their connection and guide her back to herself.


    In Italian with English subtitles.

  • Year: Italy, France, 2024, 110 mins

    Directed by: Francesca Comencini

    Screenplay: Francesca Comencini

    Editing: Francesca Calvelli, Stefano Mariotti

    Cinematography: Luca Bigazzi

    Music: Fabio Massimo Capogrosso

    Cast: Fabrizio Gifuni, Romana Maggiora Vergano, Anna Mangiocavallo, Luca Donini, Daniele Monterosi, Lallo Circosta, Luca Massaro, Giuseppe Lo Piccolo, Luigi Bindi, Laura Borrelli, Paolo Mannozzi, Gianfranco Gallo, Massimiliano Di Vincenzo, Massimo Cimaglia, Aphrodite De Lorraine

    Production: Kavac, IBC Movie, OneArt, Les films du Worso, Rai Cinema

    Distribution: Distrib Films

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Friday, 10/9
Berlinguer: La grande ambizione | The Great Ambition

  • MOPA @ SDMA

    Fri. 10/10 - 7:00 PM

    $20 GA
    $15 SDIFF Members
    $10 Students & Military

    *Eventive fees not included in the price.

  • Italy, 1970s. Enrico Berlinguer serves as the Secretary of the largest Communist party in the Western world. With over 1.7 million members and more than 12 million voters, the party shares a bold vision: to achieve socialism through democracy. Defying the rigid divisions of the Cold War, Berlinguer and the Italian Communist Party (PCI) spent five years striving for power, engaging in unprecedented dialogue with the Christian Democracy and coming tantalizingly close to altering the course of history. Amid assassination attempts by the Bulgarian secret services, intense election campaigns, and delicate negotiations with Moscow, Berlinguer’s journey is one of perseverance, risk, and ambition. The film chronicles this pivotal era, from the headlines that gripped the world to the dangerous dance with power, culminating in the tragic assassination of Aldo Moro, the President of the Christian Democracy, in 1978. Through it all, Berlinguer’s story is intertwined with that of a nation, where personal lives and politics are inseparable. When the path ahead seems blocked, must one surrender—or press on?


    In Italian with English subtitles.

  • Year: Italy, Belgium, 2022, 122 mins

    Directed by: Andrea Segre

    Screenplay: Marco Pettenello, Andrea Segre

    Editing: Jacopo Quadri

    Cinematography: Benoit Dervaux

    Music: Iosonouncane

    Cast: Elio Germano, Stefano Abbati, Francesco Acquaroli, Paolo Calabresi, Roberto Citran, Pierluigi Corallo, Nikolay Danchev, Svetoslav Dobrev, Luca Lazzareschi, Lucio Patanè, Andrea Pennacchi, Paolo Pierobon, Elena Radonicich, Fabrizia Sacchi, Giorgio Tirabassi

    Production: Vivo Film, Jolefilm, Tarantula, Agitprop, Rai Cinema

    Distribution: Fandango

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Thanks for Contributing

3% Cover the Fee

As a non-profit 501 c (3) organization, your donation is tax-deductible. Tax ID# 26-0236264

The San Diego Italian Film Festival is a non-profit organization, so your generous contribution is essential in ensuring we can continue to screen new and exciting Italian films as well as produce special events that celebrate Italian culture and cuisine.

As a non-profit 501 c (3) organization, your donation is tax-deductible.

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2026 feStivale Partners