Festival 2025
This feStivale we welcomed the 19th San Diego Italian Film Festival, which celebrated the theme Courage—the strength to speak up, break barriers, and imagine new futures. Through movies and shorts, this year’s 19th feStivale invited audiences to explore the many faces of courage that shape Italian culture, challenge conventions, and inspire change.
Wednesday, 10/1 |
Ristretto Shorts Night
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Digital Gym Cinema
Wed. 10/1 - 7:00 PM
$20 GA
$15 SDIFF Members
$10 Students & Military*Eventive fees not included in the price.
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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.
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Watch this year’s standout short films and be there for the big reveal of the Ristretto Shorts winners:
Mille ponti (A Thousand Bridges), 24', directed by Nicolò Amedeo Novek
Padre (Father), 19', directed by Michele Gallone
Star, 12', directed by Paoli De Luca
La vita magra (The Thin Life), 20', directed by Francesca Giuffrida
Superbi (Superb), 16', directed by Nikola Brunelli
Suzanne & Marcelo, 20', directed by Francesco Alessandro Cogliati
Marcello, 5', directed by Fabio Rossi
F II - Lo Stupore del Mondo, 6', directed by Alessandro Rak
Thursday, 10/2
C’è ancora domani | There’s Still Tomorrow
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MOPA @ SDMA
Thu. 10/2 - 7:00 PM
$20 GA
$15 SDIFF Members
$10 Students & Military*Eventive fees not included in the price.
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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
Friday, 10/3 | Vermiglio
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MOPA @ SDMA
Fri. 10/3 - 7:00 PM
$20 GA
$15 SDIFF Members
$10 Students & Military*Eventive fees not included in the price.
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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.
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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
Saturday, 10/4 | Marcella
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MOPA @ SDMA
Sat. 10/4 - 7:00 PM
$20 GA
$15 SDIFF Members
$10 Students & Military*Eventive fees not included in the price.
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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
Sunday, 10/5
Un mondo a parte |
A World Apart
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MOPA @ SDMA
Sun. 10/5 - 11:30 AM
$20 GA
$15 SDIFF Members
$10 Students & Military*Eventive fees not included in the price.
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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
Thursday 10/9
Il tempo che ci vuole |
The Time It Takes
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MOPA @ SDMA
Thu. 10/9 - 7:00 PM
$20 GA
$15 SDIFF Members
$10 Students & Military*Eventive fees not included in the price.
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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
Friday, 10/10
Berlinguer: La grande ambizione | The Great Ambition
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MOPA @ SDMA
Fri. 10/10 - 7:00 PM
$20 GA
$15 SDIFF Members
$10 Students & Military*Eventive fees not included in the price.
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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