FESTIVALE 2026

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FESTIVALE 2026 ~

Launch Event / Sep. 26

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.

This year we've added a special launch event on September 26th to honor our founder Victor Laruccia and to kick off together the 20th feStivale! Reserve your spot in advance, since this event has limited tickets!

Buy the passes and get a 10% OFF the total value (Launch event NOT included in the passes).

Buona visione!

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LAUNCH EVENT
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 Hands by Tess Emmerson (10')

    Santa Maria by Carlo Gargiulo (7')

    Via Bellezza 11 by Giuseppe Cardaci (18')

    Viola by Marco Lorenzo Masante (10')

    A Lifetime of Dreams by Aladino Ghioni (out of competition) 11'

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Thursday, 10/1 | Napoli - New York

  • MOPA @ SDMA

    Thu. 10/1 - 7:00 PM

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

    *Eventive fees not included in the price.

  • 1949. Naples lies in ruins after the devastation of WWII. Young Carmine and Celestina try to survive as best they can. One night, the pair find themselves caught on a ship as it is departing, leaving them to New York, and needing to dodge the attention of the vessel’s captain. Eventually reaching the unknown metropolis, Carmine and Celestina must quickly find a way to adapt to their new surroundings, and set out to find Celestina’s older sister who emigrated years earlier... Based on a rediscovered screenplay by maestro Federico Fellini and Tullio Pinelli, written together 80 years ago as young aspiring filmmakers long before the two collaborated on La Strada and La dolce vita, this is a compelling and hopeful coming-of-age story about the duality of dreams and disillusionment, the search for identity and the pursuit of a better life.

    In Italian with English subtitles.

  • Year: Italy, 2024, 124 mins

    Directed by: Gabriele Salvatores

    Screenplay: Gabriele Salvatores, from a treatment by Federico Fellini and Tullio Pinelli

    Editing: Julien Panzarasa

    Cinematography: Diego Indraccolo

    Music: Federico De Robertis

    Cast: Pierfrancesco Favino, Dea Lanzaro, Antonio Guerra, Anna Ammirati, Anna Lucia Pierro, Omar Benson Miller, Tomas Arana, Antonio Catania, Katie McGovern, Lorenzo McGovern Zaini, Mitch Salm

    Production: Paco Cinematografica, Rai Cinema

    Distribution: RaiCom

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Friday, 10/2
Per te | For You

  • MOPA @ SDMA

    Fri. 10/2 - 7:00 PM

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

    *Eventive fees not included in the price.

  • Based on a true story. Eleven-year-old Mattia daily experiences the illness of his father, who, in his early forties, is slowly beginning to lose pieces of his memory. But just as the world begins to fade, he chooses to stay close to what truly matters, strengthened also by the love of his wife Michela. Together with his son, they embark on a journey of shared daily life, sudden laughter, and silences that speak. A story that celebrates the power of love beyond time and memory.

    In Italian with English subtitles.

  • Year: Italy, 2025, 115 mins

    Directed by: Alessandro Aronadio

    Screenplay: Alessandro Aronadio, Ivano Fachin, Renato Sannio

    Editing: Roberto Di Tanna

    Cinematography: Andrea Reitano

    Music: Santi Pulvirenti

    Cast: Edoardo Leo, Teresa Saponangelo, Javier Francesco Leoni, Giorgio Montanini, Eleonora Giovanardi, Guia Jelo, Daniele Parisi

    Production: Lungta Film, Alea Film, PiperFilm

    Distribution: PiperPlay

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Saturday, 10/3
La vita da grandi | Siblings

  • MOPA @ SDMA

    Sat. 10/3 - 7:00 PM

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

    *Eventive fees not included in the price.

  • Irene is living her life in Rome when her mother asks her to return for a few days to Rimini—the city where she was born and from where she once ran away—to take care of her older autistic brother, Omar. Once they are together, Irene discovers that Omar has very clear ideas about his future: he has no intention of living with her once their parents are gone and is determined to make his dreams come true. He wants to get married, have three children—because three is the perfect number—and become a famous rap singer. But for any of that to happen, Omar must first learn to live independently.

    In Italian with English subtitles.

  • Year: Italy, 2025, 96 mins

    Directed by: Greta Scarano

    Screenplay: Greta Scarano, Sofia Assirelli, Tieta Madia

    Editing: Valeria Sapienza

    Cinematography: Valerio Azzali

    Music: Giuseppe Tranquillino Minerva

    Cast: Matilda De Angelis, Yuri Tuci, Maria Amelia Monti, Paolo Hendel, Adriano Pantaleo, Christian Ginepro, Ariella Reggio, Gloria Coco, Alessandro Cantalini, Ludovico Zucconi

    Production: Groenlandia, Halong, Rai Cinema

    Distribution: Rai Cinema

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Sunday, 10/4
Gioia mia | Sweetheart

  • MOPA @ SDMA

    Sun. 10/4 - 11:30 AM

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

    *Eventive fees not included in the price.

  • Nico, a lively and impertinent child raised in a secular family in a modern and technological world, is forced to spend the summer in Sicily, hosted by an elderly aunt, a religious and grumpy woman who lives alone in an ancient building steeped in legends, without Wi-Fi. The clash between modernity and the past, between reason and religion, between speed and slowness, marks the beginning of their stormy relationship. Yet, little by little, a deep bond develops that neither of them knew they needed.

    In Italian with English subtitles.

  • Year: Italy 2025, 90 mins

    Directed by: Margherita Spampinato

    Screenplay: Margherita Spampinato

    Editing: Margherita Spampinato

    Cinematography: Claudio Cofrancesco

    Music: Alice Zecchinelli

    Cast: Aurora Quattrocchi, Marco Fiore, Camille Dugay, Martina Ziami, Clara Salvo, Renata Sajeva, Concetta Ingrassia, Giuseppina Cardella

    Production: Yagi Media

    Distribution: Fandango

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Thursday, 10/8 | Fuori

  • MOPA @ SDMA

    Thu. 10/8 - 7:00 PM

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

    *Eventive fees not included in the price.

  • Fuori is a moving drama about friendship in adversity, female solidarity, and anti-conformism, inspired by the life of one of Italy’s most iconic authors, Goliarda Sapienza. Rome, 1980. After the magnum opus The Art of Joy she has been working on for a decade is rejected by the Italian publishing world, writer Goliarda Sapienza ends up in prison for stealing jewelry, but the encounter with some young inmates turns out to be a life-changing experience. After their release and over the course of a scorching summer, the women continue to meet, and Goliarda forms a deep bond with Roberta, a repeat offender and political activist. A connection no one on the outside can truly understand, but through which Goliarda rediscovers the joy of living and the drive to write again.

    In Italian with English subtitles.

  • Year: Italy, France 2025, 117 mins

    Directed by: Mario Martone

    Screenplay: Ippolita Di Majo, Mario Martone

    Editing: Jacopo Quadri

    Cinematography: Paolo Carnera

    Music: Valerio Vigliar

    Cast: Valeria Golino, Matilda De Angelis, Elodie, Corrado Fortuna, Stefano Dionisi, Antonio Gerardi, Francesco Gheghi

    Production: Indigo Film, The Apartment, Srab Films, Rai Cinema

    Distribution: Goodfellas

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Friday, 10/9 | La grazia

  • MOPA @ SDMA

    Fri. 10/9 - 7:00 PM

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

    *Eventive fees not included in the price.

  • As his tenure as President of Italy nears its end, Mariano De Santis faces wrenching decisions-both political and deeply personal. Amid these moral quandaries, he must confront his own conscience and seek guidance from those closest to him, including his confidante and daughter, Dorotea.

    In Italian with English subtitles.

  • Year: Italy 2025, 131 mins

    Directed by: Paolo Sorrentino

    Screenplay: Paolo Sorrentino

    Editing: Cristiano Travaglioli

    Cinematography: Daria D’Antonio

    Cast: Toni Servillo, Anna Ferzetti, Orlando Cinque, Massimo Venturiello, Milvia Marigliano, Giuseppe Gaiani, Linda Messerklinger, Vasco Mirandola

    Production: Fremantle, The Apartment, Numero 10

    Distribution: Mubi

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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.

 To make a donation, select an amount that you would like to donate and click the Donate button. You will receive an email confirmation recognizing your gift.

For more information about corporate donations, please email: contact@sdiff.net

2026 feStivale Partners