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Festival Highlights

Opening Night

A smash hit at the Italian box office in 2023, this stylish Milanese thriller starring Pierfrancesco Favino follows a police lieutenant who is drawn into a web of crime and corruption on the eve of his retirement.

Australian Premiere
Centrepiece

Based on incredible true events, this gripping historical drama from Marco Bellocchio follows the story of a young boy whose abduction from his parents by the Vatican fuelled outrage in 19th Century Italy and triggered a global scandal.

Special Presentation

Set in Puglia, this intense crime story of love and revenge, featuring singer Elodie in her first acting role, sees a forbidden love rekindle an old feud between two rival families.

Australian Premiere
Special Presentation

An eagerly anticipated historical drama from writer/director Michele Placido, starring Riccardo Scamarcio and Isabelle Huppert, exploring the struggles of the notorious Renaissance painter as he is investigated by the Vatican.

Australian Premiere
Special Presentation

Cannes Jury Prize and four-time David di Donatello Awards winner, this epic journey of friendship and self-discovery set in the breathtaking Italian Alps follows two men over four decades.

Special Event

Set in 1980s Tuscany, this captivating fable of lost love from Alice Rohrwacher follows a young British archaeologist who gets caught up in an international network dealing in stolen Italian artefacts.

Special Event

This feature-length documentary is an intimate deep dive into the creative genius of influential Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace, celebrating his extraordinary life and career.

Australian Premiere
Closing Night

Critically acclaimed and loved by audiences around the world, Massimo Troisi’s final film is an engaging blend of easy humour and sunny romance that explores love, poetry and friendship in 1950s Italy.