The 18th edition of the Italian Film Festival in Madrid was inaugurated on 1 December 2025 by artistic director Giulio Base and the director of Chiara Fama of the Italian Cultural Institute of Madrid, Elena Fontanella. The opening took place in a packed Cine Callao theatre and is a highly anticipated event in the Spanish capital, featuring Italian premieres across a week-long festival, held at various venues including the Italian Cultural Institute in Calle Mayor 86, Cine Callao, the Palacio de la Prensa, and the Cine Estudio at the Círculo de Bellas Artes.
The festival opened with the screening of Fuori, directed by Neapolitan filmmaker Mario Martone. Alongside numerous celebrities from the Spanish music and film industries and the festival’s distinguished jury, the guest of honour was Monica Guerritore, who presented the premiere of her new film Anna, dedicated to Anna Magnani, and received the Career Award from the Vice President of the Chamber of Deputies, Giorgio Mulè.
The screening was preceded by a special performance by Paolo Fresu, highly anticipated by the audience, who, together with accordionist Pierpaolo Vacca, offered a musical tribute to Italian cinema. In recognition of a collaboration spanning more than twenty years with the musician, the Italian Cultural Institute of Madrid presented Fresu with a special award, handed over by Director Elena Fontanella.
The audience was also welcomed by representatives of the Piedmont Region, including Undersecretary to the Presidency Claudia Porchietto and the Director of the Film Commission Torino Piemonte, Paolo Manera, who reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening ties with the region and its film productions. This was further highlighted during the Industry meeting of the Film Festival, held on 2 December at the Casa de la Panadería in Plaza Mayor, in collaboration with the Madrid Film Office.
Screenings included Sergio Leone’s Dollar Trilogy, a retrospective organised with the Cineteca di Bologna; for the Shorts section, Dieci secondi by Roberta Palmieri; for the Documentaries section, La musica negli occhi by Giovanna Ventura; for the New Authors section, Nero by Giovanni Esposito; and the much-anticipated Le assaggiatrici by Silvio Soldini.
