Rome Film Fest opens on 13 October: how to plan a visit

The Rome Film Fest opens on Tuesday 13 October and runs through Sunday 25 October 2026. The 21st edition starts a day earlier than first announced. The Fondazione Cinema per Roma says more films were submitted and that independent producers and distributors asked for more room in the programme. For visitors, that means an extra festival day; the full programme is now on the organiser’s website.

The opening revolves around Il rumore delle cose nuove, the new film by Paolo Genovese. The film is screened on the evening of the opening ceremony in the Grand Public section. DJ and presenter Ema Stokholma hosts the ceremony. The main festival address is the Auditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone. The large halls and the red carpet are located there, but the festival also uses other venues in Rome.

Genovese’s earlier work includes Perfetti sconosciuti and Follemente. His opening film stars Emanuela Fanelli, Claudia Pandolfi, Vittoria Puccini, Stefano Accorsi, Lino Musella and Edoardo Pesce, with a special appearance by Claudio Santamaria. According to the organiser’s film description, the story follows three couples who do not know each other but who each get stuck within the safe boundaries they have built around their lives. An unexpected event forces them to reconsider their choices.

The festival is broader than a single premiere. It has had an international competition since 2022; in addition, the organiser mentions public talks, special screenings, tributes and other programme strands. Paola Malanga is artistic director. Anyone who mainly wants to see a specific film is best advised to first confirm the date, hall and start time in the official programme. The general announcement of a title does not in itself say anything about an available screening or a free seat.

The 2026 programme was published on 2 October. The organiser offers it online, together with an overview of events in the city. Tickets have been on sale since 7 October via the official ticketing site. According to the ticket information, advance sales are online only. During the festival there are also box offices at several venues; opening hours and the kinds of tickets sold there differ per venue.

For the Auditorium Parco della Musica, the box office opens on 13 October at 11:00 and closes that day at 21:00. For 14 to 25 October, the organiser lists 11:00 to 22:00. The Casa del Cinema box office is open from 13 to 25 October from 10:00 to 22:00, exclusively for screenings at that venue. Cinema Giulio Cesare opens its own box office from 15 October, likewise only for its own screenings.

A practical starting point for a visit is therefore the combination of the film page, the daily schedule and the festival’s venue page. The film festival runs for almost two weeks, but an individual film may be shown at only a limited number of times. The organiser also mentions free events; the programme shows which conditions apply to them.

The Fondazione Cinema per Roma organises the festival. Salvatore Nastasi is president and Paola Malanga artistic director. Their decision to move the opening to 13 October makes the edition longer, but does not change the announced closing date of 25 October. The panorama and the festival image accompanying this article are historical atmosphere images: they show Rome and an earlier edition, not the 2026 opening.