22 – 27 June 2026

SKOPJE

From 22 to 27 June, the 26th edition of the “Settimana del Cinema Italiano” will take place in Skopje, made possible with the support of ITALIAN SCREENS, the program promoted by the General Directorate for Cinema and Audiovisual of the Ministry of Culture (DGCA-MiC) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) to promote the distribution of contemporary Italian cinema in international markets. Conceived by Roberto Stabile, Head of the International Department at Cinecittà, the project supports the circulation of Italian works abroad and promotes incentive tools aimed at distribution and co-productions.

The event is included within the framework of the 9th edition of “Fare Cinema,” the MAECI initiative carried out in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture to promote Italian cinema and the audiovisual industry worldwide, and is organized by the Italian Embassy in Skopje together with the Italian Cultural Institute in Belgrade.

Italian Film Week represents an important showcase for contemporary Italian cinema and an opportunity to meet the Macedonian audience, helping to strengthen the presence and visibility of Italian audiovisual production at an international level.

Once again this year, a program of six screenings dedicated to contemporary Italian cinema will be presented. The selected films, released between 2025 and the first months of 2026, have stood out at major awards and film festivals, earning widespread critical and audience acclaim.

The guiding theme of this edition of Italian Film Week is “Love in all its forms,” a theme that also guides the 2026 cultural programming of the Italian Embassy in Skopje. Through different languages and sensibilities, the six films in the program portray love in its many forms: in romantic relationships and across generations, in emotional, family, and friendship bonds, but also in forms of passion expressed through civic, political, and artistic commitment.

Opening the festival on Monday, 22 June, will be The Grace (2025), the new masterpiece by Oscar winner Paolo Sorrentino: an intense work that follows a President of the Republic grappling with deep moral and personal dilemmas. Presenting the film at the 82nd Venice Film Festival, the director described his eleventh feature film as an exploration of love in all its forms: for intimate relationships, for institutions and the law, and for a form of politics based on doubt and responsibility.

On Tuesday, 23 June, A Brief Affair (2025) by Ludovica Rampoldi will be screened. Already known for her internationally oriented screenwriting, Rampoldi writes and directs her debut feature: an intimate story that, with a clear and contemporary perspective, explores the dynamics and fragilities of emotional relationships, their fluctuations, and the tensions that arise when “the other” enters the relationship, without ever resorting to easy moral judgments.

On Wednesday, 24 June, it will be the turn of Things We Don’t Say (2026), the latest work by Gabriele Muccino, one of the most well-known and appreciated directors in contemporary Italian cinema. It is an ensemble drama blending psychological tension, emotional introspection, and thriller elements. At the center of the story are two couples in crisis, through which Muccino explores the dark sides and imperfections of love. The film is not only about relationships, but also investigates the emotional weight of silences, omissions, and postponed truths that, accumulated over time, end up weakening emotional bonds.

On Thursday, 25 June, Anna (2025) will be screened, the directorial debut of Monica Guerritore, who also wrote the screenplay and plays the lead role. The work is a tribute to the unforgettable Anna Magnani, the first Italian actress to win an Oscar and still an absolute icon in the history of Italian cinema. The director offers an intense and personal portrait of the woman behind the actress, capturing her strength, fragility, and loneliness. In this dual dimension—public and private—the film also becomes an act of love toward the acting profession.

On Friday, 26 June, the program continues with Sweetheart (2025), the directorial debut of Margherita Spampinato, a new and original voice in Italian cinema. The film offers an intimate and gentle portrait of the emotional relationship between an elderly aunt and her young nephew, who is forced to spend a summer with her in her house in Sicily, far from the artificial certainties of the digital world. From this encounter-clash between two opposing worlds, a deep bond is formed, revealing that true connection does not lie in social networks but in human relationships and love.

Closing the festival on Saturday, 27 June, will be The Last One for the Road (2025) by Francesco Sossai, which triumphed at the 2026 David di Donatello Awards, winning, among many prizes, the prestigious Best Film award. It is a comedy that blends irony, humor, and lightness with social critique and deeper reflections on life and friendship. Set in the provinces of Veneto, the film tells the story of Giulio, a young and shy student, and two slightly eccentric and fragile middle-aged travel companions who live on the margins of society. Through this encounter, the two unlikely mentors gradually come to profoundly influence his way of living, transforming his vision of the world, love, and relationships.

All films are in the original language with Macedonian and English subtitles.