Experience Beauty, Passion And La Dolce Vita at The Italian Film Festival

The highly anticipated ST. Ali Italian Film Festival returns this year with a program of award-winning films, many of which are Australian premieres.

This is the largest film festival of Italian cinema globally and is a celebration of style and passion, films which mix beauty with emotion telling unique human stories through laughter and drama.

Festival Director Elysia Zeccola explained that many of the films in the program reflect events which are current in Italian society today.

“Life Is Life is a great example. On the surface, it’s a classic David-versus-Goliath story: ordinary people taking on a powerful corporation. But underneath that, it explores issues that feel very relevant in Italy today.

“It touches on environmental and cultural preservation, the importance of protecting local identity, and the challenges facing smaller towns as younger generations increasingly move to larger cities in search of work and opportunity. It also explores what happens when those pressures divide a community. They’re very Italian issues, but at the same time, they’re incredibly universal.”

Holy Cannoli at the opening night of the ST. Ali Italian Film Festival

This witty rom-com directed by Pierfrancesco ‘Pif’ Diliberto is set in Palermo, Sicily. The story surrounds a Sicilian bachelor who falls for a woman pretending to be highly religious just to win her over. This leads to his reaching out to the Pope for advice!

“We’re thrilled that director and star Pif will be joining us. It has romance, humour, Sicily and cannoli so it feels like a perfect way to open an Italian Film Festival. Pif has such a distinctive way of combining satire, warmth and social observation. Holy Cannoli is a gently irreverent romantic comedy about love, faith and, of course, finding the perfect pastry,” enthused Zeccola.

Comedic films are vastly popular amongst Italian movie goers who enjoy watching relatable stories on the big screen concerning food, love, religion, relationships, day-to-day life in small towns and naturally, big Italian style families. When asked what elements in an Italian comedy she looks at when deciding which will make the program, she was quick to respond.

“We look for comedies that are genuinely funny, of course, but also films that have something more to say. Twin Stars is a great example because underneath the comedy there’s a story about family, transformation, modern love and self-discovery. Luca Lucini brings those elements together with warmth and wit, and the film also features terrific supporting performances from Margherita Buy and Laura Morante.”

Zeccola stressed that it’s very important to introduce younger audiences to international cinema.  “Family films give children the opportunity to experience another language and culture, see the world from a different perspective and, importantly, discover the excitement of watching a film together in a cinema.”

Classmates – based on Gaja Cenciarelli’s novel. Anna Ferzetty stars as an English teacher assigned in a challenging high school in Rome. She struggles with troubled teens with drugs and broken homes, but persists and earns their trust, giving more meaning to their lives and hers.

A Year At School – Set in 2007 Trieste, a Swedish 18-year-old starts her final year at a high school as the only girl in the class. Her arrival shakes up three longtime male friends and tests their friendships and her place in the group.

Incanto – is a fantasy family adventure about a young girl named Margot who runs away after being cruelly treated by the housekeeper. She escapes to a magical circus and battles to reclaim her future. Themes of the importance of imagination and kindness resonate.

Some moviegoers may decide to skip watching films at the Italian Film Festival, anticipating they may ultimately surface on streaming platforms but there’s nothing more enjoyable than watching films in darkened cinemas with audiences, collectively experiencing the laughter and drama. Zeccola warned that these titles may not always resurface on other platforms after screening at the film festival.

“With streaming platforms increasingly selective about the international and foreign-language films they acquire, there’s simply no guarantee that many of these titles will become readily available to Australian audiences. For some films, the festival could be your only opportunity to see them, certainly your only opportunity to experience them as they were intended, on the big screen.”

Ultimately, what will audiences take away from this year’s program which they won’t experience anywhere else?

“Across the program you’ll experience that unmistakable combination of Italian humour, politics, passion, family, melodrama, culture and style, but you’ll also see an Italy that is changing and asking questions about its future,” concluded Zeccola.

Hot picks for the 2026 ST. Ali Italian Film Festival

When asked which three films are ‘must see’ films Zeccola remarked that it’s difficult to name just three, but the following highlight the diversity of this year’s program:

Three Goodbyes is a life-affirming, bittersweet romantic drama based on the bestselling novel by Michela Murgia, starring Alba Rohrwacher and Elio Germano. It begins with a couple separating after what seems like a trivial argument and develops into something much deeper and more moving. Directed by Isabel Coixet.

Sand Roads is particularly special for Australian audiences. This Australian Italian co-produced documentary follows three young Australian men on their record-breaking quad-bike journey across Europe, Africa and Australia, and the tragedy that changed their lives forever. Directed by Lorenzo Conte.

Armani And The Birth Of Italian Fashion is an absolute must for fashion lovers. It traces the rise of Italy’s great fashion empires through the legendary families and personalities who shaped the industry, and it features the final on-screen interview with Giorgio Armani. Directed by John Maggio.

The ST. Ali Italian Film Festival is on from September 17 – October 14, at all Palace Cinemas.