From July 30th to August 3rd 2025 the eighth edition of the travelling event among the villages of Maremma dedicated to emerging cinema and the territory
Opening the festival, Lillo Petrolo will be the special guest of the evening in Saturnia. A versatile artist beloved by audiences, Lillo , an iconic figure in film, theater, television, and radio, as well as a voice actor and author, will be the guest of the Saturnia Film Festival, drawing on a diverse career that combines comedy, creative talent, and surprising expressive versatility.
The feature film competition will be an opportunity to discover works capable of describing the complexity of the present with innovative and authentic perspectives. Presenting the selected films will be: Francesco Costabile with Familia , a story of domestic violence based on the novel “ Non sarà sempre così ” by Luigi Celeste and starring Barbara Ronchi , Francesco Gheghi (Best Actor in the Orizzonti section at Venice 2024) and Francesco Di Leva (Best Actor at the David di Donatello Awards); Christian Filippi with his debut film Il mio compleanno , the story of a generation not allowed the freedom to make mistakes; Stefano Lorenzi with Afrodite , a courageous love story starring two extraordinary protagonists, Ambra Angiolini and Giulia Michelini .
The short film competition also features a rich selection, including I’m Not a Robot by Victoria Warmerdam , winner of the 2025 Academy Award for Best Short Film, in which the protagonist discovers a shocking truth while trying to pass some tests; La compañía by José María Flores , the story of a couple on their night off who find themselves in a crowd gathered around something; and The Boy with the White Skin by Simon Panay , the story of an albino boy in an African village grappling with the burden of discrimination and the search for his own identity in a world that views him with suspicion.
For the Italian competition: Marcello , directed by Maurizio Lombardi and starring Francesco Gheghi , winner of the Nastro d’Argento for short film, a declaration of love to cinema through the story of two boys from the Roman suburbs who destroy the bar of the neighborhood boss; Francesco Gheghi, director of La buona condotta , his directorial debut with a story shot entirely in one night in which a family finds itself facing a shocking revelation; Majoneze , an act of feminist rebellion told by director Giulia Grandinetti; Superbi by Nikola Brunelli , in which the protagonist, strong in the prestige of his historic Ascoli olive shop, ignores the fact that the arrival of young Ismail and his fried olives will call his profession into question; Billi il cowboy by Fede Gianni , a story of self-determination starring a little girl who is about to leave her childhood behind.
This year, the Saturnia Film Festival, in collaboration with the Olympia de Gouges and Mujeres nel Cinema associations, is also hosting the “Women’s Views” section, which showcases strong and original female perspectives, bringing together stories of rebellion, intimacy, memory, and internal struggle. From the landscapes of Southern Italy to contemporary family tensions, from the silences of the Mediterranean to resurfacing memories, the five selected films— Amarena by Sabrina Iannucci; La Femmina by Nuanda Sheridan; No Name by Silvia Estella Ondina Sanna; In the Box by Francesca Staasch ; and Il presente by Francesca Romana Zanni —trace a sensitive journey through the female gaze on the world.
