‘Punk State’ opens 25th RIFF Awards in Rome Nov. 27
The 25th edition of the RIFF Awards opens on November 27, 2026, in Rome with the presentation of Punk State. The Rome Independent Film Festival runs through December 4 at various venues including Palazzo San Lorenzo and Nuovo Cinema Aquila. Punk State marks the debut feature of Loris Di Pasquale and follows its earlier world premiere at the Pesaro Film Festival in the Italian Debuts section. The opening screening takes place at 7:45 p.m. on November 27 at Palazzo San Lorenzo in the presence of the director and members of the cast. Prior to the film a live performance by the punk-rock band Punkcake will feature the track “Buongiorno” that appears in the movie’s end credits. Destroy All Girls receives its Italian premiere the next day at 8:00 p.m. on November 28 at Nuovo Cinema Aquila with its director Erin Vassilopoulos attending to kick off the international portion of the feature competition.
Punk State centers on seven people invited to an exclusive event that promises to transform their existences. Inside the auditorium three motionless masked men in paramilitary uniforms observe the proceedings. Over the course of the evening the performance evolves into a violent ritual that strips away the participants’ defenses to reveal the personal histories and societal forces that have formed them. The ritual concludes with a merciless and brutal reckoning. Director Loris Di Pasquale who also wrote and produced the film attends the November 27 screening together with actresses and producers Alessia Bellotto and Alma Noce, producer Mario Pannarale and the following cast members: Antonio Balbi, Riccardo Colasuonno, Elisabetta De Vito, Filippo Gattuso Diacoianni, Gianfilippo Grasso, Sebastien Halnaut, Daphne Scoccia and Simone Zambelli. The film explores themes of exposure and confrontation in a high-stakes performative setting that blends mystery with intense dramatic consequences.
Destroy All Girls follows Alex Martínez who flees a constraining domestic environment and integrates into a collective of street skaters. At the outset her exploration of New York equipped solely with skates and a video camera appears uncomplicated. Complications arise however when matters of identity and family intersect forcing her to face an inescapable personal truth. The principal cast comprises Ani Mesa-Perez, Gil Perez-Abraham and Dominic Bruce. American filmmaker Erin Vassilopoulos who directed the feature will be present at the Italian premiere screening scheduled for November 28. The story examines the challenges of self-discovery amid urban freedom and relational pressures.
Eight additional titles join Punk State by Loris Di Pasquale and Destroy All Girls by Erin Vassilopoulos in the feature film competition. The complete lineup comprises Aurora directed by Georgi Stoev and Nikola Boshnakov, Il cacciatore di mosche by Emiliano Ferrera, Murkiness by Bartosz Szyszko, A Marte by Francisco Valdez, Il destino dell’ape by Toni Trupia, Thanks for Nothing by Stella Marie Markert and 80 BPM by Grigory Kalinin. Beyond the primary award for feature films the festival distributes honors in categories for Italian and international documentaries together with short films, student short films, animation and the (r)evolution AI section. The concluding awards ceremony is set for Friday December 4 at Nuovo Cinema Aquila in Rome where winners across all sections receive recognition.
The jury for the festival’s 25th edition comprises eight members with varied expertise. Barbara Busso works as a production manager while Cristian Casella is an entrepreneur, producer and publisher. Giancarlo Chetta specializes in audiovisual management and co-productions. Mario Colamarino serves as president of the “Mario Mieli” Homosexual Cultural Association. Benjamin Minot directs films, Fabio Mazzeo practices as an architect and interior designer, Rafaël creates as an artist and experimental filmmaker and Alessandro Rossetto works as a director, screenwriter and producer. Their combined experience supports thorough evaluation of all competition entries.
A special additional jury called “The Women Exhibitors’ Choice – The Jury by MEDIA Salles” operates alongside the audience jury. Promoted by MEDIA Salles the panel consists of three European women active as cinema exhibitors and programmers. The initiative seeks to foster gender equality and increase visibility for films made by women within theatrical distribution channels. Jury members are Stefania Corvi of CineTeatro Supercinema in Ceprano, Diane Gabrysiak of Ciné Lumière at the Institut français du Royaume-Uni and Silvia Salvetti of Cinema Teatro Lux in Busto Arsizio.
Associazione Culturale RIFF organizes the festival. It receives financial support along with patronage from the Directorate-General for Cinema under the Italian Ministry of Culture and from the Lazio Region through its Regional Directorate for Presidential Affairs, Tourism, Cinema, Audiovisual and Sport. These institutional backers enable the presentation of independent cinema programming and related activities during the eight-day event.
