Rome Film Festival dates: RIFF from November 25 to December 4
Rome returns as the capital of independent cinema with the 25th edition of the RIFF – Rome Independent Film Festival. The event runs from November 25 to December 4 and continues its 25-year tradition of presenting the best new international filmmaking to the capital. Programming begins on Wednesday, November 25 at 8:00 PM.
The official presentation and press conference take place at Palazzo Baldoca Muccioli on via Giulia 167. The jury members and competing filmmakers attend the session.
Seven jurors serve the 25th edition. Barbara Busso works as production director. Cristian Casella is an entrepreneur, producer and publisher. Giancarlo Chetta specializes in audiovisual management and co-production. Mario Colamarino serves as president of the Mario Mieli Homosexual Culture Circle. Benjamin Minot works as director and filmmaker. Rafael practices as artist and experimental filmmaker. Alessandro Rossetto works as director, screenwriter and producer.
The RIFF Awards 2026 also welcomes the Women Exhibitors' Choice jury organized by MEDIA Salles. European exhibitors and programmers form the jury. The initiative promotes gender equality and highlights women's cinema in theaters alongside the audience jury.
Screenings, meetings and masterclasses occur at Nuovo Cinema Aquila and Cinema Palazzo, also known as Cinema Palazzo San Lorenzo. The awards ceremony takes place on Friday, December 4 at 9:00 PM across 13 competing categories.
The Challenges of Cinema and TV session focuses on writing the story and rewriting it in editing. Academy Award winner Paul Haggis and editor/producer Jo Francis lead the discussion at Cinema Palazzo San Lorenzo on storytelling between directorial vision and global production. Their credits include In the Valley of Elah, The Next Three Days and Third Person.
Cinematographer Gherardo Gossi presents the masterclass From Camera to Light: Building the Cinematic Image on Set at Nuovo Cinema Aquila. Selected works from his filmography include Diaz, Johnny the Partisan and The Sweet Ship.
The Climate Future Film Festival presents four short films selected by Edward Norton together with eight additional international works on environmental challenges. Bill McKibben serves as honorary judge.
Disobedient Visions II – Hackering the Frame examines the impact of artificial intelligence on audiovisual storytelling and visual justice. Riccardo Luna and Lorenzo Sportiello provide insights during the workshop and roundtable.
Pitch & Meetings – RIFF Meets the Finalists gathers producers, distributors and finalists from the RIFF Subjects & Screenplays competition at Nuovo Cinema Aquila. A Rediscovered Classics screening presents the documentary Chiusura by Alessandro Rossetto, restored by Cinecittà.
Human Rights and Documentary programming includes the screening of Dalla terra al mare by Lorenzo Baldi followed by the Global Sumud Flotilla panel on investigative and journalistic cinema. Additional projects feature Rafaël – Live Cinema & Experimental Realities, an immersive expanded cinema and audiovisual improvisation experience, and the video installation Seyeol 13.
The RIFF Cultural Association organizes the festival. It receives support and patronage from the Directorate General for Cinema of the Ministry of Culture and the Lazio Region through its Regional Directorate for Presidency Affairs, Tourism, Cinema, Audiovisual, and Sport.
