The Italian Embassy in Lebanon and the Italian Cultural Institute, in collaboration with Metropolis Art Cinema, have the pleasure to announce the first edition of the Italian Film Festival, set to take place in Beirut from January 24 to February 2, 2025.
The Festival will open with the screening of Vermiglio, directed by Maura Delpero and nominated for the Oscars, marking its MENA premiere. The closing event will feature a stirring cine-concert of È Piccerella, a masterpiece of Italian silent cinema directed in 1922 by Elvira Notari—Italy’s first female filmmaker -accompanied by an original electronic score, composed and performed live in its world premiere.
Cinema is not merely a medium of entertainment but a powerful tool for cultural dialogue and mutual understanding. The Italian Film Festival was conceived to bridge the gap in awareness of contemporary Italian cinema in Lebanon—a nation where the classical works are cherished, yet modern productions remain underrepresented.
For this first edition of the Festival, we are pleased to collaborate with the Metropolis Art Cinema: housed in a recently reopened structure, also thanks to the support of the Italian Embassy in Beirut, the Metropolis Cinema represents a symbol of cultural rebirth for Beirut.
The Festival’s programming offers a rich and varied program of recent productions capable of exciting and stimulating the audience:
| Friday, January 24
· 8 pm – Vermiglio (119 min., Maura Delpero) |
Wednesday, January 29
· 8 pm – Iddu | Sicilian Letters (122 min, Fabio Grassadonia and Antonio Piazza) |
| Saturday, January 25, 2025
· 8 pm – Nonostante | Feeling Better (93 min., Valerio Mastandrea) |
Thursday, January 30
· 8 pm – Confidenza | Trust (136 min, Daniele Luchetti) |
| Sunday, January 26
· 6 pm – Sulla terra leggeri | Weightless (94 min., Sara Fgaier) |
Friday, January 31
· 8 pm – Un mondo a parte | A World Apart (113 min, Riccardo Milani) |
| · 8 pm – Quell’estate con Irene | My Summer with Irene
(90 min., Carlo Sironi) |
Saturday, February 1
· 8 pm – Gloria! (106 min, Margherita Vicario) |
| Monday, January 27
· 8 pm – Familia (120 min, Francesco Costabile) |
Sunday, February 2
· 8 pm – Cine-concert: È Piccerella | The Little Girl’s Wrong (44 min, Elvira Notari) – Music composed and performed in world premiere by Maurilio Cacciatore |
| Tuesday, January 28
· 8 pm – La vita accanto | The Life Apart (100 min, Marco Tullio Giordana) |
For Tickets visit Metropolis’ website: https://www.metropoliscinema.net/page/home/
Click here for the full program
