Presentation and Guests of the Lucca Film Festival 2025

Everything is ready for the 21st edition of the Lucca Film Festival, which will take place – with free admission until capacity is reached – in the Tuscan city from September 20 to 28, 2025, under the artistic direction of Nicola Borrelli and with the support of the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Lucca. Opening the festival will be the American actor and film producer Kevin Spacey, two-time Academy Award winner, who will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award on Saturday, September 20, on the stage of Cinema Astra, and present the world premiere of his latest film, 1780, accompanied by director Dustin Fairbanks and producer Spero Stamboulis. The film – produced by SDS Pictures, Future Proof Films, DJ Dodd, Spero Stamboulis, and Spencer Folmar – is a historical thriller that tells the story of a wounded soldier of the Revolutionary War who finds refuge with a Pennsylvania trapper and his son. The three characters must make difficult choices about loyalty and survival while facing the harsh realities of a world at war. Also at Cinema Astra, on Sunday, September 21, Spacey will hold a masterclass moderated by Tiziana Rocca, where he will share his story with the festival audience.

One of the most celebrated actors of his generation, Kevin Spacey has won two Academy Awards, with powerful performances that have captivated audiences and critics for over forty years. Known for his remarkable versatility, sharp intelligence, and magnetic screen presence, Spacey has brought to life some of the most unforgettable characters in modern cinema. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Usual Suspects (1995), and just four years later earned the same honor as Best Actor for his performance in American Beauty (1999). His acclaimed performances in Seven, L.A. Confidential, Glengarry Glen Ross, Swimming with Sharks, and Beyond the Sea – which he also directed and co-wrote – further cemented his reputation as a master of his craft. On television, Spacey broke new ground with his portrayal of Francis Underwood in the global phenomenon House of Cards, winning a Golden Globe and two Screen Actors Guild Awards for the role.

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM COMPETITION

The 2025 International Feature Film Competition, curated by Stefano Giorgi and Mattia Fiorino, confirms the festival as a premier showcase for discovering new voices in world cinema. Twelve titles from across the globe – from Russia to Germany, from the United States to China, Taiwan, and Argentina – make up a selection that interweaves debuts with works by established filmmakers, offering a broad and original perspective on contemporary cinema. From intimate, autobiographical stories to political and social narratives, and on to poetic and dreamlike visions, the program presents a vivid and surprising mosaic of languages and styles. Many of the films – with a total of 12 awards already won – come from the most prestigious international festivals: Berlinale, Sundance, Rotterdam, Tribeca, and Slamdance. A number of directorial debuts stand out alongside productions backed by renowned figures such as Luca Guadagnino, confirming the strength of the line-up. The selection is marked by powerful themes: women’s struggles, queer identity, historical memory, and the relationship with nature. The competition thus establishes itself as a creative laboratory and a privileged observatory on the future of auteur cinema. The jury, responsible for viewing and awarding the films, is composed of cinematographer Michele D’Attanasio, video editor Paola Freddi, and director, screenwriter, and producer Mimmo Calopresti.

INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM COMPETITION

From over 800 submissions worldwide, curators Laura Da Prato and Dario Ricci have selected 12 national premieres, including 2 world premieres and 1 European premiere: stories of bonds and relationships, where reality proves harsher and often crueller than one might imagine, reflecting a present made of humanity and pain, loneliness and hidden feelings that sometimes stifle faint glimmers of hope. The line-up includes several female directors and projects from film schools. Filmmakers will present their own works, and all screenings will take place at Cinema Centrale, with online reservations required. The audience will be able to cast their vote for the competing shorts, forming the popular jury, while the professional jury is made up of Lamberto Bava, Chiara Caselli, and Fabrice Du Welz. The section also features 4 out-of-competition short films – 4 gems that deserve the big screen, even if they are not national premieres.

SPECIAL SHORT FILM EVENTS

Three unmissable special events include an original tribute to David Lynch. Many talents appear in the three exclusive Special Events, beginning with the romantic Hearts of Stone by Tom Van Avermaet, starring Noomi Rapace, to be screened on Tuesday, September 23 at 7:00 p.m. at Cinema Centrale. From Philadelphia, Jessica Kourkounis will present at Lucca, in its European Premiere, her directorial debut The Space Between Attack and Decay, an experimental short written by R.A. Fravel, set in a world where reality blurs into strange and symbolic visions. The protagonist, Ricki Constant, played by Boris McGivern, is a solitary scientist on a sailboat, tasked with “resurrecting a sinking world”; the narrator of the film is James McAvoy. A bizarre tribute to genre cinema and to David Lynch, the zombie movie The Black Ghiandola, was written by the very young Anthony Conti for the Make-A-Film Foundation, which raises funds to fulfill the dreams of young cinephiles with terminal illnesses. Anthony’s story made headlines in Hollywood in 2017, and the short features appearances by David Lynch himself, his muse Laura Dern, Johnny Depp, and Academy Award winner J.K. Simmons. At the helm are directors Catherine Hardwicke and Sam Raimi.

TRIBUTE TO DAVID LYNCH

The tribute to David Lynch, in collaboration with the association 50&Più, continues with the documentary Lynch/Oz and an Italian premiere: Legend of the Happy Worker, directed by his longtime collaborator Duwayne Dunham, the latest film to bear Lynch’s signature as co-producer.

GUEST GIANNI AMELIO

The festival welcomes director and screenwriter Gianni Amelio, who will hold a masterclass, receive the Lifetime Achievement Award on the festival stage, and present two of his films: Tenderness (starring Renato Carpentieri and Giovanna Mezzogiorno) and Lord of the Ants (starring Luigi Lo Cascio and Elio Germano). Winner of the most prestigious Italian awards, including 3 David di Donatello, 6 Nastri d’Argento, and 5 Golden Globes, Amelio is the only Italian director to have won the European Film Award for Best Film of the Year three times.

GUEST MICHELE RIONDINO

Actor, director, and screenwriter Michele Riondino will be a guest of the Lucca Film Festival, where he will hold a masterclass at Cinema Astra, receive the Golden Panther Award on stage, and present – in collaboration with Vision Distribution – his latest film as leading actor, La valle dei sorrisi, a horror directed by Paolo Strippoli. The film, an Italy–Slovenia co-production by Fandango, Vision Distribution, and Nightswim with Spok, will premiere out of competition at the upcoming 82nd Venice International Film Festival, before being released in Italian cinemas by Vision Distribution on September 17, 2025, and screened at Cinema Centrale in Lucca. The story is set in Remis, a village hidden in an isolated mountain valley, whose inhabitants are all unusually happy. It seems the perfect destination for new P.E. teacher Sergio Rossetti (played by Riondino), haunted by a mysterious past. Through Michela, the young innkeeper, Sergio discovers that behind the town’s apparent serenity lies a disturbing ritual: one night a week, the villagers gather to embrace Matteo Corbin, a teenager capable of absorbing the pain of others. Sergio’s attempt to save the boy will awaken the darkest side of the one everyone calls the “angel of Remis.”

GUEST PIETRO MARCELLO

The festival also welcomes director and screenwriter Pietro Marcello, who will be honored with a special evening – in collaboration with PiperFilm – featuring the screening of his latest film Duse, dedicated to the legendary Italian actress and starring Valeria Bruni Tedeschi. Duse, in competition at the upcoming Venice Film Festival, recounts the final years of “La Divina” from an unusual perspective: that of her daughter. Written by Marcello with Letizia Russo and Guido Silei, the film boasts cinematography by Marco Graziaplena, editing by Fabrizio Federico and Cristiano Travaglioli, original music by Marco Messina, Sacha Ricci, and Fabrizio Elvetico, set design by Gaspare De Pascali, costumes by Ursula Patzak, and casting by Davide Zurolo. Duse is a Palomar (a Mediawan company) and Avventurosa production with Rai Cinema, and PiperFilm in co-production with Ad Vitam Films. Distributed by PiperFilm, the film will be released in theaters on September 18 and screened at Cinema Centrale in Lucca.

LUCCA EFFETTO CINEMA

In the labyrinth of cinematic memory, the 13th edition of Lucca Effetto Cinema, under the artistic direction of Irene Passaglia, will on September 27 (from 7:00 p.m. to midnight) transform the historic center of Lucca into a stage of evocations. Seventeen dance and theater companies will weave spectacular performances to reawaken great cult films, celebrating their anniversaries. From September 23 to 26, between 3:00 and 6:30 p.m., the atrium of Confcommercio Lucca Massa e Carrara will become an agora, where the collective Neon Film and Arts will host conversations and interviews with guests of the Lucca Film Festival and Lucca Effetto Cinema. At 9:30 p.m., a special event will enliven the garden of Caffè delle Mura, with 1990s-themed music and entertainment, among legendary soundtracks and dance atmospheres. A jury, arbiters of taste, will select the best performance and the most evocative set design by the participating venues, with the latter awarded €500 worth of eco-friendly tableware offered by Bartoli Spa. We extend our gratitude to the public venues, the companies, Confcommercio Lucca Massa e Carrara, and Bartoli Spa, partners once again of an event that has become tradition. This year, the prize is offered by Lions Club Lucca Le Mura.

ITALIAN PREMIERE – ELEANOR THE GREAT, SCARLETT JOHANSSON’S DIRECTORIAL DEBUT

On Monday, September 22 at 9:00 p.m. at Cinema Centrale, the Italian premiere of Eleanor the Great, the directorial debut of one of the world’s most celebrated actresses, Scarlett Johansson. Presented at the Cannes Film Festival, this small and delicate film stars June Squibb and Chiwetel Ejiofor. An intimate story about friendship, family, and the loss of connection, told with sensitivity and depth.

 TRIBUTE TO FABRICE DU WELZ

The acclaimed Belgian director will be the star of Friday, September 26: present in Lucca as a jury member, he will be honored with a morning screening of Adoration, his cruel coming-of-age tale presented at Cannes in 2019, followed by the screening of his cult horror Calvaire, in its remastered and restored 2022 version, celebrating the 20th anniversary of its Italian release.

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION OVER THE REAL

The international competition dedicated to video art. Over The Real, conceived and directed by Maurizio Marco Tozzi, Lino Strangis, and Veronica D’Auria, was born in 2015 with the aim of showcasing the most significant research paths to emerge in recent years within the international panorama of digital and multimedia arts. Over The Real intends to capture the state of the art in this present moment, characterized by the extreme accessibility and power of digital tools.

FOR SCHOOLS

As always, the Lucca Film Festival returns with a wide-ranging program for schools, offering screenings, talks, and masterclasses dedicated to students at the Auditorium Banca del Monte. Among the most anticipated events: the screening of short films created by students in the pilot project Rise! Moving Stories, which introduced them to transmedia storytelling. Space is also given to social issues with School of Life, a documentary by Giuseppe Marco Albano that tells the story and mission of Nicolò Govoni, founder of the non-profit Still I Rise. There will also be a tribute to the Lynch/Badalamenti partnership with a masterclass by Prof. Massimo Salotti, and Gianni Amelio will present Lord of the Ants. The program also includes tributes to the masters, such as the screening of Pasolini’s Accattone and Pietro Marcello’s new film Duse. The Cinem&arte&musica section will present Searching for Paradise Lost, directed by Federico Romani. Also at the Auditorium Banca del Monte, two special masterclasses: “Electronics is Woman” and one by artist Gary Hill, special guest of the Over The Real competition. At the Auditorium San Micheletto, the LFF for Future section will present ten international environmental short films in preview for students, confirming the festival’s green commitment.

LUCCA FILM FESTIVAL FOR FUTURE – LFF for FUTURE

The Lucca Film Festival once again presents LFF For Future, the international short film competition addressing environmental and social sustainability, now in its third edition. The initiative, made possible thanks to the collaboration with Sofidel, one of the world leaders in the production of paper for hygienic and domestic use (best known for its brand Regina), will feature 10 finalist works competing for the award for Best Short Film dedicated to the environmental and/or social challenges of our time. An outstanding jury, chaired by actress Isabella Ragonese and joined by videomaker Gaia Vallese and Professor Marco Gargiulo, will assign the €1,000 prize during the awards ceremony on Saturday, September 27, at Cinema Astra. This partnership with the Festival highlights Sofidel’s commitment to promoting a culture of sustainability through the universal language of cinema.

FOCUS

Among the many initiatives, on September 28 at Cinema Centrale, in collaboration with Acli Lucca, the screening of Innocence with director Guy Davidi in attendance. The film tells the untold stories of young men and women who resisted conscription into the Israeli army but eventually gave in and lost their lives in service. Also screening is Searching for Paradise Lost, directed by Federico Romani. The Focus section will also feature Balentia, a short film directed by Niccolò Lorini, set in Sardinia, which tells the story of a young girl and her dream of riding freely, overcoming expectations and constraints.

 GIUSEPPE VENEZIANO’S EXHIBITION ART FICTION AT PALAZZO GUINIGI

Continuing its commitment to highlighting the dialogue between cinema and visual arts, the Lucca Film Festival presents in its 21st edition Art Fiction, an exhibition by Giuseppe Veneziano, a leading figure of the New Pop movement of the Italian Newbrow group. Hosted at Palazzo Guinigi from September 10 to 28 and curated by Alessandro Romanini, the exhibition follows a path begun in 2012 with the Festival’s show dedicated to David Lynch. The Sicilian artist (born in Mazzarino in 1971) showcases 20 paintings that intertwine cinematic references, pop culture, classical art, and contemporary news, all in his bold and distinctive style. His works evoke icons such as Mr. Wolf from Pulp Fiction, the Joker, or Michelangelo’s Pietà, reinterpreted in a contemporary and provocative key, with visual citations from cinema, comics, music, and video games.

SCRIVERE CINEMA

The Lucca Film Festival reaffirms its commitment to young people with the screenwriting workshop Scrivere Cinema, launched last year with the aim of helping aspiring writers refine the art of screenwriting. Open to writers aged 16 and over, the workshop is free of charge and will take place in Lucca during the festival. Over the course of the lab, frontal lessons with instructor Cristina Puccinelli (screenwriter and director) will be complemented by the optional participation in at least three masterclasses with guest directors and artists. A special lesson will be held by screenwriter, writer, and documentarian Cosimo Calamini. At the end of the course, students will submit a short film treatment, with the best one awarded €1,000 to support its development. The jury of experts – Cosimo Calamini, actress Lavinia Biagi, and director-screenwriter Federico Micali – will select the winner at their sole discretion.

CLOSING NIGHT WITH DEMONS BY LAMBERTO BAVA

The closing night on Sunday, September 28 (9:00 p.m., Cinema Centrale) will feature another cult film celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2025: Demons by Lamberto Bava. The director will be in Lucca as a jury member for the International Short Film Competition and, during the evening, will also share details about the never-before-seen sequel Demons 3.

THE POSTER OF LUCCA FILM FESTIVAL 2025

The illustration for the Lucca Film Festival 2025 poster, created by Francesco Giani, is a tribute to Eleonora Duse. “I imagined her,” Giani explains, “as a true kaleidoscope of references: at the center, of course, the figure of Duse, but surrounding her are a series of hidden citations and references, almost like a puzzle. There’s the shark, a nod I felt was necessary on its 50th anniversary; there’s a panther, symbol of the Lucca Film Festival; and a tribute to David Lynch with the presence of Laura Palmer. In short, it’s an explosion of colors that gathers and intertwines hidden citations, dedicated both to Duse and to many symbolic elements connected to the world of cinema and to the festival itself.”