The Italian Film Festival returns to Singapore for its 24th edition, reaffirming its place as one of the city-state’s most enduring cultural fixtures and marking a new chapter in the presence of Italian cinema across Southeast Asia.

Running from 12 to 21 June 2026 at Filmhouse at Golden Mile Tower, the festival presents eleven films that reflect the vitality, diversity, and ongoing evolution of contemporary Italian filmmaking, alongside a landmark restored classic. Spanning comedy, historical drama, coming-of-age narratives, western reinterpretations, sports drama, folk horror, and genre cinema, this year’s selection offers a wide-ranging portrait of Italy’s cinematic imagination today.

The festival opened with Primavera, the debut feature by acclaimed opera director Damiano Michieletto, starring Stefano Accorsi. Set in eighteenth-century Venice, the film follows a young violinist raised in an orphanage orchestra whose life is transformed by the arrival of composer Antonio Vivaldi. Through music, discipline, and quiet rebellion, Primavera becomes a story of artistic awakening and personal emancipation, a fitting introduction to a festival centred on creativity, transformation, and emotional depth.

At the opening ceremony, Kenneth Tan, Chairman of the Singapore Film Society, reflected on the festival’s longevity, describing it as sustained by three forces: “signalling, substance and sustained relevance.” He highlighted how the Italian Film Festival has endured for nearly a quarter of a century not only because of strong institutional support from Italy, but also because Italian cinema continues to resonate with audiences in Singapore in ways that feel both immediate and lasting.

He pointed in particular to the role of Cinecittà and the Italian Screens initiative, describing it as a powerful international signal of Italy’s commitment to circulating its national cinema globally. “When you have that, and when you make such great films,” he noted, “how can a festival not have longevity?”

Ambassador Dante Brandi, welcoming audiences at Filmhouse, described the festival as one of Singapore’s most anticipated cultural events and a long-standing pillar of Italy’s cultural diplomacy in the region. He emphasised the significance of this year’s partnership with Italian Screens, a programme promoted by the Italian Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and coordinated by Cinecittà. The initiative, which has previously travelled to cities including Paris, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Mumbai, and Beijing, now includes Singapore as part of its international circuit.

“This year marks a particularly significant milestone,” the Ambassador noted, “as Singapore joins this prestigious international tour, a recognition of the growing presence and resonance of Italian cinema in this region.”

Italian Screens, conceived by Roberto Stabile, Head of the International Department at Cinecittà, is designed to support the global circulation of contemporary Italian cinema while expanding opportunities for distribution, co-production, and international collaboration. It aims to strengthen connections between Italy’s audiovisual industry and global partners, fostering both cultural exchange and industrial partnerships.

Speaking during the opening, Stabile underlined the importance of building long-term cooperation with Singapore’s film ecosystem. He expressed hope that the initiative would lead not only to festival screenings, but also to wider theatrical distribution and future co-productions between Italy and Singapore.

The Ambassador also highlighted the continued support of Filmhouse at Golden Mile Tower, a space dedicated to independent and European cinema, and the Singapore Film Society, whose long-standing engagement has helped cultivate a strong cinephile community in Singapore over more than two decades.

This year’s programme brings together eleven films that explore contemporary Italian life through intimate human stories and bold stylistic choices. Among the highlights is My Tennis Maestro, a sports drama set in the late 1980s about the complex relationship between a flamboyant coach and a shy young athlete, using sport as a lens to explore masculinity and identity. In Green Family, a disillusioned urban couple attempts to reinvent their lives by moving to the countryside, only to discover that rural dreams come with unexpected complications.

Human relationships take centre stage in A Brief Affair and Five Seconds, both of which examine emotional tension, moral ambiguity, and the unpredictable consequences of desire, grief, and responsibility. In contrast, Buen Camino, one of the festival’s most widely anticipated titles, follows a wealthy father who embarks on the Camino de Santiago in search of his missing daughter — only to find himself transformed by the journey.

More daring tonal explorations emerge in films such as The Holy Boy, a folk horror set in an isolated mountain village where collective happiness masks disturbing rituals. The programme also ventures into stylistic reinterpretation with Heads or Tails?, a dreamlike western inspired by Buffalo Bill’s visit to Italy, where myth and reality blur in an “anti-western” vision of the frontier seen through a European lens.

Identity and belonging are explored in Unicorns, a dramedy about a child navigating gender expression and parental acceptance, and Sweetheart, a coming-of-age story set in Sicily that reflects on memory, family, and the passage of time.

The festival closes with a special screening of Deep Red (Profondo Rosso), Dario Argento’s 1975 cult masterpiece, newly restored. A landmark of Italian thriller and horror cinema, the film follows a jazz pianist and journalist drawn into a disturbing murder investigation. More than five decades after its release, it remains a defining work of genre cinema, continuing to influence filmmakers and captivate audiences worldwide.

The inclusion of Deep Red serves as both a tribute and a reminder of the festival’s broader philosophy: that Italian cinema is not only contemporary and evolving, but also deeply rooted in a rich and influential cinematic heritage.

Kenneth Tan also reflected on the emotional longevity of the festival, noting how audiences in Singapore have embraced Italian cinema for nearly 25 years. He described it as a rare cultural constant — one that continues to evolve while remaining deeply familiar.

Ambassador Brandi similarly emphasised the festival’s role in strengthening cultural ties between Italy and Singapore, describing cinema as a bridge between nations and communities. “This festival is the result of a journey built over many years,” he said, “and of a clear commitment to making Italian cinema an increasingly recognisable presence within Singapore’s cultural landscape.”

In collaboration with the Singapore Film Society and supported by the Embassy of Italy’s sponsors, the festival continues to build a space where audiences can encounter cinema as both art and shared experience. As Singapore hosts this 24th edition, the Italian Film Festival stands not only as a showcase of national cinema, but as a living cultural exchange — one that continues to evolve, film by film, audience by audience, year after year.

The 2026 Italian Film Festival In Singapore runs from 12th to 21st June 2026 at Filmhouse at Golden Mile Tower. Full programme and tickets available here

---