The twentieth edition of the Rome Film Festival ends with the awards ceremony. After ten days of films, red carpets, meetings, here is the closing ceremony once again conducted by Emma Stockholm.
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The jury led by Paola Cortellesi awarded the main prize to the film Left handed girl Of Shih-Ching Tsou. The director sent a video to thank: “This started as a very personal story, it took me 20 years to bring it to the screen – said the director – I want to thank my crew and the Taiwanese cast”. A video also from Nativelythe young protagonist: “I know that the film will be released in December with the title My family in Taipei bring your families to see it.” A verdict that the jury reached unanimously and which also saw a lot of Italian cinema.
The winning film of the Rome Film Festival 2025 is “My Family in Taipei”
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by Arianna Finos
“We saw 18 films from 10 countries in 7 different languages – said the juror Brian Selznick – from the present day to the fifties across genres. All the prizes were awarded unanimously even if it wasn’t easy.” The Special Jury Prize goes to the entire cast of the film 40 seconds Of Vincenzo Alfieri. Which tells the true story of Willy Monteiro, the young man killed in Colleferro after a brutal beating.
Vincenzo Alfieri: “Willy Monteiro lives in those 40 seconds of courage”
The Monica Vitti Award for best “intense and magnetic” actress Jasmine Trinca per The eyes of others inspired by the Casati Stampa crime, a news story from the 1970s. “I thought I could handle it better – said the actress emotionally on stage – thanks to the crew and the cast and to my partner, the sweetest Filippo Timi and to my director Andrea De Sica. We were two Andrea children when we met at school, who would have told us that we would be here now. Thanks to the Festival and the people who work there. We are all lucky enough that cinema forces us to empathize, to listen to the voice of a little girl killed at the age of six in Palestine (the reference is to the film The voice of Hind Rajabed.) or that of a woman who seeks emancipation through her body. There is a feminist manifesto very dear to me that says ‘Safe roads are made by the women who cross them’, I would like to change it to ‘Free lives are made by the women who cross them’”.
Jasmine Trinca: “Feminicide arises from male power that thinks it can control everything”
by Chiara Ugolini
The Vittorio Gassman Award for Best Actor went to Anson Boon per Good boy Of Red Komasa. Anson thanked everyone on stage, “it’s a great honor. This is a truly independent film made with very little money and a lot of passion. I dedicate the award to independent cinema.”
The award for best screenplay to The things you kill Of Aresa Katami. The best direction is that of the Chinese director Wang Tong per Wild nights, tamed beasts. The Grand Jury Prize goes to Nino Of Pauline Loquès. The audience award went to the documentary Roberto Rossellini, more than a life Of Ilaria de Laurentiis, Raffaele Brunetti, Andrea Paolo Massara.
“They were days full of cinema – he said Emma Stockholm confirmed as presenter also in the 2026 edition – I took advantage of it a lot: I saw stories of vampires, pirates, drag queens and that of a chicken. I’ve seen news that becomes cinema, families that seem normal but aren’t. I went alone but in rooms full of people I talked to everyone as happens at the best parties. I also had a little crush on the protagonist of a movie. I understood that it is called Party because we are all invited. We hope that they will all be invited to the places where the future of cinema is decided so that we can celebrate again.” And the applause breaks out.
“Keep me present”, the film by Alberto Palmiero and his dog Johnny between dreams and biography
The best first work has been judged Present Of Alberto Palmiero. Who said on stage: “I saw the first works and they were beautiful, so thank you. I dedicate the award to all the people who are looking for their place in the world”.
A special mention to the young protagonists of the film James McAvoy California schemin’ Samuel Bottomley e Seamus McLean Ross who play two Scottish boys who dream of making it in hip hop. The film is inspired by a true story. The best documentary is instead Cuba & Alaska Of Yegor Troyanovsky. The film chronicles the work of Ukrainian doctors Yulia “Cuba” and Oleksandra “Alaska” who face the war against Russia on the front lines with courage, humor and friendship, dreaming of lives beyond the conflict. The director and the protagonist were unable to collect the award “because they are in the Ukrainian army to defend all of us”. A special mention goes to the French documentary The song of the forest Of Vincent Munier.
