From September 16 to 20, 2026, the French Academy in Rome—Villa Medici will host the sixth edition of its Film Festival, with a program of over 40 screenings spread over five days. This edition is dedicated to the memory of Lili Hinstin (1977–2026), a programmer and artistic director who worked at Villa Medici from 2005 to 2010 and subsequently led the Entrevues Festival in Belfort and the Locarno Film Festival (2018–2020), contributing to the creation of this very festival as a member of the selection committee until her passing.
Structure and Sections
The festival is organized into three main sections. The international competition features twelve recent films from around the world, with no geographical or formal restrictions: artist films, essays, fiction, documentaries, short films, and feature films compete for the Villa Medici Award for Best Film (5,000 euros) and the Special Jury Prize (3,000 euros). Both awards include a residency at the institution. The Focus section features the “Cartes blanches” curated by jury members, the “Contrechamps”—dialogues between works by resident fellows and historical or contemporary films—and a special screening. Finally, the “Piazzale Nights” feature a nightly outdoor film screening set among the gardens and the villa’s historic façade, featuring premieres and restored classics.
The twelve films in competition
The selection ranges from Daria Kim’s *1937* (Uzbekistan, 16 min.), which brings to life the paintings of the Koryo-saram deported by Stalin to Central Asia, to Céline Sciamma ’s *Tutti Frutti* (France, 40 min.), a filmed diary created for the Centre Pompidou’s “Où en êtes-vous?” collection. Other titles include: *An Incomplete Calendar* by Sanaz Sohrabi (77’), which reinterprets oil as a political tool through a 1980 OPEC vinyl record; *Hanabi* by Ana Vaz (France/Brazil, 105′), shot in Japan over the course of ten years beginning with the Tōhoku nuclear disaster; and *Marie Madeleine* by Gessica Généus (104′), set in Haiti. *The Second Skin* by Mariia Lapidus (62′), winner of the Tiger Award at Rotterdam 2026, and *At Night* by Beatrice Gibson (87′), which won an award at Locarno 2026, round out a selection that also includes world premieres such as *Jusqu’où la forêt* by Romain Rampillon and Feda Wardak, set in the peri-urban forests of Seine-Saint-Denis, and *Natural State* by Majid Al-Remaihi (Qatar, 7′).
The Piazzale evenings and the jury
The evening outdoor screenings will include *Coward* by Lukas Dhont (Belgium/France, 120′), which won the award for Best Actor at Cannes 2026; *L’Inconnue* by Arthur Harari, starring Léa Seydoux; and *Nagi Notes* by Koji Fukada (Japan, 110′), making its Italian premiere. The complete program for the Piazzale will be published on the official Villa Medici website.
The 2026 jury brings together French-Iranian actress and director Zar Amir Ebrahimi —winner of the Best Actress Award at Cannes 2022—Italian artist Rosa Barba, whose work has been featured at MAXXI, MoMA, and the Centre Pompidou, and Romanian director Radu Jude, winner of the Golden Bear at Berlin 2021. The selection committee consists of Mathilde Henrot, Clément Postec, Nicolas Raffin, and Valentine Umansky.
The 2025 edition attracted approximately 4,000 attendees. The festival’s three theaters—one of which is outdoors—can accommodate up to 500 people each evening. Ticket price per screening: €5; for 3 screenings: €9 (full price) / €6 (reduced price).
Villa Medici is located at Viale della Trinità dei Monti, 1, Rome.
