International Tour Film Festival 2026: 15th edition presented — international guest star actress Karla Sofia Gascón

The 2026 edition of the International Tour Film Festival (ITFF) of Civitavecchia — now in its 15th year — was presented in both Rome and Civitavecchia. The festival, free to attend and held at multiple venues around the city, will take place in Civitavecchia from October 7 to 11, 2026.

Organized by Civitafilm under the presidency of Piero Pacchiarotti, with Antonio Flamini as artistic director and Andrea Donato as technical director, the festival once again establishes itself as a key event for international cinema focused on travel, tourism, and culture.

Out of more than 570 submissions, 120 works from 38 countries were selected as finalists. They will compete across 10 sections, including one dedicated to Italian excellence curated by Luca Papa, known as the “coach of Italian Excellence.”

The festival’s patron for 2026 is the acclaimed actress Elisabetta Pellini.

This year’s ITFF will feature an extraordinary international presence: Spanish actress Karla Sofia Gascón will be the guest star of the festival’s closing night on Sunday, October 11, at the Cittadella della Musica. Gascón — known for her performance in the film Emilia Perez, which earned her a Best Actress award at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival (shared with her co-leads), as well as nominations for the Oscars and Golden Globes for Best Actress — most recently appeared in the Italian film Scuola di Seduzione directed by Carlo Verdone and published an autobiography titled What Remains of Me. Vanity Fair Spain recently featured her on its cover. The international star will not only attend the prestigious closing awards ceremony, but further surprises are being kept under wraps.

The ITFF will open on Wednesday, October 7 at 9:00 PM at the Cineteatro Buonarroti with the short film La mancanza, written and directed by Lina Sastri.

This will be followed by a screening of the film Francesca e Giovanni — A Love Story and a Mafia Story, directed by Simona Izzo and Ricky Tognazzi, starring Ester Pantano and Primo Reggiani.

Lina Sastri, Simona Izzo and Ricky Tognazzi will be among those attending for a public discussion.

On Thursday afternoon, October 8 at 7:00 PM, also at the Cineteatro Buonarroti, the medium-length film L’ultimo saluto — A True Story That Should Not Have Been Forgotten, directed by Luciano Luminelli and starring Sebastiano Somma, Clayton Norcross and Paola Lavini, will be shown.

At 9:00 PM the film Non è la fine del mondo — The Happy Ending Is Only the Beginning, directed by Valentina Zanella and featuring Paolo Ruffini, Ivana Lotito, Andrea Bosca and Barbara Bouchet, will be screened.

The festival places strong emphasis on its Schools section, with three matinées dedicated to local students. The “Cinema and Literature” section is confirmed, offering daily events at the National Archaeological Museum of Civitavecchia, an institute of the Ministry of Culture’s Regional Directorate for Lazio’s national museums.

At the press conference in the Sala Di Liegro of Palazzo Valentini were Lorenzo Marinone, President of the Budget Commission of Rome Capital; the festival patron Elisabetta Pellini; director and screenwriter Daniele Falleri; musician, actress and director Virginia Barrett; actor Pietro Romano; the festival’s two official hosts — actors and real-life couple Alina Person and Simone Gallo; Franco Mariotti, Vice President of the Union of Film Journalists; and actress, director, singer and writer Emanuela Del Zompo.

As always, the International Tour Film Festival is a dispersed festival taking place across multiple city venues (National Archaeological Museum, Teatro Verdi, Fondazione Ca.Ri.Civ, Cittadella della Musica, Spazio Granari Off and Cineteatro Buonarroti). All screenings and events are free of charge. The festival is held with the patronage of the Ministry of Culture, the Lazio Region, Lazio Crea, Fondazione Cariciv and the Municipality of Civitavecchia, and with support from Enel, Leonori Auto and the historic restaurant Esterina.

For the full festival program: https://www.internationaltourfilmfest.com