Our Italian Film Festival in Ireland has come to the fifth edition and we couldn’t be prouder of this milestone.

I sincerely thank the Italian Institute of Culture in Dublin for renewing their trust in us each year and for the passion and tireless work new Director Michela Linda Magrì and her staff have put into making the 2026 edition of the Festival come to life.

Once again, my thanks to the Irish audiences, among the most passionate and curious that I have ever encountered during my travels. It’s always good craic to be in Ireland!

In these uncertain times, it is essential to come together with others to share special moments. The cinema is the perfect place for this: I hope that, in the darkness of the theatre, you will be able to find comfort, joy and a sense of belonging.

Enjoy the show!

Viviana Del Bianco
Direttrice artistica N.I.C.E. – New Italian Cinema Events

It is with great honour that the ItaIian Institute of Culture in Dublin, supported by the Embassy of Italy in Dublin, presents the Italian Film Festival, a film event organized in collaboration with N.I.C.E. (New Italian Cinema Events).

The Italian Film Festival, now in its fifth edition, will screen 12 movies featuring impressive directorial debuts as well as the work of established directors, selecting movies that have been successfully presented to prestigious international Festivals, such as Venice Biennale, Cannes Film Festival and Rome International Film Festival.

The continued and growing success of the Italian Film Festival demonstrates how much Irish audience appreciates the excellent quality of Italian cinema which has received international recognition.

The films selected this year offer, in terms of quality and quantity, a significant cross-section of both the newest trends in Italian cinema and its best achievements of the past few years, and confirm Ireland as an increasingly important country in the cultural project of promoting and disseminating Italian cinema not only in Dublin but also in Cork, Galway and Limerick, with the goal of further expanding the reach of our Festival in the coming years.

Finally, I would like to mention that this year marks 800 years from the death of prominent Italian mystic, poet and Catholic Friar Saint Francis of Assisi (1226-2026), who founded the religious order of the Franciscans. To celebrate this anniversary, the movie Chiara by Susanna Nicchiarelli will be headlining the programme in some of our venues, allowing the Irish audience to partake in this important commemoration.

Please enjoy the movies!

Michela Linda Magrì
Project Manager and Director of the Italian Institute of Culture in Dublin

Original language / English subtitles

DUBLIN
Light House Cinema

Thursday 23 APR
18:30 — CHIARA / by Susanna Nicchiarelli — 106′
Q&A with actress Carlotta Natoli at the end of the screening

Friday 24 APR
18:30 — UN ANNO DI SCUOLA  / A year of school by Laura Samani — 103′

Saturday 25 APR
15:45 — IL RAPIMENTO DI ARABELLA / The kidnapping of Arabella by Carolina Cavalli — 107′
18:30 — IL MAESTRO / My tennis maestro by Andrea Di Stefano — 125′

Sunday 26 APR
17:45 — DUSE by Pietro Marcello — 122′
20:35 — ORFEO by Virgilio Villoresi – 74’

CORK
The Arc Cinema

Friday 24 APR
18:30 — IL RAPIMENTO DI ARABELLA / The kidnapping of Arabella by Carolina Cavalli — 107′
A special greeting video from the film director will be shown before the film begins

Saturday 25 APR
18:00 — ELVIRA NOTARI. OLTRE IL SILENZIO / Elvira Notari. Beyond silence by Valerio Ciriaci — 94′
20:15 — ANNA by Monica Guerritore – 108’

Sunday 26 APR
15:30 — ORFEO by Virgilio Villoresi – 74’
18:00 — FUORI by Mario Martone – 117’
20:15 — LA VALLE DEI SORRISI / The holy boy by Paolo Strippoli – 122’
Q&A with the director at the end of the screening

GALWAY
Eye Cinema

Saturday 25 APR
18:00 — LA VALLE DEI SORRISI / The holy boy by Paolo Strippoli – 122’
Q&A with the director at the end of the screening
20:45 — DUSE by Pietro Marcello — 122′

Sunday 26 APR
16:00 — PRIMAVERA by Damiano Michieletto – 110’
18:30 — FUORI by Mario Martone – 117’
20:45 — LE CITTÀ DI PIANURA / The last one for the road by Francesco Sossai – 98’

LIMERICK
TUS Millenium Theatre

Thursday 30 APR
20:00 — UN ANNO DI SCUOLA  / A year of school by Laura Samani — 103′

Friday 1 MAG
17:00 — CHIARA / by Susanna Nicchiarelli — 106′
19:30 — ELVIRA NOTARI. OLTRE IL SILENZIO / Elvira Notari. Beyond silence by Valerio Ciriaci — 94′
Q&A with the director at the end of the screening