The ST. ALi Italian Film Festival is set to return this spring with one of its most ambitious lineups yet, celebrating the best of Italian cinema across Australia. Running from 17 September to 22 October, the festival will screen in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra, Perth, Ballarat, Byron Bay and Ballina, offering audiences a cinematic journey through Italy’s past, present and future.
This year’s festival places a spotlight on migrant stories, highlighting the resilience, challenges and triumphs of Italians both at home and abroad. Two standout features include Signorinella: Little Miss, narrated by Greta Scacchi, which celebrates the Italian women who shaped the Italian-Australian community, and Napoli – New York, from Academy Award-winner Gabriele Salvatores. Based on a screenplay by Federico Fellini and Tullio Pinelli, the latter tells the story of two Neapolitan children journeying to America in 1949 in search of a better life.
The festival opens with Paolo Genovese’s box office hit Somebody to Love (FolleMente), a romantic comedy about modern love starring Edoardo Leo, Pilar Fogliati and Vittoria Puccini.
The centre-piece screening is Paolo Sorrentino’s highly anticipated La Grazia, fresh from its world premiere at the Opening Night of the 2025 Venice Film Festival. Starring Toni Servillo, Anna Ferzetti and Massimo Venturiello, the Oscar-winning director’s latest film is expected to be a major highlight.
You can also look forward to the Festival Special Presentation, Maura Delpero’s award-winning WWII drama The Mountain Bride – Vermiglio, which took out the Grand Jury Prize at the 2024 Venice Film Festival.
Marking a milestone, the festival will also celebrate its 25th anniversary with a special closing night screening of the beloved Australian-Italian classic Looking for Alibrandi, newly restored in 4K and starring Pia Miranda, Greta Scacchi and Kick Gurry.
The program is filled with diverse offerings, from the fashion world of Gianni Versace – Emperor of Dreams and Diamonds, to powerful biopics such as Fuori and The Great Ambition, which stars Elio Germano as former Italian Communist Party leader Enrico Berlinguer. Comedies also feature strongly, with festival favourites Toni Servillo, Ficarra & Picone and Alessandro Genovesi returning with new crowd-pleasers.
For lovers of Italian horror, the retrospective program turns to Giallo cinema, featuring restorations of classics such as Dario Argento’s Deep Red, Lucio Fulci’s A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin, and Mario Bava’s Blood & Black Lace.
Returning as Festival Ambassador is chef and TV personality Silvia Colloca, who will open the festival in Sydney and, for the first time, Brisbane.
With its mix of box office hits, award-winning prestige films, retrospectives and powerful migrant stories, the 2025 ST. ALi Italian Film Festival promises to be a rich celebration of Italian culture and storytelling for audiences across Australia.
Tickets are now on sale via Palace Cinemas here
