Opening night on the red carpet

The 21st Rome Film Festival opened on the evening of 13 October at the Auditorium Parco della Musica, where a long red carpet drew actors, directors and politicians. The inaugural film was Il rumore delle cose nuove by Paolo Genovese, and the festival is scheduled to run until 25 October. Among those on the carpet were Carlo Verdone, Christian De Sica, Luisa Ranieri, the rapper Anna Pepe, Mayor Roberto Gualtieri and Elly Schlein.

Before the screening, Genovese and the actress Emanuela Fanelli staged a short gag for reporters. Fanelli asked him whether anyone can really know another human being, and he answered with a sharp 'No'. She then teased him about the subject.

You have made three films on this question. Have we answered it? No.

What the film is about

Genovese's film follows three couples who barely know one another until an unexpected event forces them to confront secrets, lies and long-buried truths. He adapted it from his own novel, published in 2023, and said that four years was enough for sensibilities to shift, so the characters were updated. Genovese has described it as a contemporary story rather than a comedy, a break from Perfetti sconosciuti and Follemente, the films for which he is best known. The film was produced by Lotus with Rai Cinema, and its cinema release is set for 12 November.

Cast and themes

Emanuela Fanelli plays Alba, a woman trapped in an abusive marriage to Umberto, played by Edoardo Pesce. The film gives domestic violence and the difficulty of leaving an abusive relationship a central place. Other cast members include Stefano Accorsi, Vittoria Puccini, Claudia Pandolfi, Claudio Santamaria and Lino Musella. Genovese said the theme had already appeared in one of his earliest short films, made with Luca Miniero, and that thirty years on it is still relevant.

Festival and awards

On the red carpet, Genovese said that a festival is about sharing an experience with strangers.

A festival means being together and sharing something, and that is what cinema should be.

Nicola Piovani received the Banca Ifis Music Award from Marco Bellocchio, an award created this year by Musica per Roma and Cinema per Roma. Piovani spoke about his debt to the director.

I owe my career to Bellocchio's daring, who when we were both very young entrusted me with the soundtrack of one of his films.

British producer Tessa Ross received the Industry Lifetime Achievement Award. The ceremony was hosted by Ema Stokholma, and the late producer Fulvio Lucisano, who died two months earlier, was remembered with applause in front of his daughters, Paola and Federica Lucisano.

What comes next

The festival continues until 25 October, and the film is scheduled for Italian cinemas on 12 November. The youth section Alice nella Città opened with Zach Woods' The Accompanist, introduced by Susan Sarandon.