Cinema

Film Festival

of the Villa Medici 2026

16.09 - 20.09.2026

The sixth edition takes place from September 16 to 20, 2026, with nearly 40 indoor and outdoor screenings at the Villa Medici!

Since its creation in 2021, the Villa Médicis Film Festival has explored the links between cinema and contemporary art. Artists’ films, essays, fictions, documentaries, shorts, medium-length and feature-length films: the festival welcomes a diversity of narratives that question our relationship with images.

The festival is divided into three sections: the international competition, featuring twelve recent films of all genres and running times; the “Focus” program, featuring out-of-competition films by artists, “carte blanche” selections by the jurors, and exclusive meet-and-greets with filmmakers; and finally, the grand evenings at the Piazzale, with outdoor screenings of previews and restored classics.

This edition is dedicated to the memory of Lili Hinstin (1977–2026), a film professional, programmer, and festival artistic director who began her career at the Villa Médicis as a film programmer from 2005 to 2010, before helping to launch the Film Festival, where she served on the selection and organizing committee until her passing.

Program

1937, Daria Kim

Première romaine
18/09, 14h30
20/09, 14h30 – en présence de la réalisatrice
VO muet, 16’
Œuvre commandée par la Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation (ACDF) pour la Biennale de Boukhara 2025

1937 retrace la déportation forcée des communautés coréennes de l’Extrême-Orient russe vers l’Asie centrale, ordonnée par Staline en 1937. Le film donne vie aux peintures réalisées par des artistes déportés (les Koryo-saram), issues de la collection Nuron à Tachkent.
(2025, Ouzbékistan)
A WOMAN’S PLACE IS EVERYWHERE, Fanny Texier

Première italienne
18/09, 14h30 – en présence de la réalisatrice
20/09, 14h30
VO Anglais, ST Anglais 19’

Après la mort soudaine de leur mère artiste, les jumelles Emilija et Ona se retrouvent menacées d’expulsion de leur appartement de Williamsburg, à Brooklyn, où elles résident depuis plus de trente ans grâce à un loyer encadré.
(2026, France, États-Unis)
AN INCOMPLETE CALENDAR, Sanaz Sohrabi

Première romaine
18/09, 14h30
20/09, 14h30
VO Anglais, Arabe, Espagnol, Farsi / ST Anglais, 77’

Un vinyle méconnu, Rhymes and Songs for OPEC, enregistré en 1980 pour l’Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, est le point de départ du film. À partir de cet objet, le film révèle une histoire dans laquelle le pétrole devient un instrument politique au service de la libération palestinienne et de la solidarité panarabe durant les années 60-70.
(2026, Canada, Iran, Turquie, Venezuela)
AT NIGHT, Béatrice Gibson

Italian Premiere
, September 17, 2:30 p.m. — with the director in attendance
, September 19, 2:30 p.m.
Original versions: English, French, Tibetan, Bambara / English subtitles, 87’

In a Paris lit up by neon lights, six women wander through the night, sharing their dreams, desires, and worries. All around them, night workers and insomniacs make their way through the city in search of answers.
(2026, France, United Kingdom)
HANABI, Ana Vaz

Italian Premiere
, September 18, 3:30 p.m. — in the presence of the director
, September 20, 5:00 p.m.
Original version: English, Japanese / English subtitles, 105’

Filmed in Japan over a period of ten years, *Hanabi* is a wildly radical adaptation of Yoko Hayasuke’s *Diary of a Radioactive Brain*, written four years after the tsunami and nuclear disaster caused by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake. *
* (2026, France, Brazil)
HOW FAR INTO THE FOREST, Romain Rampillon & Feda Wardak

World Premiere
, September 18, 2:00 p.m.
, September 19, 5:00 p.m. — with the directors in attendance
, Original Version with French and Portuguese audio / English subtitles, 76’

On the outskirts of Paris, in Seine-Saint-Denis, a forest stands its ground against a massive redevelopment project. Pedro and Sapa, two teenagers who recently arrived in France, seek lost freedom there, while the figures and stories of those who once lived there come to light.
(2026, France)
MARIE MADELEINE, Gessica Généus

Italian Premiere
, September 17, 4:30 p.m.
, September 19, 11:00 a.m. — with the director in attendance
; Original version in Haitian Creole, French; English subtitles; 104 min.

In Jacmel, Haiti, Marie Madeleine makes a living as a prostitute.
She meets Joseph, a young evangelist. A relationship develops between these two people who are polar opposites. As Joseph’s faith begins to waver, Marie Madeleine draws him into a world where desire and the quest for freedom make anything possible.
(2026, France, Haiti, Belgium, Luxembourg, Canada)
NATURAL STATE, Majid Al-Remaihi

World Premiere
, September 17, 4:30 p.m.
, September 20, 4:00 p.m. — with the director in attendance
Original English version, English subtitles, 7′

In 1972, during the final days of the Dhofar War on the Arabian Peninsula, an antelope escapes from a British army convoy in the midst of a looting spree. Its escape became an allegory for the end of a dream and the violence of imperialism.
(2025, Qatar, France)
THE APPLE DOESN’T FALL…, Dean Wei

Italian Premiere
, September 18, 2:30 p.m. — with the director in attendance
, September 20, 2:30 p.m.
, Original Chinese version with English subtitles, 19 min.

In a house, a father, a mother, and a teenage daughter each go about their daily routines, passing one another without ever truly connecting. A choreographed film-theater piece that blends contemporary dance and painted scrolls to observe a family trapped in its rituals.
(2026, China)
THE SECOND SKIN, Mariia Lapidus

Italian Premiere
, September 18, 6:30 p.m. — with the director in attendance
, September 19, 4:00 p.m.
, Original Russian Version with English Subtitles

A raw blend of stop-motion, performance, and documentary-style reenactments brings to life the testimonies of survivors of sexual violence. Three female filmmakers transform trauma into a shared act of resistance, remembrance, solidarity, and hope.
(2026, United States, Mexico)
TUTTI FRUTTI, Céline Sciamma

Italian Premiere, *
* September 17, 4:30 p.m. — with the director in attendance *
* September 20, 4:00 p.m. *
* Original version with French audio and English subtitles, 40′

Ever since she began creating her own images—on her own, using her own tools—Céline Sciamma has built up an intimate archive. Strung together, these fragments—ranging from AI to ASMR, from social activism to Adèle Haenel’s trial—form a filmed diary and an essay on what the image has become today.
(2026, France)
YOUTH YOUTH YOUTH, Lorenzo Silvestri

World Premiere
, September 18, 2:30 p.m.
, September 20, 2:30 p.m. — with the director in attendance
Original Version (silent), 2′

About *Youth Youth Youth*, the artist states: “When I was ten, my father told me that his best friend, when he was young, had committed suicide while wearing a suit so that his parents wouldn’t have to pay for the funeral preparations.”
(2026, Italy)

Carte Blanche for Zar Amir Ebrahimi

September 17, 6:00 p.m.
, Original Version with French Subtitles, English Subtitles, 36′

TWO PEOPLE EXCHANGING SALIVA, Alexandre Singh, Natalie Musteata

In a society where kissing is forbidden and transactions are settled with slaps,* Two People Exchanging Saliva* follows Angine, a dissatisfied woman whose fascination with a mischievous saleswoman arouses the suspicions of a jealous coworker. *
* (2024, France, United States)
Carte Blanche for Rosa Barba

September 19, 6:30 p.m.

THE MAGIC SUN, Phill Niblock
, silent original version, 17′

Restored by the Centre Pompidou, *The Magic Sun* (1966–1968), created with Sun Ra and his Arkestra, was screened at Carnegie Hall in New York in 1968. Abstract figures, dark patches, and blinding flashes: a free-flowing journey into the realms of sound and sight.
(1966–1968, United States, 17’)

INSIDE THE OUTSET: EVOKING A SPACE OF PASSAGE, Rosa Barba
; English audio, English subtitles, 31′

“Inside the Outset: Evoking a Space of Passage ” explores geopolitical memory and the divided landscapes of Cyprus. The film interweaves aerial views of the UN-monitored buffer zone with underwater footage capturing submerged archaeological remains.
(2021, Cyprus, Italy, Germany)

I’VE HEARD STORIES, Marwa Arsanios
, 4’

An animated short film, *I’ve Heard Stories* revisits the murder of a politician at the Carlton Hotel, a modernist building in Beirut that no longer stands. In it, Marwa Arsanios layers pop clips, archival footage, and line drawings to bring to light a buried memory of the city.
(2008, Lebanon)
Carte Blanche for Radu Jude

September 20, 2:00 p.m.

THE DIARY OF A MAID, Radu Jude
94′

Gianina, a young Romanian domestic worker in Bordeaux, rehearses Octave Mirbeau’s *The Diary of a Chambermaid* in the evenings with an amateur theater troupe. While she cares for her employers’ son, her own daughter is growing up far away from her in Romania. The pain of this separation eases as Christmas approaches, buoyed by the promise of a reunion.
(2026, France, Romania)
Counter Shot: Louidgi Beltrame / Maeve Brennan

*LA HUACA PLEURE*, Louidgi Beltrame, resident of the Villa Medici
53’

The installation *La huaca pleure* consists of a series of four videos. Pebbles gathered from the banks of the Doller River in the Vosges, and strips of kraft paper reminiscent of the color of the Peruvian desert, create a setting for the videos.
(2024, France)

AN EXCAVATION, Maeve Brennan
, 20’

*An Excavation* documents the investigation conducted by two archaeologists, Christos Tsirogiannis and Vinnie Nørskov, into a series of vases found in crates at the Geneva Free Port
(2022, United Kingdom)
Counter Shot: Amandine Gay

A STORY OF ONE’S OWN, Amandine Gay, resident of the Villa Medici
100’

Anne-Charlotte, Joohee, Céline, Niyongira, and Mathieu were born in Brazil, Sri Lanka, Rwanda, South Korea, and Australia, and through their stories and personal archives, they recount the personal and political history of international adoption.
(2021, France)
Reverse Shot: Aura Staz / Valentine Umansky

PREEMPTIVE LISTENING, Aura Satz
, 89’

At a time when political, human, and ecological disasters converge, *Preemptive Listening* is an ode to sirens—both those that exist and those yet to be invented. Bringing together compositions for sirens by 20 contemporary musicians, the film poses a question: Does an alarm have to be alarming?
Presented by Valentine Umanski , former resident of the Villa Medici, in partnership with the Auditorium Parco della Musica (Rome).
(2024, United Kingdom, Finland)

THE UNKNOWN WOMAN, Arthur Harari

David Zimmerman a bientôt 40 ans, il est photographe mais personne ne le sait. Alors qu’il ne sort presque jamais de chez lui, des amis le traînent dans une fête insensée.
Il y repère une femme dans la foule, ne peut en détacher le regard, la suit…. Quelques heures plus tard, David se réveille : il est dans le corps de l’inconnue.
(2026, France, Italie)
139’
COWARD, Lukas Dhont

1916, front belge, Première Guerre mondiale. Pierre rejoint les troupes, avide de prouver sa valeur. Derrière les lignes, Francis monte des spectacles pour soutenir le moral des soldats. Alors que les combats font rage, chacun cherche à fuir, l’espace d’un instant, l’horreur de la guerre.
(2026, Belgique, France, Pays-Bas)
VO Français, Néerlandais ST Italien, 120′

Présenté en compétition officielle au Festival de Cannes 2026, Coward y a valu le Prix d’interprétation masculine à ses deux acteurs principaux, Emmanuel Macchia et Valentin Campagne.
NAGI NOTES, Koji Fukada

Yuri, a divorced architect, visits her former sister-in-law, the sculptor Yoriko, in the village of Nagi. As she poses for Yoriko, long-buried memories resurface. As the days go by, far from Tokyo, Yuri gradually finds herself drawn into the gentle rhythm of rural life.
(2026, Japan, France, Singapore, Philippines)
110′

Zar Amir Ebrahimi

Zar Amir Ebrahimi is a Franco-Iranian actress, director, and producer. Born in 1981 in Tehran, she began her career in Iranian theater and television before being forced into exile in 2008 and settling in France. She gained international recognition for her role in Ali Abbasi’s *Les Nuits de Mashhad* (*Holy Spider*), which earned her the Best Actress Award at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. The following year, she co-directed the film *Tatami* with Guy Nattiv, which was presented at the Venice Film Festival, while continuing her work as a producer committed to supporting Iranian artistic creation. A leading voice in contemporary auteur cinema, she uses her art and her fame to champion freedom of expression and women’s rights.
Rosa Barba

Rosa Barba is an Italian artist and filmmaker. Her work lies at the intersection of film, sculpture, and installation, exploring the material and poetic conditions of cinema. Through the use of film stock, light, and sound, she examines cinematic devices and the ways in which they shape our perception of time, space, and knowledge. Her work also focuses on landscapes and human transformations, interpreted as markers of contemporary political shifts. Internationally recognized, her work has been exhibited at major institutions including the MAXXI in Rome, the MoMA in New York, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Tate Modern in London, and the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin, as well as at several biennials. Notably, she exhibited her work at the Villa Medici in 2022 as part of Art Club #36.
Radu Jude

Radu Jude is a director and screenwriter. A leading figure of the Romanian New Wave, he has developed a body of work that explores social and political dynamics, the contradictions of the contemporary world, and the gray areas of collective memory. Infused with biting irony, his work has been selected and acclaimed at the world’s leading international film festivals, including Cannes, Toronto, and Rotterdam. In 2021, he won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival for *Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn*; in 2016, he won the Special Jury Prize at the Locarno Film Festival for *Scarred Hearts*; and the Silver Bear for Best Director at the Berlin Film Festival in 2015 for *Aferim!*

The Team

The selection committee
Chaque année, un comité sélectionne les films en compétition selon une approche la plus ouverte possible à la diversité des pratiques et des auteurs, qu’ils soient cinéastes, plasticiens ou artistes visuels. Pour l’édition 2026 du festival, le comité de sélection est composé de Mathilde Henrot, Clément Postec, Nicolas Raffin et Valentine Umansky.

Mathilde Henrot est programmatrice de cinéma, productrice et cofondatrice de la plateforme Festival Scope. Active dans le secteur du cinéma indépendant et des festivals internationaux depuis plus de quinze ans, elle accompagne la diffusion et la promotion des œuvres auprès des professionnels du monde entier. Son expertise l’amène à collaborer avec des institutions et festivals de premier plan, des comités de sélection de Locarno et Sarajevo à celui de la Berlinale.

Clément Postec est directeur artistique, commissaire d’exposition et cinéaste. Diplômé de l’Université Sorbonne Nouvelle, de l’Institut d’Études politiques de Strasbourg et de Sciences Po (SPEAP), il est impliqué depuis plus de dix ans dans le développement de projets à la croisée du cinéma et de l’art contemporain ainsi que dans le déploiement de lieux et d’organisations culturelles.

Nicolas Raffin est programmateur de cinéma basé à Londres et responsable du département cinéma de l’Institute of Contemporary Arts (2018-2026). Ces dernières années, il a lancé d’importantes initiatives en réponse à l’évolution constante du paysage de la diffusion cinématographique, redéfinissant notamment la programmation du cinéma de l’ICA autour de nouvelles séries telles que Off-Circuit, Long Takes et Celluloid Sunday. Il a récemment supervisé des rétrospectives d’envergure consacrées à Marguerite Duras, Hong Sangsoo ou encore Jacques Rivette.

Valentine Umansky est conservatrice à la Tate Modern de Londres, après avoir travaillé pour plusieurs institutions dédiées aux arts visuels. Entre 2015 et 2020, elle a occupé des fonctions aux États-Unis au Centre international de la photographie, au Museum of Modern Art et au Contemporary Arts Center de Cincinnati. Également commissaire d’exposition et autrice, elle est pensionnaire de la Villa Médicis au sein de la promotion 2026-2027.
The festival organizing committee
Mathilde Henrot, programmer and founder of the Scope Festival
Laurent Perreau, author and filmmaker
Sam Stourdzé, director of the Académie de France in Rome – Villa Medici

With the Villa Medici team
Fulvia Gallo, coordinator of the 2026 Villa Medici Film Festival
Clotilde Parlos, cultural projects manager at the French Academy in Rome – Villa Medici

In collaboration with Véronique Terrier-Hermann, art historian, for the programming of the “Focus” section.