Screening

Ristretto

The Five Finalist Short Films from La Fémis and the Franco-Italian Prize Ceremony

03.07.2026

Salle de cinéma Michel Piccoli

Artists
Valentine Cadic
Paolo Giordano

Villa Medici is delighted to host the award ceremony for Prix Ristretto 2026, a short-film competition reserved for the two leading film schools in Rome and Paris: Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia - Scuola Nazionale di Cinema and La Fémis.

Born with the aim of promoting a new generation of filmmakers, the Ristretto competition brings together two major film training institutions in France and Italy. Conceived as a dialogue between Paris and Rome, it highlights the first steps of young filmmakers and supports the emergence of new perspectives on contemporary cinema.

Ristretto is the short film section of the Nouvelle Vague sul Tevere festival, which takes place outdoors at Casa del Cinema from July 2 to 6, 2026.

The competition is based on a game of mirrors: the French jury votes for the best Italian short film, while the Italian jury votes for the best French short film. This cross-fertilization of points of view opens up the dialogue, enriching it and turning it on its head. The bi-national jury, made up of leading figures from French and Italian cinema, is chaired by writer Paolo Giordano.

As part of this edition, Villa Medici will welcome Paolo Giordano and director Valentine Cadic, who will present the award to the best short film in the La Fémis selection.

The ceremony will be preceded by a screening of the five short films from the French selection of La Fémis 2025 graduates:

Like an octopus by Maude Vuillez (22 min)
Two and a half by Gauthier Gervaise (17 min)
Under the ruins by Nadhir Bouslama (27 min)
French Touch by Hanna Trabelsi (30 min)
Vampire under pressure by Estelle Favant (18 min)

The evening continues at Casa del cinema at 9:30pm with the screening of Valentine Cadic’s first feature film, Le Rendez-vous de l’été in her presence and in the open air.

Paolo Giordano

Paolo Giordano is one of the leading voices in contemporary Italian literature. Trained as a physicist, he is the author of five novels: The Solitude of Prime Numbers, The Human Body, Devouring Heaven, Bitter Sea, and Tasmania. More recently, he edited the anthology Da vicino. Raccontare la guerra oggi. He is the youngest recipient of the prestigious Strega Prize, awarded to him in 2008 for The Solitude of Prime Numbers. The novel has been translated into more than forty languages and adapted for the screen. He also writes for Corriere della Sera.

Valentine Cadic

Filmmaker and actress Valentine Cadic studied cinema at the University of Paris 8. During her studies, she appeared in the films Ava by Léa Mysius, and Our battles by Guillaume Senez, both of which premiered at the Semaine de la Critique. A founding member of Les Filmeuses, an association for the production and distribution of creative short films, created in 2020, she shot her first short film the same year, Omaha Beach. In 2022, it will Les Grandes Vacances presented in national competition at the Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival, and completed his graduation film, La nuit n’en finit plus presented at Côté Court. She went on to shoot her first feature, Summer Rendezvous which is partly set during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Selected for numerous festivals (Berlinale, Busan,...