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Rome Film Fest 2026: Clio Barnard wins Best Film
The 21st edition of the Rome Film Fest (Festa del Cinema di Roma) concluded with the announcement of the Progressive Cinema competition winners. The top prize for Best Film was awarded to ‘I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning’, directed by Clio Barnard. The film, which explores the lives of friends in contemporary Birmingham, also earned Anthony Boyle the Best Actor award, shared with Italian actor Paolo Pierobon for ‘Brianza’.
Other major winners include Victoria Luengo for Best Actress (‘Sants’), Rafiki Fariala for Best Director (‘Congo Boy’), and Tim Blake Nelson for the Jury Grand Prix (‘The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd’). The audience award was shared by ‘Congo Boy’ and Kasia Smutniak’s ‘Mustang’.
Parallel to the main festival, the 24th edition of Alice nella Città awarded Best Film to ‘Everytime’ by Austrian director Sandra Wollner. The festival also featured the Sorriso Diverso Roma Award, highlighting cinema as a tool for social inclusion, and the Marateale Talent People Awards, which honored Enrico Vanzina and the singer Noemi.
The Rome Film Fest reported significant attendance, with nearly 120,000 total presences recorded during the event. Organizers have already announced the dates for the 22nd edition, scheduled for October 19 to 31, 2027.
Entities
Abderrahim Naji · Agnese Rizzari · Alice nella Città · Anthony Boyle · Clio Barnard · FIAPF · Giacomo Mazzariol · Giada Cicchetti · Jan Komasa · Kasia Smutniak · Monica Maurer · Paolo Pierobon
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 3 SOURCES] “Uno è un bastone” won the Premio Speciale Film Impresa.
- [● 3 SOURCES] The film was directed by Giada Cicchetti and Agnese Rizzari.
- [● 3 SOURCES] The film explores the archive of Monica Maurer.
- [● 3 SOURCES] The film uses archival materials, found footage, animation, and sound.
- [● 3 SOURCES] The Alice nella Città festival is in its 24th edition.
- [● 3 SOURCES] Monica Maurer documented the Palestinian revolution between 1977 and 1988.