FESTIVAL DU CINÉMA LIBANAIS EN ITALIE

The Lebanese Film Festival in Italy will be held for the first time in Rome from 25 to 29 May 2026, promoted by the Italian-Lebanese Cultural Institute and organized by the cultural association “Cinema Senza Frontiere”, with the support of the Lebanese Embassy in Italy.

The Lebanese Film Festival in Italy, following the success of the 5th edition of the “Lebanese Film Festival of France”, held in Paris in October 2025, aims to offer the Italian public the opportunity to deepen their understanding of Lebanon’s culture and history through cinema. It seeks to create an emotional and cultural bridge with the Italian public, celebrating the beauty and complexity of a country historically a crossroads of different cultures and religions. This first Italian edition brings together contemporary premières, classic films of historical heritage, short films and documentaries, also from emerging filmmakers, with a special focus on female directors and women’s contributions to cinema.

The Lebanese Film Festival in Italy opens in Rome with a press conference on May 25, followed by an invitation-only opening night on May 26; and three days of programming, from May 27 to 29, at the Cinema Barberini, in Piazza Barberini.

"In the current context of uncertainty, giving space to Lebanese cinema represents for us an act of cultural resistance — a concrete gesture of support for the Lebanese people and the richness of their artistic and cultural expressions. Telling the story of Lebanon means sharing a unique model of centuries-old civic balance, in which as many as eighteen different religious communities have always coexisted. Bringing this complexity to the screen opens one’s eyes to a hoped-for future of peace," says the Festival’s President, Sara Abou Said.

The central theme of the Lebanese Film Festival in Italy is "Plural Lebanon", with a program that reflects the multifaceted nature and diversity of Lebanese society. The selected films explore complex relationships, social inequalities, the challenges of confessional pluralism, the paths of emigration and the lasting impact of memory.

Opening, and Italian premiere «A Sad and Beautiful World» (2025) by Cyril Aris, a love story set during Lebanon’s ongoing crisis, critically acclaimed and screened at the Giornate degli Autori 2025 (82nd Venice International Film Festival), where it won the Audience Award. The program continues with a special session dedicated to Wissam Charaf, a reference figure in contemporary Lebanese cinema with «Dirty, Difficult, Dangerous» which explores the lives of the marginalized of Lebanese society. The festival will also present an unreleased film, «Arzé» by Mira Shaib, a contemporary reinterpretation of «Ladri di biciclette» in a Lebanon in crisis, the long-awaited documentary «Do You Love Me» by Lana Daher, an intimate tribute to Beirut, and «Ritratto di un certo Oriente» a refined black and white film by Brazilian director Marcelo Gomes, a Lebanese co-production, story of two Lebanese Catholic brothers fleeing to Brazil from the war. Finally, the Festival will feature a special session dedicated to the history and heritage of Lebanese cinema, examining the country’s wars through emblematic films, short-films and documentaries.

The Lebanese Film Festival in Italy will host Italian and international institutional representatives. Lebanese film crews will meet the public, in particular Wissam Charaf, Wafaa Céline Halawi and Lana Daher, as well as directors, producers and industry professionals, national and international press and an audience sensitive to culture and cinema.

Program below