Tiziana Rocca presented the eighth edition of Filming Italy Sardegna at the Cannes Film Festival, set to take place at Forte Village in Cagliari from June 19-22, 2025. “The Festival reaches its eighth edition this year. It’s an important milestone,” states Rocca, “confirming our commitment to promoting Italian and international cinema, supporting young talents, and creating an increasingly vibrant dialogue between culture, industry, and audiences.”

The jury president for the short film section will be Micaela Ramazzotti. “Our festival ambassador will be the talented Martina Stella, an artist who embodies beauty, talent, and a strong connection to our cinema. Numerous guests will attend the Festival and participate in masterclasses with young students from schools and universities of the Cinema Academy, including Heather Graham, American cinema icon Alec Baldwin, Rocío Muñoz Morales and Riccardo Milani, Aurora Giovinazzo and Giacomo Giorgio.”

Simon Baker – star of series like The Mentalist and films such as The Devil Wears Prada– will receive the Filming Italy Excellence Award. Anouchka Delon will receive an award in memory of her father Alain.

Tiziana Rocca and the Festival direction. Tiziana Rocca is one of the rare female film festival directors in the world. She founded Filming Italy Los Angeles and Filming Italy Special Venice, and will direct the Taormina Film Festival. “The path for women is certainly uphill. I’ve been doing this work for many years – 8 years with Filming Italy Sardegna, 10 years with Filming Italy Los Angeles – and within my festivals, I’ve always tried to support women in the film world.” Rocca believes “we need many more female directors who tell beautiful and interesting stories that highlight women’s roles. This year we renew our collaboration with Women in Film, Television & Media Italia, which will present three debut works by emerging female directors to the Festival audience. I think the path is now underway, so we hope that many women will choose other women. A woman must work twice as hard to prove her worth – this is a rule in all professions – so it takes a lot of determination, tenacity, and willpower.” Rocca received the Industry Excellence Award at Cannes, presented by the French Riviera Festival for “her continuous contribution to the festival industry, and the talent and passion she infuses into it.”

The guests will engage in masterclasses with young students from schools and universities of the Cinema Academy: “We want to bring young people closer to this art form and – why not – encourage them to choose careers in cinema. This year, the Filming Italy Sardegna poster is linked to the importance of movie theaters, which absolutely must not close, as they represent fundamental cultural centers where young people meet.” More than 50 titles will be screened, including films, documentaries, and television series, both international and Italian, many as absolute premieres.

The guests of Filming Italy Sardegna. In past years, Filming Italy Sardegna has hosted personalities such as Laura Dern, Richard Gere, Harvey Keitel, Elizabeth Olsen, Heather Graham, Valeria Golino, Vanessa Hudgens, Winston Duke, Édgar Ramírez, Justin Hartley, Matt Dillon, Isabelle Huppert, Eva Longoria, Lola Ponce, Christopher Walken, Dennis Quaid, Dominic West, and Alessandro Nivola.