The Italian Cultural Institute of Washington is proud to co-present the Italian selection of Filmfest DC 2026, running April 16–26 across the city. This year’s five films span centuries and sensibilities: a Nobel Prize-winning Sardinian writer, Vivaldi’s Venice, a warmly comic retired professor, a real-life wartime rescue mission, and a secret musical genius hidden in plain sight. Together, they offer a vivid and wide-ranging portrait of Italian cinema at its best.
ALMOST GRAZIA (Apr 21 & 22) · DAMNED IF YOU DO, DAMNED IF YOU DON’T (Apr 19 & 24) · THE NEGOTIATOR (Apr 18, 19 & 25) · PRIMAVERA (Apr 17, 18 & 24) · GLORIA! — Closing Night (Apr 26).
Full schedule and tickets: filmfestdc.org
Please check each film for up-to-date schedule and venue information.
MORE INFO & TICKETS
ALMOST GRAZIA — dir. Peter Marcias | Italy | 80 min
Three crucial moments mark the life of the famous Sardinian writer Grazia Deledda, the only Italian woman to have won a Nobel Prize, and the second ever woman to win: the unexpected arrival of her mother from Nuoro, the hours before winning the world’s most prestigious award, and the moments when a doctor looks into her eyes, searching for words.
Tue Apr 21 @ 6:30 PM | Wed Apr 22 @ 8:15 PM
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DAMNED IF YOU DO, DAMNED IF YOU DON’T — dir. Gianni Di Gregorio | Italy/France | 93 min
Director Gianni Di Gregorio (The Salt of Life, Mid-August Lunch) returns to Filmfest DC with his latest comedy-drama, in which he also takes on the lead role — a retired professor whose peaceful, perfectly predictable life is upended by the unexpected arrival of his daughter and her two children.
Sun Apr 19 @ 3:45 PM | Fri Apr 24 @ 8:15 PM
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THE NEGOTIATOR — dir. Alessandro Tonda | Italy/Belgium | 108 min
Amid the bleak chaos of the Iraq war in 2005, an Italian journalist has just been kidnapped. The Negotiator creates such an edge-of-your-seat feeling that when you realize the film is based on actual people and events, the story hits even harder.
Sat Apr 18 @ 4:00 PM | Sun Apr 19 @ 5:45 PM | Sat Apr 25 @ 8:05 PM
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PRIMAVERA — dir. Damiano Michieletto | Italy/France | 110 min
In early 18th-century Venice, the fate of a virtuoso violinist named Cecilia is transformed when her orphanage hires an ambitious composer as the new musical instructor: Antonio Vivaldi. Their ensemble performances enchant audiences, patrons, and suitors alike.
Fri Apr 17 @ 6:30 PM | Sat Apr 18 @ 8:30 PM | Fri Apr 24 @ 6:00 PM — Regal Gallery Place
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GLORIA! ★ CLOSING NIGHT — dir. Margherita Vicario | Italy/Switzerland | 106 min
The year is 1800; the place, Sant’Ignazio College, a decrepit musical institute for girls near Venice. Here lives a silent, solitary maid named Teresa — and a secret talent that could change everything.
Sun Apr 26 @ 4:00 PM — Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library
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