From 10 to 14 June, the 71st edition of the Taormina Film Festival celebrates great international cinema amidst premieres, female icons and the timeless charm of the Ancient Theatre
The big screen will once again light up under the sky of Taormina. From 10 to 14 June 2025, the Sicilian city will host the 71st edition of the Taormina Film Festival, one of the longest-running and most fascinating film festivals in Europe.
Promoted by the Fondazione Taormina Arte Sicilia and supported by the Sicilian Region’s Department of Tourism, Sport and Entertainment and the Ministry of Culture – General Direction for Cinema and Audiovisual, the festival is entrusted to the artistic direction of Tiziana Rocca, who guides its vision with an international flair.
Valeria Solarino is the godmother 2025: the elegance of Italian talent
It will be Valeria Solarino, an intense and refined actress, who will accompany the public in this new edition. With a career studded with profound and never banal roles, Solarino is one of the most representative interpreters of contemporary Italian cinema: a face capable of combining authenticity, strength and grace.
An Oscar jury, between global and Italian looks
Presiding over the international jury will be Oscar-winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph, joined by the legendary Sandy Powell, costume designer of three statuettes. Also on the jury will be Steven Gaydos, vice-president of Variety, and the Italian actresses Ilenia Pastorelli and Alessandra Mastronardi, who bring the energy of an Italian cinema that is increasingly playing a leading role abroad.
Three sections, two exceptional premieres
The programme includes:
10 films in International Competition
13 films Out of Competition
8 Special Events set in the extraordinary Teatro Antico
Opening the festival, out of competition, will be Len Wiseman’s Ballerina, a spin-off of the John Wick universe, starring Ana de Armas. The presentation will also be attended by Norman Reedus and the director himself.
Closing the kermesse, the Italian comedy L’amore sta bene su tutto by Giampaolo Morelli, with an exceptional cast including Max Tortora, Claudia Gerini, Monica Guerritore, Ilenia Pastorelli and Gian Marco Tognazzi.
Female cinema: ‘Women, not Divas’
On Wednesday 11 June at 12.15 pm, the panel ‘Le Donne, non le Dive – Identità femminili tra forza e verità’ (Women, not Divas – Female identities between strength and truth) will be held, featuring actresses, directors and film professionals, from Sarah Felberbaum to Sandy Powell, via Valeria Solarino, Nina Zilli, Donatella Finocchiaro, Alessandra Mastronardi, Ilenia Pastorelli, and many others. The meeting will be moderated by Tiziana Rocca and Gianluca Pisacane.
To reinforce the panel’s message, there will also be a special initiative by Ferrovie dello Stato: the ‘Le Donne, non le Dive’ train, a customised Intercity with faces and quotations from great protagonists of the cinema, running from Rome to Sicily from 5 June to September.
A poster celebrating a masterpiece: Malèna
To celebrate 25 years since the film’s release, the official poster of the 2025 edition is dedicated to Malèna by Giuseppe Tornatore, starring Monica Bellucci: one of the best-loved films of modern Italian cinema, filmed in Sicily, just a few steps from Taormina. A tribute to beauty and melancholy, but also to the iconic power of national cinema.
Taormina 2025: between vision, identity and internationality
The Taormina Film Festival thus confirms itself as a showcase of excellence for auteur cinema, capable of combining memory and innovation, local gazes and global horizons. An event that unites art, territory, inclusion and talent. And that – once again – turns the spotlight on Sicily, giving it the splendour it deserves.
