The longer evenings mean we take to the city’s cinemas for time spent soaking up distant realms as well as closer-to-home talent. Cinema La Compagnia (and other venues) screen the wide-ranging films on offer as part of the 50 Days of Cinema series that takes us through the season. Here are the film festivals held in Florence this autumn.
FánHuā Chinese Film Festival
Five days of full immersion into the best of Chinese cinema cover everything from the classics to more recent productions. The title means ‘Variety of blooming flowers’, reflecting on the varied and flourishing film production in China. The fourth edition features special events like the Tuscan-Chinese cooking workshop at Teatro del Sale, which will be followed by a Dragon Dance in piazza Sant’Ambrogio.
October 2-6
Middle East Now
The 15th edition of the festival creates a strong cultural dialogue through cinema, art, photography, comics, music, food, talks and meetings with special guests. Diversity and inclusion are the main concepts behind the festival, shared through feature films, documentaries, short films and animations produced from 2022 to 2024, with a focus on current events under the theme of ‘Ecologies of resistance’.
October 15-20
France Odeon
Lovers of French film, language and culture await this annual appointment to immerse themselves in all things français. Artistic and social changes across the country are traced in the various screenings, accompanied by book presentations, photography exhibitions, talks and meetings with actors.
October 29 – November 2
Festival dei Popoli
One of the oldest documentary film festivals in Europe, the Festival dei Popoli is celebrating its 65th edition, with a multifaceted program made up of 86 films by mostly female directors. We cover this one more extensively here and in The Curator’s Quaderno.
November 2-10
Women Filmmakers: Trailblazers
Choose between PDF Digital edition or Paper copy delivered to your home – FREE SHIPPING IN ITALY ONLY.
The Curators’ Quaderno is a collection of notebook-style publications, conceived by Calliope Arts, in collaboration with The Florentine Press, to raise awareness of women’s contributions to the fields of art, science and culture.
Text language: English – 36 pages
Lo Schermo dell’Arte
Film and contemporary art are celebrated with a selection of the best recently produced films and documentaries on contemporary art. Meetings with artists, authors and curators give viewers deeper knowledge about the craft, concentrating on artists creating images innovatively. The 17th edition sees a focus on Academy Award nominated American artist Garrett Bradley, with five films from 2017 to 2023 presented. Alongside the screenings will be the VISIO – European Programme on Artists’ Moving Images, curated by Leonardo Bigazzi, dedicated to under 35s using moving images in their artistic practice.
November 13-18
Festival di Cinema e Donne
The longest-running festival dedicated to female directors in Italy features a broad range of voices and themes, including one of the most important names in New German Cinema and contemporary European cinema, Margarethe von Trotta. For this 45th edition, a new space is being created by Piera Detassis, president of the Accademia del Cinema Italiano – Premi David di Donatello, in collaboration with the journalist and critic Raffaella Giancristofaro, which aims to be a workshop for the rediscovery of the many cultural deposits that have so far been unknown or forgotten.
November 20-24
Florence Queer Festival
The 22nd edition of the popular film fest sees special guests like Nicola Bellucci, director of Quir, Markus Stein with the documentary Baldiga – Unlocked Heart, and transgender athlete Valentina Petrillo. Screenings, talks, masterclasses and more form the lineup organized by the Ireos association, bringing the queer universe and community to the big screen.
November 27-December 1
River to River Indian Film Festival
River to River, a window on contemporary India from the Gange to the Arno, was founded in 2001 as the first festival dedicated to Indian cinema outside of India. Spread out over five days and multiple venues, including Cinema La Compagnia and Brac, this festival will feature round table discussions with the actors and directors, cooking classes, photography shows and more.
December 5-10
N.I.C.E. Festival x Irish Film Festa
N.I.C.E. (New Italian Cinema Events) is a non-profit association which promotes Italian cinema abroad, and for the past three years, they have held shows in Ireland, to great reception from the Irish public. To return the favour, they partnered up with Irish Film Festa, to bring Irish cinema to Italy through Cinema La Compagnia.
December 11
