From May 28 to July 12, 2026, Rome’s piazzas will be transformed into open-air movie theaters as the free outdoor film festival “Il Cinema in Piazza” returns.

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The outdoor film festival Il Cinema in Piazza returns this summer, transforming some of Rome’s most beautiful squares and parks into open-air cinemas from May 28 to July 12.

From Wednesday to Sunday, every evening at 9.15pm, Il Cinema in Piazza presents free screenings in original language with subtitles, as well as Italian classics with English subtitles, making the programme accessible to Rome’s international audience. This year’s edition features 95 screenings, 34 special encounters and several retrospectives across three locations: Piazza San Cosimato in Trastevere, Parco della Cervelletta in Tor Sapienza and Parco di Monte Ciocci in Valle Aurelia.

After the success of last year’s edition, which welcomed over 120,000 attendees, the event, organized by Fondazione Piccolo America, celebrates its twelfth anniversary with a programme that revisits great cinema from the past while also showcasing new independent works from Italy and around the world.

The 2026 edition also welcomes a rich line-up of national and international guests, including Marco Bellocchio, Stefano Nazzi, M¥SS KETA, Fabrizio Gifuni, Barbora Bobulova, Carlotta Gamba, Romana Maggiora Vergano, Bruce LaBruce, Paweł Pawlikowski, David Lowery, Isabella Rossellini, Elettra Rossellini Wiedemann, Ben Russell, Josh O’Connor, Gabriele Muccino, Ian McKellen, Saverio Costanzo, Oliver Stone, Jacques Audiard, Jane Campion, Pablo Larraín, Carlo Verdone, Léa Seydoux, Thom Yorke, Bruce Goldstein, Matteo Garrone, Nicolas Winding Refn, Olivier Assayas, Luca Marinelli and many more.

The programme brings together a rich series of retrospectives dedicated to some of the most influential voices in Italian and international cinema. At Piazza San Cosimato, the focus is on Elio Petri, Josh and Benny Safdie, Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli, and Gabriele Muccino.

At Parco della Cervelletta, the programme shifts to Alice Rohrwacher, Kenneth Anger, David Lynch’s Twin Peaks and Steven Spielberg, with screenings for both cinephiles and younger audiences.

At Monte Ciocci, the festival explores New York and Rome through Film Forum, alongside retrospectives on Takashi Miike and Edgar Wright, plus a family-friendly selection of DreamWorks Animation classics.

All films will be shown in the original language with Italian subtitles. 

Cinema in Piazza is organized by “Fondazione Piccolo America,” a group dedicated to promoting culture and film. They say the goal of “Il Cinema in Piazza” is in “the contemporary involvement of the center and the suburbs” which seeks to uniquely “rebuild a sense of community, promoting a knowledge accessible to all with free and shared projections.” Additionally, Cinema In Piazza promotes the cultural importance of the event, saying “the projection does not end in the mere vision of the show, but becomes an experience of intense civil and social value.”

The event had previously been held in Piazza San Cosimato under the name “Festival Trastevere Rione del Cinema,” but faced a dispute with Rome’s deputy mayor and culture councilor, Luca Bergamo. Instead of limiting the hours, like Bergamo wanted, the event grew after being supported by well-known figures in film, such as Martin Scorsese and “Pif” Pierfrancesco Diliberto.

Now, Cinema In Piazza’s project is continuing in an even more concrete direction, seeking to unite all of Rome through film by “connecting three nerve centers [in the city] through the construction of three contemporary arenas.”

FROM 28 MAY TO 12 JULY 2026

Locations:

Piazza San Cosimato – Trastevere

Monte Ciocci – Via Domizia Lucilla, 76

Casale della Cervelletta – Parco della Cervelletta in Tor Sapienza

Movie screenings at 9:15pm

Free entry, no reservation required

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