My Five Romances has come late to Australia’s biggest Italian-flavoured party – the annual Italian Film Festival – but I have a great excuse (Ho un’ottima scusa). I was in Italy for two glorious weeks, making my first visits to Milan (Milano), Turin (Torino), Stresa and other places around Lake Maggiore, and Orta San Giulio on Lake Orta.
Normally returning to everyday reality after such a holiday would be deflating, but luckily the Italian Film Festival is on in nine cities around Australia.
Visit Italy by armchair
Already my local Palace Cinema in Brisbane – where the seats are much more comfortable than my economy class spot near the back of the plane – has transported me to:
- Umbria – in Illusion, a gripping film that delves into the European underworld. Polyglots and lovers of Romance languages are well catered for: as well as Italian you’ll hear some French and Romanian, as well as English and Albanian.
- Lazio – in Stella Gemella (English title Twin Stars), which takes a fascinating look at Heteropaternal superfecundation. It’s a rare biological phenomenon where two fraternal twins are conceived with two different biological fathers. This particular instance, though, has an unusual twist, which brings out the best or worst in those affected.
“Twin Stars has comedic touches underlying a story about family, transformation, modern love and self-discovery,” Italian Film Festival Director Elysia Zeccola tells My Five Romances. “Director Luca Lucini brings those elements together with warmth and wit, and the film also features terrific supporting performances from Margherita Buy and Laura Morante.”
Jasmine Trinca stars as a prosecutor investigating a mysterious sequence of events in Illusion.
A little luxury in our lives
It’s great to be back in a cinema again after weeks of only a phone to look at and watching films on the small screens on the back of aeroplane seats. As Elysia, who is the National Festivals Director at Palace Cinemas, puts it, “Going to the cinema is an excuse to turn your phone off, it’s a luxury to take two hours off from the world to be absorbed in a journey, and that’s hard to do with all the distractions at home.”
I like going to the cinemas for the big screen and surround sound, and I usually enhance the experience with either an ice-cream or glass of wine. Sometimes both!
Jam-packed program
There are 33 films on the 2026 Italian Film Festival program, divided into two main sections, New Italian Cinema and Comedy Italian Style. There’s also a Documentaries category, A Focus on Anna Magnani (who won the Oscar for Best Actress in 1956 for her role in The Rose Tattoo), and a Made in Italy: Fashion Icons section.
But there’s a lot of crossover between categories. “Italians have always had a wonderful ability to use humour to explore serious subjects such as family, relationships, politics, religion and social change,” says Elysia. “So you’ll often find the line between comedy and drama is blurred. Family is always a strong theme in Italian cinema.”
A real estate agent falls for a pastry chef in box-office hit Holy Cannoli
Must-see movies at the 2026 Italian Film Festival
Here are Festival Director Elysia Zeccola’s top picks:
“I’m particularly excited about Holy Cannoli. It is full of romance, humour, and Sicilian pastries! ” Its Italian title is Che Dio perdona a tutti, which translates as May God forgive us all or God forgives everyone, depending on the context.
“Life is Life (La Vita Va Così) follows a shepherd in Sardinia who refuses to sell his land to a luxury resort in this star-studded David-versus-Goliath story,” says Elysia. “It explores issues that feel very relevant in Italy today, brought to life with witty dialogue and hilarious moments.”
“For fashion lovers, Armani And The Birth Of Italian Fashion is an absolute must. It follows the rise of Italy’s great fashion empires through the legendary families and personalities who shaped the industry, and it features the final on-screen interview with Mr Giorgio Armani.”
Need to know
The 2026 Italian Film Festival is in the following locations:
- Adelaide until 13 October, Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas, Palace Nova Prospect Cinemas
- Sydney until 14 October, Palace Moore Park, Palace Norton St, Palace Central
- Canberra until 14 October, Palace Electric Cinema
- Byron Bay and Ballina until 14 October, Palace Byron Bay, Ballina Fair Cinemas
- Melbourne until 15 October, The Astor Theatre, Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Penny Lane, Palace Westgarth, The Kino, Pentridge Cinema, Cinema Nova
- Ballarat until 15 October, Palace Regent Cinemas
- Brisbane until 18 October, Palace Barracks, Palace James Street
- Perth until 18 October, Palace Raine Square, Luna Leederville, Luna on SX, Windsor Cinema
But, fingers crossed (Incrociamo le dita!), there’ll be extra screenings of the most popular films. Ogni lasciata è persa! (Don’t miss out!) M5R
