The XXV edition of the “Italian Cinema Week” will take place from 9 to 14 June 2025. Organised by the Italian Embassy in Skopje, in collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute of Belgrade and the National Film Archive of the Republic of North Macedonia, the festival is realised thanks to the ITALIAN SCREENS project, promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) and the General Directorate for Cinema and Audiovisual of the Ministry of Culture (DGCA-MiC), with the organisational support of Cinecittà.
This year’s edition will feature six of the most representative works on the contemporary Italian film scene. The films, all released between 2024 and early 2025, have participated in prestigious international festivals, gaining great acclaim from critics and audiences, as well as important awards. The theme that ideally unites the films in the programme is that of the journey: a journey that can be physical – towards the homeland or far from it – but also visual, interior, existential, temporal and emotional.
Opening the festival on Monday 9 June will be Parthenope (2024), the latest masterpiece by the multi-award-winning Paolo Sorrentino: a work that mixes poetry, nostalgia and love for Naples, the director’s hometown. At the centre of the narrative we find Parthenope, an independent and non-conformist woman with a magnetic beauty in perpetual search of knowledge. Hers is an existential and symbolic journey, marked by significant encounters, loves, friendships and disillusions, which is deeply intertwined with that of Naples, a splendid and decadent city, beautiful and damned, which in the film becomes a character in itself, alive and vibrant.
Tuesday 10 June will see Roberto Andò’s ‘L’Abbaglio’ (2025), which will take us on a journey through history. The film is inspired by a little-known short story by Leonardo Sciascia, based on a marginal but really happened episode of the Expedition of the Thousand. The director mixes historical drama and comedy, flanking the faithful reconstruction of the facts with an emotional and ironic line entrusted to characters of pure invention. Through this approach, the film rereads the Risorgimento with a critical eye, questioning the heroic narrative of official history and offering a reflection on the construction of Italian identity and the illusions that accompanied the unification process.
Wednesday 11 June will be the turn of ‘FolleMente’ (2025), the latest work by Paolo Genovese, a funny romantic comedy that takes us inside the most hidden thoughts of the two protagonists, revealing the mysterious mechanisms that guide our actions and the inner conflicts that influence our choices. The different personalities in their minds, portrayed by exceptional actors, take on voice and body: we will see them argue, quarrel, rejoice and be moved. Each one will try to get the upper hand to determine the final decision, giving rise to comic and unpredictable situations, but also rich in reflections on human pscology.
Thursday 12 June will be the turn of ‘Napoli – New York’ (2024), the new film by Oscar winner Gabriele Salvatores, loosely based on an original subject by Federico Fellini. Set after World War II, the feature film tells the epic journey of two children who decide to leave Naples in search of a better life in promising New York. Cleverly balancing comedy and drama, the director invites us to reflect on current issues such as migration, loneliness and discrimination.
On Friday 12 June, there will instead be a screening of ‘Vita da grandi’ (2025), the debut feature by Greta Scarano, who makes her directorial debut with a film that is light, but not superficial. Based on an autobiographical novel, it deals with the theme of autism with delicacy and irony, avoiding any rhetoric or form of pietism. A bittersweet portrait of a path towards autonomy, among dreams, fragility and shared growth, capable of moving without losing sight of humour.
Closing the festival, on Saturday 14 June, is “Diamanti” (2024), Ferzan Özpetek’s new film success, which won the David of the Spectator 2025. Set in a 1974 Roman tailor’s shop, the film recounts the human and working relationships of a group of women involved in the creation of film costumes. Through this microcosm, Özpetek explores universal themes such as the struggle against patriarchy, the search for identity, love and friendship. The result is a choral work that celebrates female complicity and resilience. All films are in the original language with Macedonian and English subtitles. The screenings will take place at the historic Cinematheque of the Republic of Macedonia and will start at 8pm.
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