Moonlit Movie Nights in Rome
Nothing says summer in the Eternal City like a movie under the stars (preferably with a gelato in hand). This month, piazzas, lush villas, and Rome’s only island transform into open-air cinemas, showing everything from classic flicks, to kid-friendly favorites.
Read on for our top picks of outdoor flicks in the city.
Cinema in Piazza 2022
From June 3th to July 31st, Rome’s piazzas are once again being transformed into a movie theater, as the free outside movie festival, “Il Cinema in Piazza,” has returned to Rome for its 8th year. Just like last year, it will be hosted in three locations: Piazza San Cosimato (June 3 – July 31, Monte Ciocci (June 18 – July 24), Casale della Cervelletta (June 9 – July 24). The eighth edition of the festival offers a very rich program; special attention devoted to screenings in the original language (with Italian subtitles) honors the culture of the films by maintaining their authenticity, while simultaneously catering to the diverse tourists and residents living in Rome.
Till July 31, 2022
Piazza San Cosimato); Monte Ciocci; Casale della Cervelletta in Tor Sapienza
Films shown at 9.15pm
Free entry – no reservation required
Caleidoscopio @ Casa del Cinema
Under the towering pines of Villa Borghese, Casa del Cinema will host its outdoor film festival Caleidoscopio at Teatro Ettore Scola.
From June 9 to September 19, more than 100 free evening events will be held, including screenings, meetings, and special events. Caleidoscopio will feature as many as six international festivals: ranging from Albania (Albania Si Gira!, June 9-12) to Bulgaria (Bulgarian Film Festival, June 24-26), from Israel (Pitigliani Kolno’a Festival – Judaism and Israel in Cinema, June 27-28) to India (Summermela Festival, June 29), to Ireland (Irish Film Festival, July 20-24), to the African continent (RomAfrica Film Festival, July 15-17).
From June 9 to September 19, 2022
Largo Marcello Mastroianni,1 (Villa Borghese)
Films shown nightly, from 9pm onwards
Free entry
Sotto le Stelle dell’Austria
The tenth edition of “Sotto le Stelle dell’Austria” dedicated to the best of contemporary Austrian cinema, awaits you in the beautiful garden of the Austrian cultural institute from June 21st to July 6th. Reservations mandatory via email.
The Program:
- 21 June, 8.30pm, Grosse Freiheit;
- 23 June, 9pm, Hinterland;
- 28 June, 8.30pm, Rimini
- 30 June, 8.30pm, Marzangrund
- 5 July, 8.30pm, Fuchs in Bau
- 6 July, 9pm, Risiken und Nebenwirkungen
From June 21st to July 6th
Forum Austriaco di Cultura – Via B. Buozzi 113
8.30, 9pm
Free entry, mandatory reservation via email at prenotazione.forumaustriaco@gmail.com
Isola del cinema – International Festival of Cinema and Culture
This year, L’Isola del Cinema’s annual film festival – one of the capital’s summer peak cultural events in the heart of the historic center – returns in presence to entertain Rome and its visitors in the picturesque setting of the Tiber island. From 21 June to 3 September, in an arch of 75 evenings, the International cinema festival proposes an exciting review of Italian and foreign titles.
The Festival, conceived and directed by Giorgio Ginori, celebrates its 28th edition with previews, unpublished works, awards, competitions, thematic reviews, debates, masterclasses, exhibitions, screenings in original language and many other unmissable events.
From June 21st to September 3th
Isola Tiberina
Everyday from 9.15pm
price vary
Roma Cinema Arena – Parco degli Acquedotti
From July 19th to August 4th, a large summer arena will be held at the Parco degli Acquedotti with a daily review of restored masterpieces, presented every night by special guests. The Rome Film Festival wants, with this review, to remark one of the places that Fellini, Pasolini, Sorrentino have inscribed in the collective imagination, in a neighborhood where two very important film institutions, Cinecittà and the Centro Sperimentale, have their premises. Each film will be presented in its original version; on Saturdays the arena will offer a double screening, at 9:15 p.m. and 11 p.m.
July 19-August 4
Via Lemonia (corner Via Appio Claudio)
9.15pm (on Saturdays double screening, 9.15pm and 11pm)
Free entrance
Cinema al Maxxi
Cinema at the MAXXI, the museum of contemporary art and architecture in Flaminio, returns with its 10th iteration, revolving around two formats: Extra Explore (a selection of the most surprising and innovative Italian cinema) and Video Essay Film Festival (VEFF), dedicated to new forms of film criticism. Below is the program:
- Thursday, June 30 (9 p.m.): Il buco, by Michelangelo Frammartino; the director will attend the screening);
- Tuesday, July 5 (9 p.m.): Video Essay Film Festival
- Thursday, July 7 (9 p.m.): Io e Spotty, by Cosimo Gomez, produced by the Manetti Bros;
- Thursday, July 14 (9 p.m.): A Chiara, by Jonas Carpignano; the film will be presented by its lead performer, Swamy Rotolo, who won the 2022 David di Donatello for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance;
- Thursday July 21 (9 p.m.): Small Body, by Laura Samani; winner of the David di Donatello for Best New Director
- Thursday July 28 (9 p.m.): Atlantide, by Yuri Ancarani, one of the most original films of recent years.
30 June – 5, 7, 14, 21, 28 July 2022
Piazza del Maxxi, Via Guido Reni, 4a
9pm
€5
Quo Vadis?
A date with films dedicated to the history of Rome with QUO VADIS. At the cinema in the heart of Rome, the initiative sees for the first time united two institutions of excellence in Italian culture: the CSC – Cineteca Nazionale, among the major international film archives, and the Colosseum Archaeological Park. From July 1 to 10, in the Temple of Venus and Rome (entrance from Colosseum Square), 10 great historical films will be screened to rediscover the charm of antiquity under the stars of the Capital, in the splendid setting of the Roman Forum. Check out the program:
- Friday, July 1st (9 pm): AVE, CESARE!/ HAIL, CAESAR!
- Saturday, July 2 (9 pm): Cleopatra
- Sunday, July 3 (9 pm): IL PRIMO RE/ ROMULUS & REMUS – THE FIRST KING
- Monday, July 4 (9 pm): DOLCI VIZI AL FORO/ A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM
- Tuesday, July 5 (9 pm): FELLINI SATYRICON
- Wednesday, July 6 (9 pm): ASTERIX E IL SEGRETO DELLA POZIONE MAGICA/ ASTERIX: THE SECRET OF THE MAGIC
- Thursday, July 7 (9 pm): SCIPIONE DETTO ANCHE L’AFRICANO/ SCIPIO THE AFRICAN
- Friday, July 8 (9 pm): SPARTACUS
- Saturday, July 9 (9 pm): TOTÒ E CLEOPATRA/ TOTO AND CLEOPATRA
- Sunday, July 10 (9 pm): QUO VADIS?
1-10 July 2022
Tempio di Venere e Roma, Piazza del Colosseo
9pm
Free entrance, booking recommended on eventbrite.it
Floating Theatre
From August 24 until September 25, The Floating Theatre, the only eco-friendly, zero-impact floating arena immersed in an urban setting, with 150 seats and sound broadcast through wireless headphones, returns for the third consecutive year. Films will be shown in original language with subtitles and will be accompanied by special guests. This year, however, there will be a change of location: if in past years the festival took place at the Laghetto dell’Eur, now the lake of Villa Ada will host the festival. Floating Theatre is conceived by Alice nella Città and produced by AC Playtown Roma in collaboration with Fondazione Cinema per Roma, and is directed by Fabia Bettini and Gianluca Giannelli. Let’s start on August 24 with the Italian premiere of Bullet train, directed by David Leitch. Program includes screenings of The Humans by director Stephen Karam and Memoria by Apichatpong Weerasethakul; and then again, among others, a meeting with former soccer player Beppe Signori, who will present the documentary Fuorigioco – Una storia di vita e di sport, and the premiere of the animated film DC League of superpets, directed by Jared Stern and Sam Levine, introduced by Lillo and Maccio Capatonda, the film’s Italian voice actors.
From August 24th to September 25th
Villa Ada
Daily from 8.30pm
€6
Effetto notte
Effetto notte is back: 15 days dedicated to the great Italian cinema of yesterday, today and tomorrow, with a special tribute to the great set designer Andrea Crisanti. Eight movies “signed” by Crisanti’s hand, starting with the film chosen for the opening, Nostalghia by Andrej Tarkovskij in the version just restored by the CSC – Cineteca Nazionale. The program includes Salto nel vuoto by Marco Bellocchio, Cadaveri eccellenti by Francesco Rosi, Identificazione di una donna by Michelangelo Antonioni, La finestra di fronte by Ferzan Ozpetek, Una pura formalità by Giuseppe Tornatore, Giù la testa by Sergio Leone and Borotalco by Carlo Verdone. Also more recent movies will be screened, such as Matteo Garrone’s Pinocchio, Paolo Sorrentino’s E’ stato la mano di Dio, Duccio Chiarini’s L’ospite, Chiara Bellosi’s Palazzo di giustizia. The feature films will be preceded by screenings of works by young first-time directors from the Experimental Center of Cinematography. Effetto notte is not only cinema, however. Alongside the screenings there will also be a rich program of concerts and guided tours of the archaeological complex of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme.
From 16 to 30 July
Area Archeologica di Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, Piazza di S. Croce in Gerusalemme
Every day at 9:30pm
Free entry
Arene di Roma
Many locations throughout Rome:
ARENA NUOVO SACHER
From June 25th
Largo Ascianghi, 1
9.30pm
Entry Fee €5 – 7
ARENA TIZIANO
From June 11th
Via Guido Reni, 2
9.30pm
Entry fee €3 – 4
www.facebook.com/Cinema-Tiziano-sito-ufficiale-159721814065333/
ARENA GARBATELLA
From June 28th
Piazza Benedetto Brin
9.15pm
Entry fee €5 – 6
Hi guys – last night we bought tickets for the Floating Theatre, partly on the strength of the text on this site which reads “The festival will light up the Roman summer with a rich programming of guests, previews, thematic days, screenings of great classics and debuts, films of any genre from all over the world with Italian subtites.” Upon our arrival the movie was dubbed – no subtitles were available. We ended up leaving. Can I recommend you update the page please? Lots of effort for a family to travel out to EUR for no reward. Thanks. Ilse.