12/03/2026 - Produced by Lumière & Co. and based on Giorgio Montefoschi’s novel, the Treviso-born actress’s second directorial effort is toplined by Enrico Borello and Romana Maggiora Vergano

Enrico Borello and Romana Maggiora Vergano in Desiderio

Filming has been underway in Rome, since the end of February, on Michela Cescon’s new directorial effort, Desiderio, whose wrap date is set for late March. Following on from Occhi Blu [+see also:
trailer
film profile] starring Valeria Golino in 2021, the Treviso-born actress – unearthed via Matteo Garrone’s First Love before starring in films along the lines of Vincere [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Cannes 2009 Marco Bellocc…
interview: Filippo Timi - actor
film profile], Once You’re Born You Can No Longer Hide [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Marco Tullio Giordana
interview: Riccardo Tozzi
film profile], Piazza Fontana: The Italian Conspiracy [+see also:
film review
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film profile] (winning the 2012 David di Donatello for Best Supporting Actress and the Nastro d’Argento in the same category) among many other movies, more recently seen in Ivano De Matteo’s Una figlia [+see also:
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trailer
interview: Ivano De Matteo
film profile] – is making her return behind the cameras with a story loosely based on Giorgio Montefoschi’s novel of the same name, which was published by La Nave di Teseo in 2020. A novel, according to the editor’s note, “about nostalgia for futures which won’t be fulfilled and about the erosion of possibilities, even within the seemingly inexhaustible realm of passion”.

The film’s subject and screenplay are penned by Cescon herself, in league with Doriana Leondeff (awarded multiple trophies for her work on The Tasters [+see also:
film review
interview: Silvio Soldini
film profile], The Right Distance [+see also:
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film profile], Bread and Tulips) and Massimo Gaudioso (the winner of numerous awards for Strangeness [+see also:
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trailer
film profile], Dogman [+see also:
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interview: Matteo Garrone
film profile] and Gomorrah [+see also:
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interview: Domenico Procacci
interview: Jean Labadie
interview: Matteo Garrone
film profile], among other works). In the late Eighties, in the eternal and timeless city of Rome, Matteo meets Livia while at university. He dreams of becoming a taster, she’s still undecided over her future. They feel an immediate attraction for one another which lays bare the social differences and insecurities typical of their age. But when Livia moves to London to find her path in life, these unprecedented feelings start to seem like a teenage illusion.

Years later, Matteo has become a journalist. He’s chosen the serenity of family life and is married to Anna with two children. But then he unexpectedly bumps into Livia: she’s hiding a secret and her being in Rome is no coincidence. Distance and time have done nothing to weaken their bond: it re-emerges as a love which demands courage and responsibility, and which triggers considerable consequences. But, for all the decisions they make and the things that happen in their lives, maybe it’s outside of their control…

The enamoured lead couple is brought to life by Enrico Borello (40 secondi [+see also:
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film profile], Forbidden City [+see also:
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film profile]) and Romana Maggiora Vergano (the acting revelation from There Is Still Tomorrow [+see also:
film review
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interview: Paola Cortellesi
film profile], awarded the 2025 Best Actress Nastro d’Argento for The Time It Takes [+see also:
film review
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interview: Francesca Comencini
film profile] and recently seen in Marco Bellocchio’s series, Portobello – The Fall of Enzo Tortora [+see also:
series review
trailer
interview: Marco Bellocchio
series profile]).

Desiderio is produced by Lionello Cerri and Cristiana Mainardi on behalf of Lumière & Co. together with RAI Cinema. The feature film is made with support from the Italian Ministry of Culture’s Film and Audiovisual Investment Development Fund.

(Translated from Italian)