Debut works triumph at the 20th Rome Film Fest. Left-Handed Girl by first time Taiwanese and naturalised American filmmaker Shih-Ching Tsou won the Best Film Award with its story (co-written, edited and produced by Sean Baker) of a family of only women struggling with debts and depression seen through the curious gaze of a 5-year-old girl. The second most important award, the Jury Grand Prize, went to another debut feature, namely Nino by French filmmaker Pauline Loquès, the protagonist of which, over three days, must process a dramatic personal news. The third debut on the 2025 Rome Film Festival podium is Wild Nights, Tamed Beasts by Wang Tong, a Chinese neo-noir between thriller and social drama winner of the Best Director Award.

The jury presided by Paola Cortellesi (“each of the award was decided unanimously”, specified one of the members, writer Brian Selznick) then selected Jasmine Trinca as Best Actress for her turn in The Eyes of Others by Andrea de Sica; with much emotion, the actress already awarded in Venice, Cannes and at the David di Donatello Awards dedicated her Rome award “to all the women who in their desire for freedom have found their voice, to all those who thought they didn’t have one, and to all those who, while looking for it, have been silenced by violent men”. 25-year-old English actor Anson Boon won the Best Actor award for his role in Good Boy by Polish filmmaker Jan Komasa.

The Special Jury Prize went to the whole cast of 40 secondi by Vincenzo Alfieri (“for knowing how to work as a unified stage body, combining talent, sensitivity and mutual listening” was the reason), while the Canadian candidate for the Best Foreign Oscar, The Things You Kill by Alireza Khatami, received the Best Screenplay Award.

The Audience Award went to the documentary Roberto Rossellini – Più di una vita by Ilaria De Laurentiis, Andrea Paolo Massara and Raffaele Brunetti, and the Best Debut Feature Award (with Santiago Mitre as jury president) to Tienimi presente by Alberto Palmieri, with a special mention for actors Samuel Bottomley and Séamus McLean Ross for California Schemin’ by James McAvoy.

The Best Documentary Award, given for the first time this year and chosen amongst a selection of titles in the Progressive Cinema Competition and the Special Screenings section, went to Cuba & Alaska by Yegor Troyanovsky, with a Special Mention for the documentary Le Chant des forêts by French filmmaker Vincent Munier.

As for the autonomous section Alice nella Città, which has become its own parallel festival, the jury composed of 35 children aged between 16 and 19 selected Iranian film My Daughter’s Hair by Hesam Farahmand as Best Film, with a Special Mention for French animated title Little Amelie or the Character of Rain by Liane-Cho Han and Maïlys Vallade. The Best Debut Feature Award went to Anemone by Ronan Day-Lewis, which marks the return to the big screen of his actor father Daniel Day-Lewis, while the Audience Award for Best Film in the Panorama Italia went to 2 cuori e 2 capanne by Massimiliano Bruno. Finally, two awards (the RB Casting and the UNITA awards) went to Adalgisa Manfrida for her turn in Ultimo schiaffo by Matteo Oleotto.

The awards:

Progressive Cinema Competition

Best Film
Left-Handed Girl - Shih-Ching Tsou (Taiwan/France/USA/UK)

Jury Grand Prize
Nino - Pauline Loquès (France)

Best Director
Wild Nights, Tamed Beasts - Wang Tong (China)

Best Screenplay
The Things You Kill - Alireza Khatami (France/Poland/Canada/Turkey)

Best Actress – “Monica Vitti” Award
Jasmine Trinca - The Eyes of Others (Italy)

Best Actor – “Vittorio Gassman” Award
Anson Boon - Good Boy (Poland/UK)

Jury Special Prize
The cast of 40 secondi - Vincenzo Alfieri (Italy)

Other Awards

Terna Audience Award
Roberto Rossellini – Più di una vita - Ilaria De Laurentiis, Andrea Paolo Massara, Raffaele Brunetti (Italy)

Poste Italiane Best Debut Feature Award
Tienimi presente - Alberto Palmieri (Italy)
Special Mention
Samuel Bottomley, Séamus McLean Ross - California Schemin’ (USA)

Best Documentary Award
Cuba & Alaska - Yegor Troyanovsky (Ukraine/France/Belgium)
Special Mention
Le Chant des forêts - Vincent Munier (France)

Industry Lifetime Achievement Award
Lord David Puttnam

Career Award
Richard Linklater
Jafar Panahi

Master of Film Award
Edgar Reitz

Progressive Career Award
Nia DaCosta

Alice nella città

Best Film
My Daughter’s Hair - Hesam Farahmand (Iran)

Special Mention
Little Amelie or the Character of Rain - Liane-Cho Han, Maïlys Vallade (France)

Best Debut Feature
Anemone - Ronan Day-Lewis (UK/USA)

Panorama Italia Audience Best Film Award
2 cuori e 2 capanne - Massimiliano Bruno (Italy)

RB Casting Award for Best Young Italian Actor
Adalgisa Manfrida - Ultimo schiaffo (Italy/Slovenia)

UNITA Under 35 Award
Adalgisa Manfrida - Ultimo schiaffo

Best international Short Film in the Onde Corte Section
Rage - Fran Moreno Blanco, Santi Pujol Amat (Spain)

Special Mentions
Astronauta - Giorgio Giampà (Italy/Mexico/Guatemala/France)
Fiori cadono - Ludovica Galletta (Italy)

Onde Corte Audience Award
Tempi supplementari - Matteo Memè (Italy)

Onde Corte Academy Award
Mix Estate ’83 - Cristian Vassallo, students of NABA, Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti (Italy)

Premiere Film Award
Il velo - Cristian Patanè (Italy)

Film Impresa Under 35 Award
Bagarre - Sarah Narducci (Italy)

Rai Cinema Channel Award
Bratiska - Gregorio Mattiocco (Italy)

Andromeda Film Award
Ciao, Varsavia - Diletta Di Nicolantonio (Italy/Poland)

Notorious Award
Lorenzo Garofalo for the Best Film Topic category
Chiara Biava for the Best Series Concept category