Italian premieres of Franz [+lee también:
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entrevista: Agnieszka Holland
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entrevista: Kirill Serebrennikov
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entrevista: Ildikó Enyedi
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The latest and most ambitious work by Polish director Agnieszka Holland - chosen by Poland as their candidate for the 2026 Oscar - is a biopic dedicated to the iconic 20th century bohemian writer, Franz Kafka. A kaleidoscopic mosaic, Franz traces back the mark that Kafka left on the world, from his birth in Prague in the 19th century to his death in Vienna after the first world war. Following premieres in Toronto and San Sebastian, the film made the 2026 European Film Awards shortlist in October, earning a nomination for its protagonist Idan Weiss.

Joining Franz in the festival’s traditional double opening slot is The Disappearance of Josef Mengele by Kirill Serebrennikov (hitting Italian cinemas on 29 January via Europictures), which is making its debut in Italy following the film’s world premiere in the Cannes Premiere section. At the core of the Russian director’s controversial movie is the life story of Josef Mengele, known as the “Angel of Death”. In the period following the Second World War, the Nazi doctor based in Auschwitz flees to South America to rebuild a hidden life for himself but, seen through the eyes of his son who finds him, he’s forced to face up to a past he can no longer ignore. Serebrennikov will host a masterclass the morning after the screening (21 January), moderated by Joël Chapron, the Cannes Film Festival’s long-term collaborator and an expert in Russian and Soviet cinema.

The festival’s closing slot, meanwhile, will focus on Silent Friend by Hungarian director Ildikó Enyedi (distributed by Italy’s Movies Inspired), which was presented in competition at the most recent Venice Film Festival, where actress Luna Wedler was awarded the Marcello Mastroianni Prize. In the heart of a botanical garden in a German medieval university town stands a majestic ginkgo tree, which has silently witnessed three human lives for over a century. In 2020, a neuroscientist from Hong Kong initiates an unexpected experiment; in 1972, a young student is profoundly changed by the simple act of observing and connecting with a geranium, and in 1908 the first woman admitted to university discovers the universe’s sacred designs hidden inside the humblest plants. Enyedi is due to meet the public in a masterclass unfolding in the afternoon of the festival’s final day.