Rome, July 29 (LaPresse) – Paola Cortellesi will chair the jury of the Progressive Cinema Competition at the 20th edition of the Rome Film Fest. Joining her on the panel are Finnish director and screenwriter Teemu Nikki, British director and screenwriter William Oldroyd, American writer and illustrator Brian Selznick, and Franco-Finnish actress Nadia Tereszkiewicz.
The festival, chaired by Salvatore Nastasi with Paola Malanga as artistic director, will take place from October 15 to 26, 2025, at the Auditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone.
The Progressive Cinema Competition is the official competitive section of the festival and will present the following awards to films in competition: Best Film, Grand Jury Prize, Best Director, Best Screenplay, the "Monica Vitti" Award for Best Actress, the "Vittorio Gassman" Award for Best Actor, and the Special Jury Prize, selected by the president and jury members from among other categories.
There will also be an award for Best First Feature, dedicated to emerging filmmakers. This prize will be awarded by a separate jury chaired by Argentine director and producer Santiago Mitre, along with Anglo-Irish director and screenwriter Patrick Dickinson and Italian actress Barbara Ronchi. The jury will select a winner from first fiction features presented in the Progressive Cinema Competition, Freestyle, and Grand Public sections.