The Italian Film Festival returns to Manila this month with six contemporary films, including new works by Paolo Sorrentino and Paolo Genovese.

The festival will run from 26 June to 1 July at the Red Carpet Cinema in Shangri-La Plaza, Mandaluyong City. Admission is free, with screenings scheduled daily at 6 p.m.

This year's program presents six recent Italian films released in 2025, offering Filipino audiences a look at the country's current filmmaking landscape.

Among the featured titles is La Grazia (The Pardon), Sorrentino's political drama about an outgoing Italian president confronted with two requests for executive clemency. Genovese, whose Perfect Strangers became an international hit, returns with FolleMente (Madly), a comedy that follows the thoughts and emotions of two people on a date.

The lineup also includes Elisa by Leonardo Di Costanzo, Gioia Mia (Sweetheart) by Margherita Spampinato, La Vita da Grandi (Siblings) by Greta Scarano, and Le Città di Pianura (The Last One for the Road) by Francesco Sossai.

Now a regular fixture on Manila's cultural calendar, the festival serves as a showcase for contemporary Italian filmmaking beyond the titles that typically reach commercial cinemas. The screenings also provide local viewers with access to films that have recently circulated in Europe.

The festival is organized by the Embassy of Italy in Manila together with Elephant Pictures, Cineforum Robert Bresson, the Philippine-Italian Association and Shangri-La Plaza's Red Carpet Cinemas.

Antonio Termenini, founder of Cineforum Robert Bresson and managing director of Elephant Pictures, continues to oversee the festival's artistic direction and film selection.