The Solinas Prize – since 1985 the most important Italian recognition for cinematic writing – celebrates its 40th anniversary in Rome with the free and public exhibition “Hitting the heart. The strength of stories and debuts” created in collaboration with the Fondazione Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia and supported by MIC – Directorate General for Cinema and Audiovisual, Regione Lazio, Lazio Terra di Cinema, Regione Sardegna and with the support of Rai Cinema, Allianz and Howden.
The Awards Ceremony of the Franco Solinas International Prize for Best Screenplay will take place on December 16th and will feature the director and screenwriter among the protagonists Paolo Sorrentino, winner of the Solinas Film Made in Italy Award (1999) for The Extra Man, his debut film. The director will be awarded the Franco Solinas Quarantennale Special Prize.
The exhibition, scheduled from 3 to 14 December at the Experimental Center of Cinematography Foundation (Via Tuscolana, 1524) and the Cinema Spazio Apollo 11 (Via Bixio 80/A), will be dedicated to some of the cinematographic works that made their debut with the Solinas Prize and will allow the public in the theater to meet the authors, artists who are today recognized as the most authoritative voices on the Italian cinematographic and audiovisual panorama, among these: Claudio Cupellini, Filippo Gravino and Guido Iuculano (Una Vita Tranquilla, Winner of the Solinas Storie Prize for Cinema 2003); Edoardo De Angelis. (Mozzarella Stories, Solinas Award Finalist – Leo Benvenuti for comedy screenplay 2007); Valerio Mieli, Isabella Aguilar and Davide Lantieri (Dieci Inverni, Finalist Solinas Stories for Cinema Award 2007), Luca Vendruscolo, Marco Damilano, Massimo De Lorenzo and Gianluca Arcopinto (with the homage to Mattia Torre for Rainy Cows, Winner of the Solinas Award 1996), Enzo Monteleone and Mario Canale (with the homage to Carlo Mazzacurati, 1987 Solinas Prize finalist with Marrakech Express, written with Umberto Contarello and Enzo Monteleone, with the screening of the documentary Carlo Mazzacurati – Unacertain idea of cinema); Alessandro Fabbri, Ludovica Rampoldi and Stefano Sardo (The double hour, Special Mention Solinas Stories for Cinema Award 2007); Paolo Strippoli, Jacopo Del Giudice and Milo Tissone (The Valley of Smiles, Winner of Best Subject Franco Solinas Award 2019); Levi Riso, Andrea Cedrola and Stefano Grasso (Darker than Midnight, Solinas Stories for Cinema Award Finalist 2010); Guido Lombardi (The Thief of Days, Winner of the Solinas Stories for Cinema Award 2007) to close with Marco Ponti (Santa Maradona, Winner of the Solinas Award Development Grant 1997).
“I am proud to celebrate the fortieth anniversary – declares Annamaria Granatello, President and Director of the Solinas Prize – with iconic titles born with the Award and which marked the debut and career of authors who are today considered an integral part of the history of Italian and international cinema and audiovisual. The Solinas Prize has always had as its mission: support young people in a concrete way creating opportunities for beginners and enhancing the figure of the screenwriter and the strength of ideas and stories, the true driving force of the entire audiovisual chain. As an industry, we must continue to believe and invest in the early days, only in this way will it be possible to build the future of this sector.”
WEDNESDAY 3 DECEMBER
• Experimental Center of Cinematography Foundation
Ore 9:30
A QUIET LIFE, written by Filippo Gravino, Guido Iuculano and Claudio Cupellini, directed by Claudio Cupellini
Winner of the Solinas Stories for Cinema Award 2003.
Meeting with Claudio Cupellini, Filippo Gravino and Guido Iuculano.
WEDNESDAY 10 DECEMBER
• Experimental Center of Cinematography Foundation
Ore 15:00
MOZZARELLA STORIES written by Edoardo De Angelis, Devor De Pascalis, Barbara Petronio, Leonardo Valenti, with the collaboration of Pietro Albino Di Pasquale. Directed by Edoardo De Angelis
Solinas Prize Finalist – Leo Benvenuti for comedy screenplay 2007.
Meeting with Edoardo De Angelis.
• Cinema Spazio Apollo 11
Ore 20:30
TEN WINTERS written by Isabella Aguilar, Davide Lantieri and Valerio Mieli, directed by Valerio Mieli
Solinas Stories for Cinema Award finalist 2007.
Meeting with Valerio Mieli, Isabella Aguilar and Davide Lantieri.
THURSDAY 11 DECEMBER
• Experimental Center of Cinematography Foundation
Ore 15:00
TRIBUTE TO MATTIA TORRE
IT’S RAINING COWS written by Filippo Bellizzi, Marco Damilano, Massimo De Lorenzo, Marco Marafini, Mattia Torre and Luca Vendruscolo. Directed by Luca Vendruscolo
Winner of the Solinas Prize 1996.
Meeting with Luca Vendruscolo, Marco Damilano, Massimo De Lorenzo and Gianluca Arcopinto.
• Cinema Spazio Apollo 11
Ore 20:30
TRIBUTE TO CARLO MAZZACURATI – Author of MARRAKECH EXPRESS written with Umberto Contarello and Enzo Monteleone
Solinas Prize Finalist 1987.
Screening of the documentary CARLO MAZZACURATI – A CERTAIN IDEA OF CINEMA by Mario Canale and Enzo Monteleone.
Meeting with Enzo Monteleone and Mario Canale.
FRIDAY 12 DECEMBER
• Cinema Spazio Apollo 11
Ore 18:30
THE DOUBLE HOUR written by Alessandro Fabbri, Ludovica Rampoldi and Stefano Sardo, directed by Giuseppe Capotondi
Special Mention Solinas Stories for Cinema Award 2007.
Meeting with Alessandro Fabbri and Ludovica Rampoldi.
• Cinema Spazio Apollo 11
Ore 21:00
THE VALLEY OF SMILES written by Jacopo Del Giudice, Paolo Strippoli and Milo Tissone, directed by Paolo Strippoli
Winner of Best Subject Franco Solinas Award 2019.
Meeting with Paolo Strippoli, Jacopo Del Giudice and Milo Tissone.
SATURDAY 13 DECEMBER
• Cinema Spazio Apollo 11
Ore 18:30
DARKER THAN MIDNIGHT written by Levi Riso, Andrea Cedrola and Stefano Grasso, directed by Levi Riso
Solinas Stories for Cinema Award finalist 2010.
Meeting with Levi Riso, Andrea Cedrola and Stefano Grasso.
• Cinema Spazio Apollo 11
Ore 21:00
THE THIEF OF DAYS story by Guido Lombardi, screenplay by Guido Lombardi, Luca De Benedittis and Marco Gianfreda, directed by Guido Lombardi
Winner of the Solinas Stories for Cinema Award 2007.
Meeting with Guido Lombardi.
SUNDAY 14 DECEMBER
• Cinema Spazio Apollo 11
Ore 18:30
SANTA MARADONA written and directed by Marco Ponti
Winner of the Solinas Award Development Grant 1997.
Meeting with Marco Ponti.
You can download the program of Solinas Prize 2025 activities on the site www.premiosolinas.it