Pietro Marcello will be a guest at the Lucca Festival XXI edition, where he will present his latest film, DUSE.
Director and screenwriter Pietro Marcello will be one of the guests at the twenty-first edition of the Lucca Film Festival, which will be held in the Tuscan city from September 20 to 28, 2025, under the artistic direction of Nicola Borrelli and made possible thanks to the contribution of the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Lucca. Pietro Marcello will be honored with a special evening—in collaboration with PiperFilm—during which his latest film, Duse, dedicated to the legendary Italian actress and starring Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, will be screened.
Duse, in competition at the Venice Film Festival, recounts the last years of La Divina, narrated from an unusual point of view: that of her daughter. Written by Marcello himself with Letizia Russo and Guido Silei, the film boasts cinematography by Marco Graziaplena, editing by Fabrizio Federico and Cristiano Travaglioli, original music by Marco Messina, Sacha Ricci, and Fabrizio Elvetico, set design by Gaspare De Pascali, costumes by Ursula Patzak, and casting by Davide Zurolo. Duse is a Palomar production (a Mediawan company), Avventurosa with Rai Cinema and PiperFilm in co-production with Ad Vitam Films. In theaters on September 18, distributed by Piperfilm, the film will be showing at the Cinema Centrale in Lucca.
From the first guest announced to young authors, who have always been one of the focuses of the Lucca Film Festival. This commitment is reflected in the screenwriting course “Scrivere Cinema”, launched last year with the aim of helping young aspiring authors hone the art of screenwriting. Open to writers (minimum age for enrollment: 16), the course is free and will take place in Lucca during the festival. All information can be found at https://www.luccafilmfestival.it/bando-scrivere-cinema-2025/.
To participate, you must send a short film script of no more than one page (1,800 characters, 30 lines of 60 characters each) and a cover letter, together with the registration form, to the email address: scriverecinema@luccafilmfestival.it.
Registration is open until August 26, 2025, and 15 students will be selected. During the workshop, classroom teaching will be supplemented by optional participation in at least three masterclasses with leading international directors and artists attending the event. Classroom lessons will be held from September 20 to 28, 2025, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. every day, with teacher, screenwriter, and director Cristina Puccinelli. One lesson will be held by a well-known Italian screenwriter. At the end of the course, students will submit a short film script, and the best one will be awarded a prize of €1,000 to be used for its development. A jury of experts will decide the winner at its sole discretion.
At the Lucca Film Festival, twelve films will be presented in Italian premiere in the feature film competition, while short films from around the world will enliven the competition dedicated to them and the LFF For Future competition, created in 2023 in collaboration with the Sofidel Group, a leading manufacturer of toilet and household paper, known worldwide for its Regina brand. The exhibition space at Palazzo Guinigi will host the festival’s exhibitions from September 10 to 28, 2025. Over the years, the Lucca Film Festival has hosted big names in international cinema, paying tribute to the greats of international cinema from Oliver Stone to David Lynch, Susan Sarandon to Isabelle Huppert, Rutger Hauer to George Romero, Paolo Sorrentino to Willem Dafoe, from Chiara Mastroianni and Paul Schrader to Matthew Modine and Ruben Östlund, as well as Ethan Hawke and Gaspar Noè, becoming a cultural landmark in Tuscany.
The event is made possible thanks to the contribution of the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Lucca. With the participation of the Municipality of Lucca and Vivi Lucca Eventi, with the co-participation of Lands of Giacomo Puccini and the North-West Tuscany Chamber of Commerce. Banca Generali Private Wealth Management (Paolo Tacchi) and Banca Pictet are the main sponsors of the event and exhibitions. The initiative is part of the National Cinema and Images for Schools Plan promoted by MiC and MIM. The festival also enjoys the support of the Ministry of Culture – Directorate-General for Cinema and Audiovisual, the Tuscany Region, Fondazione Sistema Toscana, Manifatture Digitali Cinema, Sofidel, Fondazione Banca del Monte di Lucca, Fondazione Giacomo Puccini, and Puccini Museum – Casa Natale, Audi Center Terigi, Lions Club Lucca Le Mura, Tenuta del Buonamico, Martinelli Luce, Naturanda, Futuro3D, in collaboration with SIAE – Italian Society of Authors and Publishers, and is co-produced by Tecno Servizi, Ristorante Giglio, Palazzo Pfanner, Over The Real, Teatro del Giglio di Lucca, Scuola IMT Alti Studi Lucca, Accademia di Belle Arti di Carrara, Liceo Artistico Musicale e Coreutico Augusto Passaglia, Liceo Classico N. Machiavelli, ISIS Pertini, Associazione 50&PIÙ, ACLI Lucca. We would also like to thank ANSA, Rai Toscana, Rai Radio 3, Movieplayer.it, Film4 Life, Festival Scope, A.C.S.I. Associazione Centri Sportivi Italiani, Federazione Italiana Teatro Amatori (FITA), Trenitalia, Fic, Uicc, Cinit, Ucca, Arci, Fedic, Corte Tripoli, Circolo del Cinema di Lucca, Cineforum Ezechiele 25:17, Cinema Centrale, Astra e Moderno, Cinema Arsenale, University of Pisa, University of Florence, Fondazione Carlo Ludovico Ragghianti, Pisa al Cinema, Cinema Arsenale, Cineteca Bologna, Cineteca Nazionale, Istituto Musicale Luigi Boccherini, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Italia, Associazione Donne all’Ultimo Grido, SPAM! Network for Contemporary Arts, Lucca Comics & Games, Photolux Festival, Lucca Classica Music Festival.
For more information
www.luccafilmfestival.it/bando-scrivere-cinema-2025/
segreteria@luccafilmfestival.it
scriverecinema@luccafilmfestival.it
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