Italian Global Series Festival: TV series to star in Rimini and Riccione from 21 to 28 June

Nine years on from the last edition of the RomaFictionFest (2007-2016), television series are once again being celebrated at an international even: the Italian Global Series Festival, organized by APA Associazione Produttori Audiovisivi, with the support of the Ministry of Culture, SIAE and AGIS, is scheduled for a new location - Rimini and Riccione from 21 to 28 June 2025 – with a new programme.

“A ‘Cannes for TV series’ is how I imagined the transformation of the Riviera Romagnola, when I announced the Festival a year ago in the land that gave birth to Federico Fellini”, commented the Undersecretary of Culture Lucia Borgonzoni about the location. “Eight days where artists and productions from Italy and abroad are protagonists, with screenings, awards, meetings. I am sure that the project, which has taken shape over recent months, will become a strong player in the international festival panorama and establish itself as an event with a very strong appeal, essential and unmissable”.

“The city of Rimini is already comparable to a capital of cinema” reiterated the President of the Emilia-Romagna Region Michele De Pascale. "In recent years, the Region has made major investment in support for regional, national and international productions that choose to shoot feature films, documentaries, TV series here, through the valuable work of the Emilia-Romagna Film Commission, and training. On the one hand, this Festival is an important opportunity for us to promote and gain visibility and on the other, it represents the opportunity to further reposition Emilia-Romagna as the ideal place for film productions of any kind”.

The idea of the Italian Global Series Festival grew out of the ten-year experience of RomaFictionFest. Chiara Sbarigia, APA President, recalls its development over the years in terms of economic commitment and quality: "APA created the festival back in 2007, sparked by Adriano Ariè and Carlo Bixio’s understanding of the cultural and economic value of television series, and it continued for ten editions. The festival is now regaining strength and momentum, setting up in a place to inextricably linked to cinema, birthplace of some of our greatest masters, such as Federico Fellini and Tonino Guerra, which has welcomed the project with enthusiasm. Italian series have made giant steps in recent years, enjoyed and well-established not only with the Italian public, but also globally, earning the respect of the most severe critics".

Sbarigia has fielded the choice of professionals for the event, starting with festival director Marco Spagnoli, journalist, critic, director with vast experience, on the staff of previous festivals. He gave some details about the upcoming festival: the I Cesaroni reunion (Season 7 starts filming in Rome on March 17), an appointment with the cast of Mare Fuori (set in a juvenile penal institution of Naples) and a meeting about Sandokan, in addition to a rich line-up of previews of national and international series, and the presentation of some unpublished footage.

At the presentation press conference, Carlo Verdone, representing the world of series, talked about the extraordinary achievement of his first series Vita da Carlo, shot almost entirely in Rome, (Season 4 is currently in postproduction): "It was a gamble that came out of Covid, the empty theatres. One of the scriptwriters came up with the idea of ??telling my life, combining real experiences with fictional elements. We felt we had a lot of freedom, because 10 episodes allowed us to cover a huge space,” said the actor and director, who also announced a film in the script stage.

Previews, conversations and awards: line-up of the TV series Festival

The Festival Director, Marco Spagnoli, outlined some of the events that will feature at the Italian Global Series Festival, starting with the jury presidents: Bille August, Cristina Comencini and Paolo Genovese.

Elena Sofia Ricci, Carlo Verdone and actress Evangeline Lilly (Lost), Oscar-winning music producer Giorgio Moroder and British actress Adjoa Andoh (Bridgerton’s Queen Charlotte) will receive Excellence Awards.

The Italian Global Series Festival godmother is actress Caterina De Angelis, one of the most promising faces in the Italian audiovisual panorama. An event will celebrate the Sicilian writer and screenwriter Andrea Camilleri, the "father" of Inspector Montalbano, who would have turned 100 this year.

There are also Conversations with great writers and stars of Italian series and leading figures from the world of the Festivals, including director Marco Bellocchio who will talk with Alberto Barbera, director of the Venice Film Festival, and actor and director Michele Placido with Giulio Base, director of the Turin Festival.

The international competition of the Italian Global Series Festival includes four sections: Drama, Comedy, Limited Series, TV Movies. Each section has awards for Best Series, Best Leading Actor and Actress, Best Creator and/or Director.

A Special Silver Ribbon will be awarded to a major international co-production at the Festival by the National Union of Film Journalists with President Laura Delli Colli. “Straordinarie – le donne raccontate dalla serialità” features the consultancy of Carlo Chatrian, Director of the Turin Cinema Museum, and is a journey through series that focus on women. The De Sanctis Award will be presented by President Francesco De Sanctis.

The titles featured in Riccione and Rimini include: Il Paradiso delle signore (Aurora Tv), shooting in Rome to January 2025, also featuring at the festival with an exhibition of costumes; Balene (Fastfilm), shooting in the Marche region to February 2025; Blanca 3 (Lux Vide) shooting in Genoa and Rome until early March 2025; Cuori 3 (Aurora Tv), shooting in Turin to May 2025; I casi dell’avvocato Guerrieri with Alessandro Gassmann (Bartleby Film, Combo International), shooting in Bari and Rome ended December 2024; Come un padre by Luca Miniero (Mad Entertainment), shooting ended in Naples in December 2024; Estranei (Eagle Original Content), shot in Parma and Trieste; The Other Inspector (Anele) shot in Rome and Lucca in 2024; The Free Women (Endemol Shine Italy), shooting in Rome and Lucca ended December 2024; and a special event linked to The Camorrista by Giuseppe Tornatore.