Press release

Visioni dal Mondo 2025: eleven years of perspectives on reality 

“ONE STEP FURTHER” is the theme of the 11° International Documentary Festival Visioni dal Mondo, returning to Milan from September 11 to 14 with Italian and International premieres, talks, industry events

Guest of honor: Luca Lucini, director and producer

Main sponsor: GKSD Investment Holding Group

Milan, July 17 2025 – From September 11 to 14, Milan once again becomes the capital of documentary cinema with the 11° International Documentary Festival Visioni dal Mondo, conceived an directed by Francesco Bizzarri, with artistic direction of Maurizio Nichetti.

The 2025 theme is ONE STEP FURTHER: an invitation to move beyond indifference, to rediscover the beauty of reality, and to take responsability for a new, critical, and conscious perspective. In an era marked by crisis, confusion and haste, Visioni dal Mondo calls for a symbolic yet tangible gesture, an act of will toward a more sustainable future.
ONE STEP FURTHER is not just a reflection, but an action: a call to look beyond the immediate and the superficial, to question the world with a critical eye and an open heart.

The visual for this edition is powerful and evocative: a silhouetted human figure moves toward a beam of light breaking through the darkness – a symbol of discovery, awareness and the passage towards new visions. It’s the visual manifesto of the 2025 edition of the Festival, a metaphor for both personal and collective growth, inviting everyone to choose to take “ONE STEP FURTHER”, to be moved, to refuse stillness, and to embark on the path of sensitive intelligence.

Visioni dal Mondo celebrates documentary film as a tool for understanding the present, a language of investigation, but also an aesthetic and huma experience.

“2025 marks eleven years of Visioni dal Mondo’s commitment to promoting documentary cinema as an art form, a civic act, and a means of knowledge.”  – said Francesco Bizzarri, founder and President of Visioni dal Mondo – “The Festival continues to be a unique platform for giving voice to reality, a meeting point for filmmakers, producers, distributors, audiences, and audiovisual industry professionals. ‘ONE STEP FURTHER’, this year’s theme, is not just an invitation to reflect, but a call to look beyond. It is documentary cinema, inherently free by nature, that challenges and guides us on this path: it shakes us, questions us, awakens responsibility. In an era where listening to the truth is already an act of resistance, the Festival aims to be a light cutting through the present, a spark for imagining the future, and an opportunity to create deep and conscious connections.”

“Visioni dal Mondo is a moment of reflection and dialogue on documentary cinema as a living, necessary language, one capable of telling the present with authenticity. The Festival confirms itslf as an observatory on reality, a space where invisible stories find voice and form, far from simplification and the frenzy of reports. This year’s theme, ONE STEP FURTHER, is and invitation to go beyond, to look more deeply, to resist superficiality. In an age when artificial intelligence promises to replicate all our cognitive functions, it is both provocative – and essential – to speak of real intelligence: the kind born of sensitivity, imagination, empathy, and the ability to be moved. It is what truly makes us human. Documentary cinema embodies this authentic intelligence, and today more than ever, it is an act of freedom and awareness, a resistance against conformity.” Maurizio Nichetti, artistic director of Visioni del Mondo.

Over the course of 4 days, the Festival will host national and international premieres, meetings with key figures of documentary cinema, roundtables, and business sessions with Visioni Incontra, the Festival’s Industry section, curated by Cinzia Masòtina, Head of Industry.

Luca Lucini, director and producer, will be the guest of honor of this edition, contributing his sensitivity and unique artistic vision to the dialogue between cinema and reality in a public conversation with Maurizio Nichetti, taking place on Saturday, September 13 at Teatro Litta.

For its 2025 edition, Visioni dal Mondo confirms its prestigious venues in the heart of Milan:

• Teatro Litta, one of the most significant examples of Lombard architecture;
• Cineteca Milano Arlecchino, a model of modern art-house cinema in the city’s cultural landscape;
• Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci, the most important science and technology museum in Italy and one of the leading institutions of its kind in Europe and the world, cultural partner of the Festival for Visioni VR, the section entirely dedicated to virtual reality.

Joining these is a prestigious new venue: the Sala Azzurra of the historic Palazzo Litta, a symbol of Milan and a significant architectural and cultural landmark of the city.

Once again this year, the Festival will offer audiences across Italy the opportunity to watch the premieres online via the virtual cinemas on the Italian platform MYmovies, accessible through the official website www.visionidalmondo.it.

Partner and sponsor 2025
The 11th Visioni dal Mondo International Documentary Festival is organized by Frankieshowbiz.
Main sponsor GKSD Investment Holding Group, sponsor Pirelli and Fundstore.
The Festival receives support from the City of Milan and is held under the patronage of Regione Lombardia, Rai Documentari, the 100autori association for film and television authorship, and CNA Cinema & Audiovisivo Lombardia.
With the support of Rai Cinema, the Festival’s media partners include Rai Cultura, Radio24 as radio media partner, and Taxi Drivers as web media partner.
Festival partners CoPro – The Israeli Market, BIO TO B Industry Days, Millennium Docs Against Gravity Film Festival.
The Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci is the cultural partner and the festival also benefit from the support of Image Building and the collaboration of Cinecittà, Lombardia Film Commission, Doc/it – Associazione Documentaristi Italiani, MYmovies.it and Cineteca Milano Arlecchino.
The Festival is a member of Afic – Italian Film Festival Association.

The premieres
A total of 36 Italian and international documentary film premieres are scheduled across the different sections of the 11th Visioni dal Mondo Festival: the Italian Competition, with the Feature – Length and New Talent First Work categories dedicated to Italian filmmakers; the International Competition, dedicated to foreign productions; the Visioni VR Competition, reserved for virtual reality works; and the Out of Competition Panorama.

I temi dei film documentari
Through a deep and polyphonic perspective, the Festival offers a critical reading of the major changes of our time by addressing global contemporary issues such as democratic transformations, political instability, institutional fragility, and the need to redefine citizenship in a polarized world marked by inequality. Historical memory is valued as a warning for the present, carrying the responsibility to prevent the repetition of past tragedies. The environment and new forms of sustainability represent another central theme: climate change and the ecological crisis are portrayed not only as emergencies, but as ethical and cultural challenges. Alongside these, key issues such as identity, migration, social justice, and technology are interwoven, creating a mosaic that reflects the complexity of our era. Milan itself becomes a stage for diverse and evocative narratives.The city reveals itself as welcoming and supportive, a refuge for those fleeing war, but also as a capital of culture and theatre: from historci cafés to cabaret venues, from bars of the 1960s where Jannacci and Gaber performed, to La Scala resonating with Puccini’s notes, the city celebrates freedom of critical thought and humor, turning comedy into a form of resistance. At the same time, Milan reveals its vulnerabilities and potential drifts: in a hypotetical future shaken by the extreme effects of climate change, the city appears fractured by new inequalities.

Opening film of Visioni dal Mondo 2025, in its world premiere, is “Luca: Seeing Red” by Manish Pandey and Christopher M. Armstrong, which tells the story of the rise of Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, who in the  ’70 reshaped Ferrari, leading it to titles with Niki Lauda and Michael Schumacher. More than just an executive, he became the public face of the Prancing Horse and a symbol of industrial Italy. The documentary film follows his journey from a young enthusiast chosen by Enzo Ferrari to his victories on the track and his long career at the top of motorsport and business.

Powerful stories, intimate testimonies, and urgent reflections on our time run through the premieres of real-life storytelling, capable of shedding light on the deeper issues of society and collective memory. Among them:

• “The Last Republican” by Steve Pink follows the trajectory of Adam Kinzinger, a Republican congressman who sacrificed his career and personal relationships to remain loyal to the truth. In his final year in Congress, Kinzinger faces the consequences of his opposition to Donald Trump following the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, challenging his own party through an intense and often ironic dialogue that reflects on the meaning of democracy and integrity.
• “Get the Land Back” by Elad Orenstein and Irmy Shik-Blum humorously tells the surreal battle of a father and son trying to reclaim a small family plot in the West Bank, now occupied by Israeli settlers who have opened a winery on it. To reclaim it, the two stage a patriotic film, gaining permits and public support. The result is a smart and provocative documentary that lightly exposes the contradictions of the occupation.
• “BEREHYNIA, women of Kyiv” by Vito Robbiani takes us to Ukraine, invaded by Russia, where the editorial team of ELLE Ukraine continues publishing amid sirens, blackouts, and volunteer work. Four editors recount how work, self-care, and solidarity become forms of resistance. With elegance and determination, they turn their everyday lives into a powerful act of opposition to brutality, offering an intimate look at the identity of a country that refuses to surrender.
• “Achille Lauro – the cruise of terror” by Simone Manetti reconstructs the dramatic hijacking of the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro, which took place on October 7, 1985, off the Egyptian coast. A Palestinian commando took more than 500 passengers hostage, sparking four days of fear and international negotiations that culminated in the killing of an American citizen and a major diplomatic crisis between Italy, Egypt, and the United States. Nearly forty years later, the documentary revisits the event through first-hand accounts from survivors, involved officials, and even one of the hijackers, along with archival materials, revealing the complexity and tension of a story that has largely faded from collective memory. A tragic coincidence makes the date even more significant, as another major escalation in the Middle East conflict began on October 7, 2023.
• “A hunderd and more. Puccini and us” by Angelo Bozzolini, co-produced by Rai Documentari, is a modern portrait of Giacomo Puccini, intertwining his private life and musical legacy, showing how the maestro has influenced jazz, musicals, cinema, rock, and Italian popular music. The documentary portrays Puccini as an innovator and lover of beauty, still relevant today. Narrated by Francesco Russo, with contributions from Antonio Pappano, Rajna Kabaivanska, Plácido Domingo, Nicola Piovani, Nicoletta Mantovani, Roby Facchinetti, and Fortunato Ortombina, it celebrates Puccini’s timeless relevance.
• “The Last Cabaret” by Eugenio Rigacci, explores the rebellious tradition of cabaret, a political and poetic workshop for comedians, with archival footage, unpublished material, and voices of Claudio Bisio, Ale and Franz, Luciana Litizzetto, Enzo Iacchetti and Giancarlo Bozzo. The documentary retraces the history of the genre: from the Parisian Chat Noir to Futurism, from the Milanese bars of Jannacci and Gaber to the Zelig stage.
• “Climate art: from protest to utopia” by Mathias Frick explores how contemporary art addresses the climate crisis. The documentary analyzes the contradictions of the global art system, from its environmental impact to market dynamics, and offers a portrait of contemporary art suspended between utopia and critique, in search of new forms of action in a changing world.

The documentary film screenings, presented in their original language with subtitles, will feature the presence of national and international directors in the audience who will engage in discussions with the public, answering questions, curiosities, and providing deeper insights.

THE SECTIONS OF THE FESTIVAL
➢ Italian Contest, the heart of the event, dedicated to Italian documentaries with two categories, Feature-Length and New Talent First Work. 19 documentary films in world premiere will compete in the:

• Visioni dal Mondo Award for Italian Feature Films del valued at 5,000 euros, awarded by a jury including: Giovanna Boursier, journalist, writer, and documentarian, Ruben Gagliardini, director and author, Laura Zagordi, professor of directing and production at the Civica Scuola di Cinema Luchino Visconti.
• GKSD Investment Holding New Talent Award, valued at 2,500 euros, awarded by a jury composed of students from the following Milanese cinema schools and faculties: Civica Scuola di Cinema Luchino Visconti, IED – Istituto Europeo di Design, and Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia and Libera università di lingue e comunicazione IULM.
• The feature films in the contest will also be eligible for the Rai Cinema Recognition, dedicated to Franco Scaglia, which includes the acquisition of television rights for Rai Networks.

➢ The International Contest, open to independent foreign productions, will feature the Italian premieres of 7 documentary films competing for the following awards:

• Visioni dal Mondo Award for Best International Documentary, valued at 3,000 euros, awarded by an international jury including: Carolin Halperin, commissioning editor at Rundfunk Berlin Brandenburg (RBB)/ARTE, Artur Liebhart, president and founder of Millennium Docs Against Gravity Film Festival, and Kilian Kiefel, sales manager for documentary area at Mediawan Rights.
• Amici Cineteca Milano Award, awarded by a jury composed of holders of the 2024 Cinetessera membership card from Cineteca Milano Arlecchino.

Additionally, all titles from both the Italian and international contest available on MYmovies will compete for the MYmovies Award given by the community of film enthusiasts registered on the MYmovies ONE platform. The prize includes the proposal of SVOD on MYmovies ONE for 18 months with a flat fee of € 2,000 and media promotion of an equal value in the event of theatrical distribution.

➢ Panorama Out of Competition features the special screening of the feature films “Our short century” by Michela Andreozzi, Massimiliano Bruno, Claudia Gerini, Edoardo Leo, Francesca Mazzoleni, Rocco Papaleo, Sydney Sibilia which celebrates the centenary of the Istituto Luce, one of the oldest and most important public film institutions in the world, with a collective documentary intertwining memory and comedy; “Climate art: from protest to utopia” di Mathias Frick by Mathias Frick, which explores the contribution of contemporary art in addressing the climate crisis; and the short films “If I fall I rise again” by Luca De Benedetti which tells the behind-the-scenes story of synchronized ice skating, focusing on emotions, fears, and the strength to always rise together; “Voice of Humanity”

by Kai Sehr, produced for the Directorate-General for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations of the European Commission, which recounts the experiences of those living and working in areas marked by conflict and humanitarian crises.

➢ Visioni VR. Now in its fourth edition, the Festival section entirely dedicated to virtual reality was born from the collaboration between Visioni dal Mondo and the Leonardo da Vinci National Museum of Science and Technology. The goal is to promote “virtual” creativity in documentary filmmaking and to offer the audience increasingly immersive experiences.

“This year again, Visioni VR aims to showcase the vibrancy of the virtual landscape dedicated to cinema of the real. The goal, as always, is to offer quality content while highlighting the plurality and innovation of the languages: from linear 360° to interactive, to 6DoF, from CGI to live action. The rapid evolution of technologies (AI glasses, mixed reality, spatial computing) requires now more than ever a constant dialogue with immersive languages, which are still under development, as well as the optimization of accessibility: but it is precisely in this phase of transition and maturation that the most exciting opportunities open up for creators and audiences alike”, says Luca Roncella, Head of Gaming & Digital Interactivity at the Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci.

This year at Visioni VR 6 documentaries range from current affairs to pedagogy, from physical journeys to inner explorations, and even to crucial events in recent history: “Egon Schiele – A Personal Encounter” by Gerda Leopold, “Ice Sailors” by Jérôme Waeselynck, “Le Palais” by Gilles Boustani, “Les Délices” by Catherine Bélanger, “Marco Polo VR Experience” by Marco Aldo Pizzoni and “Sweet end of the world!” by Stefano Conca Bonizzoni.

The films compete for the special Visioni dal Mondo Award, granted by a popular jury (€1,000), and for a Special Mention awarded by a jury of experts composed of press members and content creators.

➢ Visioni Incontra. Visioni Incontra, the Industry section of the Festival curated by Cinzia Masòtina, Head of Industry, will open the event and take place on Thursday September 11, and Friday September 12. This section, exclusively dedicated to the industry, by invitation and for accredited professionals only, includes the Visioni Incontra Competition, focused on documentary projects still in the work-in-progress or final development phase, one-on-one meetings with potential financiers, commissioning editors, co-producers, distributors, film commissions, funds, panels, and roundtables.
17 Italian and international projects compete, covering art, sport, female self-determination, historical memory, and civil rights. Art, dance, and poetry explore creative strength, while sport becomes a challenge and redemption. The selected documentary projects explore identity, trauma, love, sexuality, intertwining fragility and courage. From struggles for freedom to climate change, these 17 projects offer a view of the world that unites the intimate and the collective.

The projects will compete for:

• Visioni Incontra Award for Best Documentary Project, valued at 2,500 euros;
• Lo Scrittoio Subtitles Award, granted to the project that best represents global and intercultural themes;
• Archivio Documentario Luce Award, consisting of the provision of up to 5 minutesof archival material from Luce, awarded to the project deemed most interesting for its use of the archive by Luce officials;
• La Compagnia Award, involving the selection of a project that, once completed, will be included in the programming of Cinema La Compagnia in Florence, the only cinema in Italy exclusively dedicated to documentary films;
• Bio to B Award, involving the selection of a project that will be able to participate in Bio to B – Industry Days, the annual event organized by Biografilm Festival (Bologna) dedicated to business-to-business networking among audiovisual professionals;
• CoPro – The Israeli Coproduction Market Award, involving the selection of a project that will be able to participate in CoPro – The Israeli Coproduction Market, a key event in the Israeli film industry;
• Millennium Docs Against Gravity Film Festival Award, comprising the selection of a project that will have the opportunity toparticipate in the Industry section of the Millennium Docs Against Gravity Film Festival, a major Polish festival;
• Wanted Cinema Award consisting of the selection of a project that, once completed, will be distributed on the VOD platform affiliated with Wanted Cinema and included in the programming of the Wanted Clan cinema.

Additionally, out of competition, the project “All the evil in the world: death in Cairo”, directed by Simone Manetti, produced by MOVIMENTO FILM, producers Mario Mazzarotto and Agnese Ricchi, winner of the Visioni Incontra Award at Bio to B – Industry Days 2025 of the Biografilm Festival, in partnership with the Bologna event.

“This year Visioni Incontra celebrates its tenth anniversary, and without rhetoric I can say that the idea of creating and developing an international documentary film market in Lombardy and Milan, once a bet, has proven to be a vibrant, engaged, and necessary reality for industry professionals – says Cinzia Masòtina, Head of Industry -. Once again, we received a large number of projects, both Italian and international, and the selection was particularly challenging. The themes and worlds explored are very diverse, with auteur approaches of high quality and production values that give hope for the future of these documentaries still in their ‘cradle.’ A producer told me last year that Visioni Incontra brings good luck and literally helps close projects. Maybe it was just a polite compliment, but certainly, for all the staff and myself, it is the primary goal. Also, our meetings, speed dates, networking, and panels are not just additional ingredients to the event but fundamental pieces for the circulation of skills, ideas, and opportunities.”

Among the panels, we highlight:
“Beyond Memory: The Creative Reuse of Archives in Documentary Cinema”
This panel, organized in collaboration with Archivio Luce, aims to deepen and explore the untapped potential of archival materials, also through their artistic re-semantization, by presenting case studies and archival heritage presentations.

Speakers include:
• Enrico Bufalini Director of Archivio Luce
• Luca Ricciardi Production and Planning Coordinator at AAmod – Audiovisual Archive of the Labor and Democratic Movement
• Paolo Simoni, Fondazione Home Movies – National Archive of Family Films

“A Night at the Museum. Creative Opportunities, Productive and Distributive Synergies Between Audiovisual Media and Museums, Art Centers, and Foundations”
This panel aims to explore the deep connections between audiovisual media, art, and art venues, investigating possibilities to expand exchange also in terms of production, research, audience development, and new spaces for fruition. The panel fosters a discussion among audiovisual professionals, broadcasters, and representatives of the museum-art system, banks, and foundations, with the goal of identifying new production opportunities, support models, and dissemination strategies.

Speakers include:
• Silvia Zanzani Director Palazzo Litta – Regional Directorate of National Museums Lombardy
• Michele Bongiorno Producer Good Day Films
• Tiziana Antonella D’Amico Head of Artistic and Cultural Partnerships – Art, Culture and Historic Heritage, Intesa Sanpaolo
• Simona Cantone Head of Cultural Promotion and Marketing – Art, Culture and Historic Heritage, Intesa Sanpaolo
• Giovanni Dell’Olivo General Director Fondazione di Venezia
• Antonio Calabrò SVP Pirelli Cultura and President Museimpresa
• Fiorenzo Galli General Director Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci
• Sky Arte
• Rai Cultura

Festival Venues in Milan:
• Teatro Litta, Corso Magenta 24
• Palazzo Litta, Corso Magenta 24
• Cineteca Milano Arlecchino, Via San Pietro all’Orto 9
• Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci, Via San Vittore 21

Entry Information:
• Single entry to screenings at Teatro Litta and Cineteca Milano Arlecchino: €5
• Entry for two people at Teatro Litta and Cineteca Milano Arlecchino: €7
• Subscription for all screenings at Teatro Litta and Cineteca Milano Arlecchino, including MYmovies ONE subscription: €14,99
• Entry to Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci, including Visioni VR screenings: Full price €10, Reduced price €7,50
• Subscription for all online screenings on MYmovies ONE available from September 12 to 22 via web, smartphone, tablet, and smart TV.

11° International Documentary Festival  Visioni dal Mondo
Milan, September 11-14
www.visionidalmondo.it

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