Rome sets Italian launches for Nelson, Eisenberg, Luna and Riley

Tim Blake Nelson's prison saga, Jesse Eisenberg's new directing turn and latest films from Diego Luna and Boots Riley will all land in Italy at the Rome Film Festival.

The 21st edition runs Oct. 13-25 in Rome, Variety reported. It opens with Paolo Genovese's "Il Rumore Delle Cose Nuove," about three Milanese couples.

The four American titles making their Italian introductions are Nelson's "The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd," Eisenberg's "The Debut," Luna's migration drama "Ashes" and Riley's anticapitalist satire "I Love Boosters." That gives Rome a compact cluster of filmmaker-led US work alongside its Italian core.

Nelson directs "The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd," listed in the festival's official 2026 press kit as a 2026 production from the United States with a running time of 121 minutes. The cast includes Amanda Seyfried, Scoot McNairy and Missi Pyle, according to the Rome Film Festival press kit.

Two international titles will go further and hold their world premieres, meaning their first public screenings anywhere, in Rome. Alexandre Castagnetti brings a French-language reimagining of "The Phantom of the Opera" starring Deva Cassel, Julien De Saint-Jean and Romain Duris. Bille August brings "Me, You," a post-World War II drama starring Tim Roth, Sonia Ammar and Laura Morante.

Javier Bardem will be honoured with a lifetime achievement award at the festival. He will also present a screening of Rodrigo Sorogoyen's "The Beloved" ("El ser querido") in the best of the fests section, the sidebar that gathers highlights from other festivals.

What makes this stand out is the balance. A local opener. Four high-profile US arrivals. Two world firsts. For audiences, this means Rome offers an early look at films that will travel on through the autumn season.