Taormina Film Festival Chief Tiziana Rocca Unveils Lineup

Italy’s Taormina Film Festival is set for a standout 71st edition with a rich mix of genres – including some potential discoveries – on display, plus a generous dose of star power within a new format that attempts to revive the storied Sicilian event and put it back on the international map.

Marketing guru Tiziana Rocca, who has close Hollywood ties and is a festivals specialist, is back at the helm eight years after she was forced to step down due to political infighting in 2017 following a five-year stint. Rocca’s first move has been to reintroduce a competitive section comprising 10 titles. They will be judged by a jury that, as previously announced, is headed by Da’Vine Joy Randolph, who won an Oscar for her role in “The Holdovers.” 

The Taormina competition, unveiled on Thursday, comprises the world premieres of Whoopi Goldberg and Jeremy Irvine comedy “Leopardi & Co” by Italian director Federica Biondi and Sicily-set horror film “Jastimari” directed by Riccardo Cannella. There are also the European bows of James Ashcroft’s nursing home-set chiller “The Rule of Jenny Pen” – for which Geoffrey Rush will make the trek to Taormina – and David Mamet’s dark drama toplining Shia LaBeouf “Henry Johnson,” sans talent in tow. Other Taormina competition entries include Alex Garland’s “Civil War” follow-up “Warfare”; Montenegrin filmmaker Ivan Salatić’s historical drama “Wondrous Is the Silence of My Master”; and Canadian filmmaker Sofia Bohdanowicz’s “Measures for a Funeral,” which follows a graduate student named Audrey as she traces the story of real-life pioneering Canadian violin prodigy Kathleen Parlow.

As previously announced, the fest’s out-of-competition opener is John Wick” spinoff “Ballerina” with director Len Wiseman and actor Norman Reedus in tow. The closer is Italian romcom “L’amore sta bene su tutto” by Giampaolo Morelli.

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