AntropoCine Film Fest

A festival to tell the story of the Anthropocene

AntropoCine Film Fest is the Roman event that weaves together screenings, previews, and reflections on the various ways of narrating the environment and ecology through cinema. The name itself declares its intent: to capture the Anthropocene, the era in which the human footprint has become the planet's primary force of transformation. Promoted by the cultural association Roma Green, the festival is held in the Municipality of Rome, in the heart of the Lazio Region, and has received regional support for film promotion since its inception.

From Nuovo Cinema Aquila to the Nomentano district

The first edition took place in December 2024 at the Nuovo Cinema Aquila, a historic venue in the Vth Municipality, with additional programming at the Cinema Corso in Latina. In 2025, the festival moved further north, spanning two venues: the Cinema delle Province, on Viale delle Province 41, just a short walk from Piazza Bologna, and the Spazio Extra di Libera, at Via Stamira 5. This choice is more than just logistical: pairing a neighborhood cinema with a space managed by an anti-mafia association signals that environmental issues are also, and perhaps above all, matters of legality and rights.

A program built on short formats

The formula is now well-established. Each evening pairs a feature-length film—usually a recent Italian documentary—with a selection of short films ranging from reportage and fiction to animation. Screenings don't end with the credits: they are almost always followed by meetings with directors, university researchers, and representatives from major environmental organizations, from Marevivo to Greenpeace, and from LAV to Legambiente. It is a festival for discussion rather than just consumption.

• Documentaries of recent Italian production on themes of climate, the sea, biodiversity, and land reclamation
• Short films in three categories: documentary, fiction, and animation
• Meetings and debates with authors, scientists, and activists
• Multimedia exhibitions and concert readings on the closing nights

The partnership with Clorofilla Film Fest

One of AntropoCine's distinctive features is its bond with the Clorofilla Film Fest, Legambiente's traveling festival. The two events share their awards ceremony: a jury composed of journalists, biologists, artists, and activists from Fridays for Future selects the winners for their respective categories together. It is a way to give more weight to a circuit—that of Italian environmental cinema—which still struggles to find space in commercial theaters.

Why it's worth attending

AntropoCine is not a glitzy festival. There are no red carpets or catwalks: just a neighborhood cinema full of people staying late to discuss the films. Admission to screenings was free in the 2025 edition, making the festival a rare opportunity to see works that are otherwise hard to find—self-produced documentaries, student films, and works commissioned by associations—in a setting that highlights their political significance. For those visiting Rome in December, it is also an opportunity to discover a part of the city far from the tourist trails: the Nomentano and Trieste-Salario districts, early 20th-century residential areas with their Art Nouveau buildings, local markets, and a vibrant local cultural life.

Zero-impact cinema

The festival was born from the conviction that cinema can contribute to environmental defense on two fronts: by highlighting good and bad practices, but also by questioning its own production impact. Among the stated goals of Roma Green is the promotion of low-emission productions, a theme that regularly returns in the debates and workshops offered to the public.