Cinema In Verde – International Environmental Film Festival

A festival bringing the environment to the big screen

Cinema In Verde is Rome's international environmental film festival, established in 2023 by Sapienza University of Rome and the communication agency Silverback. In just a few years, it has become one of the most anticipated cultural events of the Roman summer: the 2025 edition drew over 3,500 attendees, with half the audience under 40. The formula is both simple and ambitious: to tell the story of the environmental crisis and the possibilities of ecological transition through narrative cinema, rather than just informative documentaries.

From the Botanical Garden to the city

For its first three editions, the festival was hosted at the Rome Botanical Garden, with evening screenings among the monumental trees of Trastevere. In 2026, Cinema In Verde takes a leap forward: it leaves its historic venue to embrace the urban fabric, moving to two distinct yet complementary spaces in the Municipality of Rome. The Piazza Vittorio Arena, in the Esquilino district, hosts the main competition and can accommodate up to 600 spectators; the Nuovo Teatro Ateneo, located in the Sapienza university campus in San Lorenzo, hosts the daytime sessions. It is a strategic choice: bringing environmental stories into the living, bustling parts of the capital, where ecological issues intersect with social ones.

The competition and the Golden Ginkgo

The heart of the festival is the international competition: six films never before released in Italian theaters, selected by an artistic-scientific committee that evaluates both the scientific rigor and the cinematic quality of the works. The committee for the fourth edition brings together Fabio Attorre (Director of the Rome Botanical Garden), science journalist Marco Gisotti, artistic director Claudia Campanelli, Sapienza researcher Damiano Garofalo, environmental journalist Enrico Nicosia, and representatives from the city's Culture and Environment departments. The winning film receives the Golden Ginkgo, the festival's signature award. In 2026, the jury includes director and producer Matteo Rovere, actress Vanessa Scalera, actor Carlo de Ruggieri, Lipu-BirdLife Italy Director General Danilo Selvaggi, and IED Rome Director Laura Negrini.

The sections

• International Competition — evenings at the Piazza Vittorio Arena, featuring six Italian premieres.
• Documentary as Art of Reality — mornings and afternoons at the Nuovo Teatro Ateneo, dedicated to documentary storytelling.
• Green Mirror — a selection that revisits films already released in theaters with an expanded environmental perspective: in 2025, it featured titles such as Palazzina LAF, 2073, Vermiglio, and Flow.
• LAND Project — a special section featuring documentaries created by twelve young filmmakers from the West Bank and Gaza, trained during a two-month audiovisual workshop.
• Gene Ambiente — a space for short films by authors under 35, selected via an open call.

Why it is worth attending

Cinema In Verde is not a niche-themed festival. The environment acts as a lens: through it, the festival examines work, social justice, memory, and survival. Screenings are accompanied by meetings with directors, scientists, activists, and celebrities, as well as a Sprout Jury (Giuria Germogli) open to younger audiences. All this takes place in the Lazio region, in a Rome that becomes pleasant again in September, where open-air arenas remain one of the city's most beautiful traditions.

A free and sustainable festival

Admission is free for all events, both at the Teatro Ateneo and the Piazza Vittorio Arena. In line with its themes, the organization encourages the public to reach the venues using public transport and to leave private cars at home. Every year, it also opens a call for volunteers (for hospitality, communication, logistics, and event support).