FONDIfilmFESTIVAL - Riviera d'Ulisse

A festival born from the legacy of Giuseppe De Santis

The FONDIfilmFESTIVAL - Riviera d'Ulisse is the longest-running film event in lower Lazio. It was founded and has grown in Fondi, in the province of Latina, through the initiative of the Associazione Giuseppe De Santis, named after the great Neorealist director born in this very city in 1917, creator of masterpieces such as Bitter Rice (Riso amaro) and Under the Olive Tree (Non c'è pace tra gli ulivi). The festival continues his work with a vision that blends historical memory with contemporary cinematic research.

The heart of the festival: the Complesso di San Domenico

Screenings are held in the Sala Carlo Lizzani, located within the Complesso di San Domenico on Via Tommaso d'Aquino, the future home of the Museum of Neorealism. It is one of Fondi's most evocative historical buildings, and the choice is no coincidence: the festival aims to root cinema in the city's heritage, amidst the medieval old town, the Castello Caetani, and the walls that recount centuries of history in southern Lazio.

A festival spread across the Riviera d'Ulisse

The festival's name refers to the stretch of Tyrrhenian coast running from Sperlonga to Gaeta, the Riviera d'Ulisse, steeped in Homeric myth and the caves of Tiberius. Over the years, the festival has extended its reach to Sperlonga and Itri, evolving into a widespread event that marks the end of summer with open-air and indoor screenings throughout the local villages.

What to expect

The programming is intentionally diverse and goes beyond mere previews. Each edition brings together:

• retrospectives dedicated to a master of Italian cinema, with the guest present for a Q&A session;
• documentaries and non-fiction works, often award-winners at major national festivals;
• debut films by emerging directors, the true core identity of the event;
• restored films related to the Pontine territory, brought back to the big screen thanks to film archive efforts;
• a section dedicated to the Pontine audiovisual landscape, featuring authors and productions from the province of Latina;
• cinema book presentations and school screenings featuring Neorealist classics.

The Dolly d'Oro Giuseppe De Santis Award

The most anticipated event is the closing night ceremony for the Dolly d'Oro Giuseppe De Santis, an award established in 1999 for emerging young directors. The golden statuette depicts a miniature camera dolly, a tribute to the attention De Santis paid to new generations of filmmakers. The list of past winners speaks for itself: it includes Paolo Sorrentino, Alice Rohrwacher, and the D'Innocenzo brothers, all honored at the start of their careers. In 2025, the award went to Edgardo Pistone for Ciao bambino.

A free, community-driven event

One of the most appreciated features of the FONDIfilmFESTIVAL is that it is free of charge: screenings, meetings, and the awards ceremony are open to the public until capacity is reached. The event is supported by the Municipality of Fondi, the Lazio Region, and local businesses, and over the years it has developed inclusion projects, such as screenings designed in collaboration with local associations for audiences on the autism spectrum.

September in Fondi

The festival takes place in late September, when the Piana di Fondi is in the midst of the grape harvest and the coast is accessible without the peak-season crowds. It is the perfect time to combine an evening of cinema with a day spent between Lake Fondi, the beach of Sperlonga, and the hilltop villages of the Monti Ausoni: a different, slower way to experience this part of Lazio.