.MOV
The international screendance project of the Roman summer, at Villa Lais
About .MOV
A festival that views the body through the screen
.MOV is the international project dedicated to contemporary forms of dance and audiovisual art that brings the cultural summer of the City of Rome, in the Lazio Region, to life every year. Born in 2023 from an idea by Roberta Nicolai—a playwright and artistic director also known for Teatri di Vetro—and produced by the Associazione Culturale Il Triangolo Scaleno, the festival has made its home in the open-air amphitheatre of Villa Lais in the Appio-Tuscolano district, a public green space that becomes a true arena of visions during the summer.
What is screendance
Screendance is not merely a recording of a performance: it is an autonomous language where the movement of the body and the movement of the camera write each other. Editing, framing, sound, and cinematic space become part of the choreography. .MOV works precisely on this threshold, what the artistic direction defines as a territory of transformative intermediality, where the biological body and the digital body meet and influence one another.
A map of the world in four evenings
The heart of the festival lies in the evening open-air screenings: an international selection of screendance short films, curated each year through an open call to authors worldwide. The most recent edition brought together works from twenty-two countries—from Italy to Finland, South Korea to Iran, Ivory Coast to Mexico, passing through India, China, Malaysia, Portugal, Poland, Belgium, and the United States. It is one of the rare opportunities in the city to see, in sequence, what it means to dance in front of a camera today within radically different cultural contexts.
The project sections
- Screenings — every evening, outdoors in the Villa Lais amphitheatre, featuring diverse thematic programs.
- .MOV FRAME — short orientation sessions that precede the screenings, helping the audience engage with the works through overviews, thematic focuses, and conversations with artists and scholars.
- Seminar — two days of theoretical and practical training on performative corporeality and the conditions of viewing screendance, open to artists, students, and enthusiasts by reservation.
- .MOV KIDS — the autumn extension of the project, featuring screenings and storyboard workshops for children and teenagers in municipal libraries.
The festival beyond Villa Lais
.MOV does not end at the amphitheatre. Over the years, the project has built a stable relationship with Rome's libraries, particularly the Nelson Mandela Library (via La Spezia, Municipio VII) and the Collina della Pace Library (via Massa Silani, Municipio VI). This is where activities for younger audiences take place, with the aim of bringing a niche language into neighbourhoods and public reading spaces.
Why it is worth attending
The festival is completely free and takes place under the stars in a public park: the atmosphere is informal, you arrive with your own chair or sit on the amphitheatre steps, and the audience is a mix of local residents, dance and film students, and curious passers-by. It is one of the most original events of the Roman Summer promoted by Roma Capitale, and one of the few that manages to combine a truly international research-based program with the dimension of a neighbourhood festival.
The context: Appio-Tuscolano
Villa Lais is a park of about four hectares in Municipio VII, just a few steps from the Furio Camillo metro station. It is a less touristy and very authentic part of Rome, nestled between 1930s buildings and local markets: reaching it on a summer evening for an open-air screening is also a way to discover a city different from the one on postcards.
.MOV — edition 2026
.MOV 2026 — fourth edition
From July 15 to 18, 2026, the Villa Lais amphitheatre hosts the fourth edition of .MOV, featuring an international selection that brings together authors from twenty-two countries: Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, Poland, Belgium, Spain, France, Portugal, Switzerland, Colombia, South Korea, the United States, Malaysia, Singapore, China, Iran, Ivory Coast, Mexico, and India, among others.
Each evening opens at 8:00 PM with a .MOV FRAME orientation meeting, followed by screenings at 9:15 PM. On July 15 and 16, from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM, the seminar Performative Corporeality, Screendance, and Conditions of Viewing will take place, curated by Roberta Nicolai and Marco Longo, by reservation.
The project concludes in autumn with .MOV KIDS: on October 8 at the Collina della Pace Library (2:00 PM - 4:00 PM) with a storyboard workshop, and on October 10 at the Nelson Mandela Library (10:00 AM) with a guided viewing session. All activities are free of charge.
Programme .MOV 2026
Wednesday, July 15 — Villa Lais
8:00 PM — .MOV FRAME: «Panorama — an open map»
9:15 PM — screenings: What Remains (Belgium), Winterreise (China), Inhale (Iran), Bailaora (Spain), Hold the Track (France), Flores del otro Patio (Switzerland/Colombia), Buen Camino (South Korea)
Thursday, July 16 — Villa Lais
8:00 PM — .MOV FRAME: «Focus — the body at the limit»
9:15 PM — screenings: Drenched (USA), Latex Labyrinth (Malaysia/Singapore), Does Your Heart Pound Like Mine (USA), No Longer/Not Yet (France/USA), Everything is Right Before (Finland), Bifurcation (Poland), Tender to and Tenderness (USA), Déjà Nu (Ivory Coast)
Friday, July 17 — Villa Lais
8:00 PM — .MOV FRAME: «Collective bodies»
9:15 PM — screenings: The Oath (USA), Oh My (Netherlands), The Brutalist Death of a Brutalist Parrot (Germany), Shark Skin (Portugal), Hidden Steps (Finland), Mind Your Step (Netherlands), Caduta Davanti a Molte (Italy), La Valse (France)
Saturday, July 18 — Villa Lais
8:00 PM — .MOV FRAME: «Conversation — bodies, images, transformations» with Salvatore Insana, Ivan Gasbarini, and Roberta Nicolai
9:15 PM — screenings: Until it Ran into Me (India), Veins of Grace (India), Shut Up and Dance! (France), Will You Play with Me? (India/South Korea), Spettri Cromatici (Italy), Macchina Reale (Italy), Eclipsis (Mexico), Cailleach (Finland)
Seminar — July 15 and 16, 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Performative Corporeality, Screendance, and Conditions of Viewing, curated by Roberta Nicolai and Marco Longo. Mandatory reservation: [email protected]
.MOV KIDS — October
Thursday, October 8, 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM — Collina della Pace Library (via Massa Silani 7): storyboard workshop.
Saturday, October 10, 10:00 AM — Nelson Mandela Library (via La Spezia 21): screening and guided viewing for teenagers. By reservation.
Highlights .MOV 2026
- Screendance works from twenty-two countries over four evenings
- Open-air screenings in the Villa Lais amphitheatre, free admission
- .MOV FRAME meetings every evening at 8:00 PM before screenings
- Research seminar on screendance and performative corporeality (July 15-16)
- Closing conversation on July 18 with Salvatore Insana, Ivan Gasbarini, and Roberta Nicolai
- .MOV KIDS in October in municipal libraries, featuring a storyboard workshop
Prices .MOV 2026
Practical information — .MOV
How to get there
The main venue is the Villa Lais amphitheatre, Piazza Giovanni Cagliero 20, Rome (Municipio VII). By metro: Line A, Furio Camillo stop, then about a 10-minute walk. By bus: numerous lines along via Tuscolana and via Appia Nuova. Parking in the area is limited: public transport is recommended.
Other venues
- Nelson Mandela Library — Via La Spezia 21 (Municipio VII)
- Collina della Pace Library — Via Massa Silani 7 (Municipio VI)
Admission and reservations
Free admission to all screenings and meetings, subject to availability. The seminar and .MOV KIDS activities require mandatory reservation by writing to [email protected] or calling +39 339 2824889.
Tips
Screenings begin after sunset: bring a light sweater as the temperature drops in the park at night. The amphitheatre is accessible to people with motor disabilities.
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Where does it take place — .MOV
Anfiteatro di Villa Lais
Piazza Giovanni Cagliero, 20, 00179 Roma