San Lorenzo Film Festival
Free summer open-air cinema in the heart of the San Lorenzo district, featuring auteur films, concerts, and historical memory
About San Lorenzo Cinema
An open-air arena in Rome's most cinephile district
The San Lorenzo Film Festival is the major free summer event that lights up the Parco Caduti del 19 Luglio 1943 every year. Located at Via Tiburtina Antica 25, in the heart of the San Lorenzo district, it is just a stone's throw from La Sapienza University and the Verano Monumental Cemetery. For weeks, the park becomes a true open-air cultural space: a screen, hundreds of chairs, a refreshment area, a book corner, and various information points invite visitors to stay for the entire evening, from 6 PM until midnight.
The event takes place in the Municipality of Rome (Municipio II), within the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, in the Lazio region. It is promoted by Roma Capitale - Department of Culture in collaboration with Zètema Progetto Cultura. The organization is managed by the Associazione L'Assedio - Arte, Cinema, Cultura, Memoria, in partnership with local entities "Friccicore", "Hollywood tutto sul Cinema", and "Il Chiosco".
A program spanning genres, eras, and geographies
The lineup is more than just a standard summer cinema: alongside contemporary classics, there is space for European and international auteur cinema, social and generational films, documentaries, silent films, and gothic cinema. Evenings are often accompanied by guests—directors, actors, writers, artists, journalists, and representatives of local associations—who introduce the films and engage in dialogue with the audience.
- Auteur Cinema: from Kiarostami to Cassavetes, from Klimov to Annaud, with screenings in the original language with subtitles
- Documentaries and non-fiction cinema, often focused on environmental, social, and international solidarity themes
- Live concerts and DJ sets, featuring Roman bands and musical selections that continue late into the night
- Book presentations on cinema, local history, politics, and subcultures
- Cinema for families and youth, with animated features on dedicated evenings
The memory of July 19, 1943
The park hosting the festival is named after the victims of the San Lorenzo bombing on July 19, 1943, the first air raid on the capital, which devastated the district and forever marked its identity. This is no mere detail: every year, July 19 is entirely dedicated to commemoration, featuring a cultural afternoon with book presentations, readings, testimonies, and theatrical performances, followed by an evening dedicated to the memory of that day. This is when the festival most clearly reveals its nature: not just entertainment, but also a commitment to the collective history of a neighborhood.
San Lorenzo, a district of cinema and squares
Historically working-class, then the heart of Roman student life, San Lorenzo is today one of the most vibrant districts in the city: historic taverns, murals, artisan workshops, self-managed spaces, and nightclubs coexist within a few streets. The festival is, in its own way, a portrait of this, as it brings cinema out of private screens and returns it to the public square as a shared experience and an opportunity for discussion. The completely free format makes the festival one of the most accessible events of the Roman summer, frequented by residents, students, and tourists staying in the Termini and Tiburtina areas.
Why it's worth an evening
Those spending the summer in Rome will find a concrete alternative to paid arenas here: arrive early, have dinner with the park's street food, browse some books at the stall, listen to a talk, and then sit in front of the screen under the stars. The atmosphere is informal and neighborly, with a diverse and curious audience. For those visiting the capital, it is also a unique way to get to know Rome, far from the tourist circuits of the historic center.
San Lorenzo Cinema — edition 2026
2026 Edition: "From Bombs to Stars"
From June 18 to August 10, 2026, the Parco Caduti del 19 Luglio 1943, at Via Tiburtina Antica 25, hosts 54 evenings of free programming. The edition is titled From Bombs to Stars, which evokes both the memory of the district's bombing and the vocation of the open-air arena under the summer sky of Rome.
The festival opens from June 18 to 21 with the Falastin Festival, a section dedicated to Palestinian cinema and culture, before officially launching on June 22. The program alternates between European and international auteur cinema, contemporary classics, social and generational films, documentaries, silent films, and gothic cinema, with evenings enriched by the presence of directors, actors, writers, artists, and journalists.
The initiative is promoted by Roma Capitale - Department of Culture with Zètema Progetto Cultura, and organized by the Associazione L'Assedio - Arte, Cinema, Cultura, Memoria in collaboration with "Friccicore", "Hollywood tutto sul Cinema", and "Il Chiosco". All activities are free to enter, every day from 6 PM to midnight.
Programme San Lorenzo Cinema 2026
June
- June 18-21: Falastin Festival, section dedicated to Palestinian cinema
- June 24: Official opening - meeting on youth and institutions (6 PM), panel with content creators (7:30 PM), talk with Il Tre (8 PM), live music (9:30 PM)
- June 25: "Come and See" by Elem Klimov (9 PM)
- June 26: Concert by Bone Machine (9 PM)
- June 27: DJ set by Weloveradio (9 PM)
- June 28: "Close-Up" by Abbas Kiarostami with guest Babak Karimi (9 PM)
- June 29: Meeting on the environment and screening of "The Green Beautiful" by Coline Serreau (9 PM)
- June 30: Meeting on abortion (5-7 PM), photo exhibition, and "Guilty of Existing" by Lauri (9 PM)
July (1-15)
- July 1: "Flow"
- July 3: Meeting "Subcultures from the Sixties to Today" and DJ set by Gladdy Wax from London
- July 4: Concert by Klaxon
- July 5: "Oliver Stone: The Putin Interviews"
- July 6: Presentation of the book "The Anarchist of Film" by Costanza Previtali and "La Gueule ouverte" by Édouard Molinaro
- July 7: "In Cesare's Time" by Angelo Loy
- July 8: Presentation of "Rough Time" by Marco Lapenna and "Ernest & Celestine"
- July 9: Presentation of "The International of the Earth" by Giuseppe De Marzo and "The Name of the Rose" by Jean-Jacques Annaud
- July 10: Presentation of "Russian Leather" by Pietro Angelini and concert by Godzilla e le tre bambine coi baffi
- July 11: Presentation of "The Pub Under the Bombs" by Daniele Scannavino and DJ set Dance with the Devil
- July 12: John Cassavetes evening with "A Woman Under the Influence" in original version with subtitles, with Marco Castrichella
- July 13: Presentation of "Faces Full of Punches" by Gianni Minà and "Maradona" by Emir Kusturica
- July 14: "Little Nicholas"
- July 15: Traditional Cuban dances with the Timbalaye Dance School (8 PM) and "Sergio & Sergei"
July (16-31)
- July 19: Day entirely dedicated to the people and the San Lorenzo district, in memory of the 1943 bombing, with theatrical performances, music, readings, and historical documents
- July 20: "We All Loved Each Other So Much"
- July 25-26: Days dedicated to Cuba
- July 27: Evening in memory of police officer Roberto Mancini
- July 30: Street art and social resistance with the documentary on LAIKA
- Concerts by Montelupo, Tempesta, Wet Dogs, and Underball, DJ sets, and book presentations on film history, anti-fascism, and critical thinking
August
- Program to be defined, with screenings, concerts, and musical performances
- August 10: Closing night of the festival
Highlights San Lorenzo Cinema 2026
- 54 consecutive evenings of programming, from June 18 to August 10, all with free admission
- Falastin Festival (June 18-21): special section dedicated to Palestinian cinema and culture
- July 19: Day of memory for the 1943 San Lorenzo bombing, with theater, readings, and testimonies
- Tribute to John Cassavetes on July 12 with "A Woman Under the Influence" in original version
- Great auteur titles: "Close-Up" by Kiarostami with guest Babak Karimi, "Come and See" by Klimov, "The Name of the Rose" by Annaud
- Live concerts and DJ sets: Bone Machine, Klaxon, Montelupo, Tempesta, Wet Dogs, Gladdy Wax
- Refreshment area, book corner, and information points open every evening from 6 PM to midnight
Prices San Lorenzo Cinema 2026
Practical information — San Lorenzo Cinema
Location
Parco Caduti del 19 Luglio 1943, Via Tiburtina Antica 25, San Lorenzo district, Rome (Municipio II).
How to get there
By train: Roma Termini or Roma Tiburtina station, both just a few minutes away by bus. By bus: lines 71, 163, 211, 309, 448, 490, 495, 542, 649. By metro: Line B, stops Termini, Castro Pretorio, or Policlinico, then a short walk or bus ride. By car: the district has heavy traffic and limited parking; public transport is recommended.
Hours and admission
The park is open from 6 PM until midnight. Free admission to all activities: screenings, meetings, concerts, and presentations. Screenings generally begin in the early evening, after sunset.
Tips
Arrive a little early on evenings with guests or concerts, when attendance is higher. The park features refreshment areas, a book corner, and information points. For accommodation, the San Lorenzo-Termini area offers a wide choice of hotels, hostels, and bed and breakfasts within walking distance.
Contacts
Email: [email protected] - Instagram: @festivaldelcinemadisanlorenzo
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Where does it take place — San Lorenzo Cinema
Parco Caduti del 19 Luglio 1943
Via Tiburtina Antica 25, 00185 Roma