Uscita d'Emergenza - Another Independent Cinema

Alternative independent cinema at the Nuovo Cinema Aquila

Uscita d'Emergenza - Another Independent Cinema is the new programming project by the Nuovo Cinema Aquila, the historic theater in the Pigneto district of Rome, in the heart of Municipio V. The series is dedicated to Italian independent cinema: works created with limited budgets, radical artistic choices, and a free perspective, which too often remain outside major distribution circuits. Promoted as part of the Roma Culture program, the initiative brings unreleased films to the big screen, accompanied by their authors.

How the series works

The mechanism is as simple as it is distinctive: selected films enter the theater's regular schedule in paired screenings, presented directly by directors, screenwriters, and actors. Each work is voted on by the audience and a jury composed of directors and journalists close to the independent film world. The two winning titles are awarded an entire weekend of screenings at the Nuovo Cinema Aquila, a concrete recognition that turns viewership into real support for distribution.

The first edition program

The first edition, running from March 30 to April 17, 2026, opens the spring cinema season and brings together two artistic entities long hosted by the theater: the creative duo Mariotti-Jovine and the production company Il Gigante.

• L'Acqua Non È Mai Ferma, by Roberto Mariotti with a screenplay by Ilaria Jovine, starring Elena Arvigo, Toni Garrani, and Stefano Fresi, with music by Federico Ferrandina, screening from March 30 to April 2. The meeting with the director, cast, and screenwriter took place on Monday, March 30, following the 9:00 PM screening, moderated by Fabio Meloni.
• Storie di Donne, Uomini e Comunità, by Paola Traverso and Vincenzo Franceschini, produced and distributed by Massimo D'Orzi, screening from April 13 to 17. The meeting with the directors and guests took place on Monday, April 13, after the 9:00 PM screening, moderated by Giusi De Santis.

Pigneto and the Nuovo Cinema Aquila

The Nuovo Cinema Aquila is a cultural landmark in Pigneto, a Rome neighborhood that has always been a laboratory for artistic and cinematic experimentation: Pier Paolo Pasolini filmed here during the neorealism era. Restored to the city as a community theater, the Via L'Aquila venue is now a reference point for auteur and independent cinema in the Lazio region. With Uscita d'Emergenza, the theater relaunches its mission, offering authors a stage and viewers the chance to discover cinema that rarely finds visibility.

Why it's worth it

More than just a film series, Uscita d'Emergenza is a small, three-week festival where every screening becomes an opportunity for connection between filmmakers and their audience. It is an experience that speaks to Rome and its cultural fabric, valuing active participation: it is the public, together with the jury, who decide which works deserve a longer life on the big screen.