Va a fa'n Cult

Popular Italian cinema under the stars at Piazza Sabaudia

Every summer, when the heat empties the streets and fills the evenings with a desire to gather, the garden of Piazza Sabaudia, in Rome's Municipio V, lights up with the glow of a screen. Va a fa'n Cult is the open-air film festival that brings this corner of the neighborhood to life, taking great Italian popular cinema directly to the homes, benches, and trees of a public space often treated as a mere thoroughfare.

The name, a playful nod to Roman irony, immediately sets the tone: lighthearted and accessible, yet dedicated to celebrating films that have shaped the country's collective imagination. This is not an arthouse festival for a select few, but a celebration of cinema for everyone—designed for a diverse audience of families, young people, seniors, and curious neighbors.

A festival born from the neighborhood

Va a fa'n Cult joins the rich calendar of Rome's summer arenas, but chooses a distinct path: proximity. Instead of focusing on the large parks in the city center, it brings screenings to a square lived in by residents, giving Municipio V a cultural meeting point right on their doorstep. The stated goal is twofold: to enhance public spaces and foster social connection through the universal language of film.

The program is dedicated to great popular successes of Italian cinema: comedies that have made generations laugh, stories that stir the emotions, and films that have become part of the national cultural heritage. It is cinema meant to be watched together, discussed out loud, and turned into a social event, just like in the old-fashioned outdoor arenas.

Where and when

Screenings take place in the garden of Piazza Sabaudia 2, in the heart of the district, with evening appointments scheduled throughout the festival. For the 2026 edition, the program runs from June 5 to July 12, covering five weeks of open-air cinema in the heart of the Roman summer.

As with many initiatives of the 'Estate Romana' (Roman Summer), the festival aims for a light and participatory model: a screen, a few rows of seats, and a square that becomes an open-air movie theater for the night. The detailed film schedule is released on the event's official channels closer to the dates.

Why it's worth it

• Neighborhood atmosphere: An authentic experience, far from tourist circuits, in the living fabric of Rome's eastern suburbs.
• Cinema for everyone: Popular and beloved titles, perfect for those looking for a lighthearted evening in good company.
• Outdoors under the stars: The most beautiful way to enjoy a film on a summer night.
• Rediscovered public space: A garden that returns to being a place of community and culture.

Va a fa'n Cult is a small gem of Rome's summer programming: proof that cinema, even the most popular kind, can still be a collective ritual capable of uniting an entire neighborhood in the Lazio region.