Returning to London’s Bertha DocHouse for 5th edition:
Running 4 – 5 July 2026 at London’s Bertha DocHouse, the 5th CINECITTÀ ITALIAN DOC SEASON comprises three striking documentaries that collectively focus on the Italian family, but each one retains a uniqueness and individuality. One is a poignant tale of an Italian filmmaker who makes a film to urgently capture the memories of his father who has early-onset Alzheimer’s, one takes a darkly comic look at a southern Italian family consumed by a bitter feud, and one utilises archive footage to portray legendary auteur Roberto Rossellini and the personal and artistic crises that prompted him to explore the art of documentary filmmaking.
Acclaimed at international film festivals including Venice, Toronto’s Hot Docs, Amsterdam’s IDFA and Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, they’re now set to have their UK Premieres during this season. Proudly supported by the Italian Cultural Institute of London. “The Italian Cultural Institute of London is pleased to contribute to the organisation of this review. Cinecittà is a long-standing and well-established partner in our institutional effort to promote Italian cinema in the United Kingdom,” says Francesco Bongarrà, Director of the Italian Cultural Institute of London. “The theme of the family holds a central place in Italian culture, both historically and in contemporary society, and the selected documentaries will offer audiences in London a thought-provoking range of perspectives,” he adds.
Each screening will be preceded by a short package of rare and precious footage from the film archive of Istituto Luce (today Cinecittà). Established in 1924, this film and photographic archive is registered by UNESCO in their Memory of the World Programme. MINIATURE WORLD: A TRAIN FOR CHILDREN, MILAN: THE MARTINOLI FAMILY and THE BERGMAN-ROSSELLINI TWINS ARE BORN were especially chosen from the archive to pair with the three films in this season.
UK Premiere: I WANT HER DEAD (Il quieto vivere) + Q&A
Dir: Gianluca Matarrese (Italy/Switzerland)
A darkly comic and emotionally charged tale of a Southern Italian family on the verge of implosion. Luisa, a fierce and unruly woman at war with her sister-in-law Imma, fuels a bitter feud that consumes their entire household. As tensions spiral, three eccentric aunts stage a surreal family “trial” in a last-ditch effort to restore peace. Blending reality and fiction, farce and tragedy, the film explores the fine line between everyday resentment and irreversible catastrophe.
Filmmaker Gianluca Matarrese’s previous film GEN_ screened at the 4th Italian Doc Season, and he now returns with this surreal Italian family story, following its World Premiere at Venice and festival screenings including IDFA and Thessaloniki Documentary Festival. The films co-producer Donatella Palermo also produced Gianfranco Rosi’s Oscar®-nominated and Berlinale winning documentary Fire At Sea. Sat 4 July, 6pm
UK Premiere: ROBERTO ROSSELLINI, LIVING WITHOUT A SCRIPT (Roberto Rossellini, più di una vita) + Q&A
Dir: Ilaria de Laurentiis, Raffaele Brunetti, Andrea Paolo Massara (Italy/Latvia)
In 1956, Roberto Rossellini is in the midst of a personal and artistic crisis. His recent films with Ingrid Bergman have failed, their marriage is unravelling, and the press is relentless. When Bergman returns to Hollywood, Rossellini accepts an invitation from Indian Prime Minister Nehru to document India’s progress. Made entirely of archive footage and interviews, this documentary tracks Rossellini’s creative rebirth: from “the father of Neorealism” to a pioneer of Italian television features and a filmmaker who managed to keep his independent spirit. Winner of the 2026 David di Donatello Award (the Italian equivalent of the BAFTAs) for Best Documentary.
Also screening is a rare chance to see in a cinema Roberto Rossellini’s debut documentary short film FANTASIA SOTTOMARINA (1940), featuring a love story between two fish threatened by an octopus. Sun 5 July, 3pm
Jenny Horwell, Bertha DocHouse director and programmer, says: “We’re excited to continue celebrating Italian non-fiction in collaboration with Cinecittà, with three gorgeous new titles that dive into Italian lives, loves and cultural mores. We hope audiences will love discovering these documentary gems, which come together as a real celebration of Italian filmmaking – where it has come from and how it’s flourishing today.”
For more information please checkout the venue website.
