The annual celebration of Italian cinema will feature new films starring Alba Rohrwacher, Elio Germano and Jasmine Trinca when it returns to Australia in September.

Australia’s largest celebration of Italian cinema has unveiled the first titles for its 2026 edition, with the ST. ALi Italian Film Festival presented by Palace set to showcase an eclectic mix of award-winning dramas, thrillers, comedies and family films across nine Australian locations.

Running from September 16, the festival will return to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra, Ballarat, Byron Bay and Ballina, with the full program to be announced in late August.

Leading the first wave of titles is Three Goodbyes (Tre ciotole), selected as the festival’s Special Presentation. Directed by acclaimed Spanish filmmaker Isabel Coixet and adapted from Michela Murgia’s bestselling novel, the bittersweet romantic drama stars Alba Rohrwacher and Elio Germano as a couple whose seemingly ordinary separation sets both their lives on dramatically different paths.

Among the Italian productions making their Australian premieres is The Greater Good (Il bene comune), written, directed by and starring Rocco Papaleo. Set against the landscapes of Basilicata, the film follows a hiking expedition through Pollino National Park that becomes an unexpected journey of personal transformation.

The festival will also screen The Eyes of Others (Gli occhi degli altri), a psychological thriller inspired by real events in 1960s Italy. Starring Jasmine Trinca and Filippo Timi, the film unfolds on the remote Pontine Islands, where passion, privilege and murder collide on an island owned by an aristocratic family.

Comedy also features prominently in the early line-up with Twin Stars (Stella gemella), directed by Luca Lucini. The romantic comedy follows a couple whose already fragile relationship is thrown into turmoil after discovering they are expecting twins conceived by two different fathers. Margherita Buy and Laura Morante co-star.

The first announcement also includes Classmates (Domani interrogo), an adaptation of Gaja Cenciarelli’s novel starring Anna Ferzetti as an English teacher assigned to one of Rome’s most challenging high school classes. Exploring education, community and generational divides, the film examines the transformative role teachers can play in young people’s lives.

Rounding out the initial slate is Incanto, a fantasy family adventure centred on a young girl who escapes an oppressive guardian and discovers a magical travelling circus, where imagination becomes the key to finding her own voice.

The annual festival has become a key fixture on Australia’s cultural calendar, bringing contemporary Italian cinema to local audiences while highlighting both established filmmakers and emerging voices. This year’s opening announcement suggests the 2026 edition will continue that tradition, balancing literary adaptations, commercially successful local productions and internationally recognised talent.

The full 2026 ST. ALi Italian Film Festival program will be announced in late August, with tickets going on sale at the same time.

The festival opens in Canberra and Adelaide on September 16, before expanding to Sydney, Byron Bay and Ballina on September 17, Melbourne and Ballarat on September 18, and Brisbane and Perth from September 24.