Paternal Leave by Alissa Jung, with Luca Marinelli, is the winner of the XXII edition of the Young Cinema Award & Festival of First Works of Italian Cinema, which took place from 28 to 30 September 2026 at the Cinema Caravaggio in Rome. The film won the Young Cinema Award, the main recognition of the event decreed by the public vote, while Luca Marinelli won the Giorgio Fanara Award as Best Actor.
Organized by the cultural association Cinecircolo Romano, chaired by Catello Masullo, the festival brought together selected first works of Italian cinema, rewarding directors, performers and workers.
The House of Eyes, Luca Zingaretti's film directorial debut, received the Prize for the Students' Favorite Work, assigned by a special popular jury made up of students from the Auteur Cinema Education Project and the FSL - Work School Training, who saw the three films in competition in a matinee.
The film also received the Special Jury Mention and the award for Best Production Design, awarded to Giada Esposito. Among the directing awards indicated by the organizers there is also that given to Luca Zingaretti.
Four awards went to Gioia mia by Margherita Spampinato. Aurora Quattrocchi won the Giorgio Fanara Award for Best Actress, while Spampinato herself was awarded the Mauro Bonanni Award for Best Editing.
The award for Best Music went to Alice Zecchinelli. The film also won the SNCCI Critics Award, assigned by an independent jury made up of critics Michela Manente, Franco Montini and Marco D'Agostino.
Among the most awarded titles is also Greta Scarano's Life as Grown Ups. Matilda De Angelis received the Giorgio Fanara Award for Best Actress, while the Roberto Leoni Award for Best Screenplay was awarded to Greta Scarano, Sofia Assirelli and Tieta Madia. The list of awards released by the organizers also includes an award for directing Scarano's film.
Three awards also for The Infinity by Umberto Contarello: Paolo Sorrentino was awarded as Best Producer of a First Feature, Daria D'Antonio for Best Cinematography and Gianluca Salerno for Best Visual Effects.
The list of awards also includes L'Arca by Giorgio Caporali, awarded for Best Makeup to Annaliselotte Ghirardato and recipient of a Special Mention from the SNCCI Critics' Jury.
A Special Mention from the Jury also went to Nero by Giovanni Esposito, while among the directing awards communicated by the festival was that of Ludovica Rampoldi for Brief Love Story.
Monica Guerritore obtained the Giorgio Fanara Award for Best Actress for Anna. The prize for Best Costumes, designed by Maria Rita Frau, went to Emilio Lussu – Il Processo by Gianluca Medas.
The 2026 edition also saw three established performers debut behind the camera: Luca Zingaretti, Greta Scarano and Monica Guerritore.
There will also be room for the younger ones with the Awards for the Best Student Reviews, presented by Luciana Burlin, secretary advisor of the Cinecircolo Romano and head of the Author Cinema Education Project and of the FSL.
The awards went to Laura Luciano, fifth year student of the Liceo Archimede-Pacinotti of Rome, accompanied by the teacher Sandra Tarantino, and to Edoardo Durante of the IT Alessandro Volta of Tivoli-Guidonia, accompanied by the teacher Cristina Leoni.
The organizers also underlined how, for the fourth consecutive year, 14 awards were awarded to female artists in the XXII edition of the event.
The XXII edition of the Young Cinema Award & Festival of First Films took place with the patronage of the Lazio Region, Roma Capitale - Department of Culture and Coordination of initiatives related to the Day of Remembrance, Fondazione Roma Lazio Film Commission, Agiscuola, SNCCI - National Union of Italian Film Critics, Centro Studi Cinematografici, Tulipani di Seta Nera, CinemaDaMare, Diari di Cineclub and CineClub “Vittorio De Sica-Cinit”.
For this edition, the patronage of the Order of Journalists - National Council and that of the SIAE - Italian Society of Authors and Publishers have also been added for the first time.
