Festival specialist, Rai Cinema International Distribution
- Earned a masters degree in linguistic, literary and translation studies at Rome’s Sapienza University
- Joined Intramovies as festival assistant in 2020
Lanfranchi has been steeped in the cinema industry since she was a teenager, taking a variety of jobs while continuing her studies. She interned for Rome’s Courmayeur Noir In Festival, worked as a hostess for Italian cinema convention Giornate Professionali di Cinema and helped out at the Venice Days sidebar of 2018’s Venice Film Festival.
After university she joined Rome-based sales company Intramovies as a festival assistant, rising to festival manager. As well as helping to secure the best festival premieres for Intramovies’ titles, Lanfranchi has gained experience in acquisitions and co-production at the company. “The whole Intramovies team have taught me so much,” she says, picking out CEO Paola Corvino as a “pioneer in international distribution and a gentle guide for my whole career”.
At Intramovies, Lanfranchi helped to secure festival berths for titles including Ferit Karahan’s Brother’s Keepers (2021 Berlin Panorama), Mika Gustafson’s Paradise Is Burning (2023 Venice Horizons) and Ameer Fakher Eldin’s Yunan (2025 Berlin Competition). She has also been working on (and talks very highly of) Wissam Charaf’s upcoming Holiday, which Intramovies is helping to finance with French producer Aurora Film.
After five years at Intramovies, Lanfranchi has just moved jobs, taking on the festival specialist role at Rai’s international sales division.
Securing festival slots and distribution for indie films is tough with so much competition, says Lanfranchi, who has also participated in Locarno’s Industry Academy and EAVE workshops. “But don’t give up. There is always a way you can place a film in the market.”
Contact: Maria Lanfranchi
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