The 21st Rome Film Fest celebrated its coming-of-age opening night edition in style last night (October 13) with an industry lifetime achievement award for UK producer Tessa Ross, an inaugural music award for legendary Italian film composer Nicola Piovani, and an emotional tribute by jury president Jan Komasa to the late UK producer Jeremy Thomas.
Ross was presented with her award, designed to celebrate leaders in film, by German director Edward Berger, with whom Ross worked on Berger’s papal drama Conclave.
Conclave was filmed on location in Rome and Campania and screened at the Rome festival in 2024.
Ross, the former director of Film4 who now heads London-based House Productions, has been making films for nearly 40 years. She produced Danny Boyle’s Ink, which is screening at this year’s festival.
In presenting the award to Ross, Berger delivered his award in the form of a letter of praise and thanks to her. He highlighted her international outlook and ambitions for projects.
Accepting the award, Ross said: “The lifetime achievement award is quite a thing, not least because I would like to have a lot more lifetime and to achieve a great deal more.”
She noted making films is about looking forward. “But if I have to look back, then it’s those extraordinary people that I’ve had the honour of working with that I have to look back with. The artists, the craftspeople, actors, designers, musicians, photographers, editors - all creative wizards - making film that delivers us into a community full of purpose and allows us to share stories that I hope make the world a little bit better.”
Jeremy Thomas tribute
Polish director Komasa, who heads Rome’s main competition jury, opened his remarks with a nod to Thomas, who died last month. Through his company, Recorded Picture Company, Thomas served as one of the main producers of Komasa’s dark thriller Good Boy, starring Anson Boon, Stephen Graham, and Andrea Riseborough. Boon won the best actor award for the film in Rome last year.
“Jeremy loved Italy, its cinema, its people, the way of living, and that love brought us closer together,” noted Komasa. “Jeremy, I dedicate my presence here to you. I wish you were here, my friend. We would probably be planning our first Italian film together.”
Komasa drew applause at the end of his thanks with a plea. “We live in a special time, an uncertain time. From the bottom of my heart, I feel Europe has to stand together, defending democracy, human rights,” he said. “Our different languages, different voices are part of our strength. Culture is part of what keeps Europe together and keeps Europe alive. For me, every film opens a window. Here in Rome, I look forward to discovering the worlds of my fellow filmmakers. Can’t wait to see what I would see through their windows.”
Accepting the festival’s first Banca Ifis music award from filmmaker Marco Bellocchio, Oscar-winning composer Piovani, who has written scores for more than 250 films, cited the pair’s friendship as the bedrock for their collaboration.
Opening film
The opening gala screening was the romantic drama The Sound Of Something New by Paolo Genovese, whose credits include Perfect Strangers, the biggest film at the Italian box office in 2025. The film has reportedly been remade a record 50 times.
The Sound Of Something New stars local A-list names led by Emanuela Fanelli, Claudia Pandolfi, Vittoria Puccini, Stefano Accorsi, Lino Musella, Edoardo Pesce, and Claudio Santamaria, who were all in attendance.
The opening night gala took place at the festival’s main venue, the Auditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone.
The Rome film festival is produced by the Fondazione Cinema per Roma, under the artistic direction of Paola Malanga, whose support and creative vision for the festival were praised from the stage throughout the opening night ceremony.
The Rome Film Fest runs October 13-25.
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