Cinema & Psychology: “Elisa” Film Screening & Discussion in Cesena 2026

The 2026 edition of CinemAnimaMente, a film festival uniting cinema and psychology, will open Saturday, February 21st, at the Cinema Eliseo in Cesena with a screening of Leonardo Di Costanzo’s “Elisa.”

Actress Barbara Ronchi, the star of “Elisa,” will be present at the 5:00 PM screening and will participate in a discussion following the film with Rosa Santangelo, director of the Cesena SPDC (Servizio Psichiatrico di Diagnosi e Cura) unit of AUSL Romagna. The event will explore the psychological themes presented in the film, offering insights into the narrative’s implications, according to organizers.

This year’s CinemAnimaMente focuses on the theme of “I dubbi, le scelte” – “Doubts, Choices.” The festival is promoted by the Unità operativa Dipendenze Patologiche Forlì-Cesena of the AUSL Romagna’s Department of Mental Health, in collaboration with the Il Mandorlo cooperative, the Cinema Eliseo, and the Confederazione Internazionale dei Cinema d’Essai – FICE. The event also has the patronage of the Comune di Cesena, the Associazione generale dello Spettacolo Emilia-Romagna, and, newly this year, the Ordine degli Psicologi dell’Emilia-Romagna.

The festival program continues on Thursday, February 26th, at 8:30 PM with a screening of Alessandro Aronadio’s “Per te,” organized in collaboration with the Fondazione Maratona Alzheimer. Aronadio will engage in a dialogue with Gloria Caminati from the Centro Demenze e Disturbi Cognitivi Cesena of AUSL Romagna.

Further screenings are scheduled for March. Matteo Oleotto’s “Ultimo Schiaffo” will be presented on Wednesday, March 4th, at 8:30 PM, followed by a conversation with Gianluca Farfaneti, a psychotherapist with AUSL Romagna. On Monday, March 9th, at 8:30 PM, Fiorella Infascelli’s “La Camera di Consiglio” will be shown, with actress Anna Della Rosa in discussion with Michele Sanza, psychiatrist and president of the Società Italiana di Psichiatria dei Disturbi di Personalità.

The festival will continue on Friday, March 20th, at 8:30 PM with Umberto Carteni’s “Domani Interrogo.” The program concludes on Saturday, March 28th, at 5:00 PM with Nicolangelo Gelormini’s “La Gioia,” followed by a discussion with Lidia Agostini, a psychotherapist with AUSL Romagna.

Admission to each screening is 7 euros, with a reduced rate of 5 euros for university students.