Julian Schnabel Receives Lifetime Achievement Award at Lucca Film Festival
The twenty-second edition of the Lucca Film Festival opens its second day on Sunday, September 27, featuring a lifetime achievement award for American director and artist Julian Schnabel, alongside international feature competitions, silent film restorations, and dedicated retrospectives. Running through October 4 with free admission, the festival is directed by artistic director Nicola Borrelli.
Julian Schnabel Receives Career Honor and Presents In the Hand of Dante
The festival honors Julian Schnabel with its Career Award during Sunday evening ceremonies at the Cinema Astra. Following the presentation, Schnabel will present his latest film, In the hand of Dante, as a special event realized in collaboration with Netflix. The screening is moderated by Alessandro Romanini. The exhibition continues on Monday, September 28, with a public masterclass led by Schnabel at the Cinema Astra. Organizers have curated a retrospective of his filmography, screening features such as Basquiat, Lo scafandro e la farfalla, Miral, Prima che sia notte, and Van Gogh sulla soglia dell’eternità.
International Competition and Special Screenings at Cinema Centrale
The competitive slate launches at 15:00 at the Cinema Centrale with the Iranian-Swedish coproduction Snake Milkers and the Miserable Lady. Directed by Vahid Alvandifar, the debut feature presents a macabre fairy tale and road movie following an Iranian snake hunter who experiences a miraculous resurrection after dying on the job. At 17:00, the International Feature Competition—curated by Stefano Giorgi and Mattia Fiorino—continues with the Bangladeshi feature Master. Directed by Rezwan Shahriar Sumit, the second work follows an idealistic schoolteacher struggling against local political corruption.
The 17:00 slot at Cinema Centrale also includes a screening of the out-of-competition short film Maedeli-la-brèche. The work marks the first work directed by Jaco Van Dormael, who serves on the short film jury and won an Oscar for best foreign student film at the 1981 Student Academy Awards.
Tributes to Šarūnas Bartas and San Francesco Centenary
The Complesso di San Micheletto hosts specialized programming, beginning at 15:00 with the 1927 silent film Frate Francesco by Giulio Antamoro. The screening belongs to a chronological sidebar titled Francesco. Ottocento anni dopo: pensiero, storia, poesia, musica, coordinated by the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Lucca to mark the eighth centenary of the saint’s death in 1226. The program spans eight films produced between 1918 and 2016, exploring cinematic representations of Saint Francis from the silent era onward.
At 17:00, San Micheletto shifts focus to Lithuanian director, screenwriter and producer Šarūnas Bartas, who participates in the festival as a feature competition juror. The venue screens his 1995 meditative feature The Corridor, set within a claustrophobic Vilnius apartment following national independence from Russia.
Focus on Young Tuscan Directors
Sunday night events at the Cinema Astra commence at 21:00 with a dedicated focus on young Tuscan directors. The program features the short film Kill Time by director Niccolò Forcella, who will appear on stage alongside Alessandro De Francesco. Shot on 16-millimeter film without dialogue and starring Antonio Gerardi, the short examines dark impulses of human curiosity and the desire for possession.
Festival Support and Institutional Partners
The twenty-second Lucca Film Festival operates under the artistic direction of Nicola Borrelli with financial backing from the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Lucca. Main sponsors for the event include Banca Generali Private Wealth Management—represented by Paolo Tacchi—and Banca Pictet. Additional support comes from the Ministry of Culture’s Directorate General for Cinema and Audiovisual, the Municipality of Lucca, Vivi Lucca Eventi, the Lands of Giacomo Puccini, and the Chamber of Commerce of Tuscany North – West.
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