The 2023 ST. ALi Italian Film Festival, presented by Palace Cinemas, returns to cinemas in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, and Byron Bay from September 19, featuring a selection of drama, comedy and documentaries.

Italian-Australian food writer, TV producer, and host Silvia Colloca is this year’s festival ambassador and will be talking about her top picks for the festival, plus her Italian heritage, while in attendance at Sydney and Melbourne.

Opening the festival is Andrea Di Stefano’s The Last Night of Amore (L’ultima notte di Amore), a Milan-set thriller that stars Pierfrancesco Favino as a police lieutenant who is drawn into a web of crime and corruption on the eve of his retirement.

The event will also include special presentations of Pippo Mezzapesa’s Burning Hearts (Ti mangio il cuore), a black-and-white Puglia-set crime drama that features singer Elodie in her first acting role, and Michele Placido’s Caravaggio’s Shadow (L’ombra di Caravaggio), a historical drama starring Riccardo Scamarcio and Isabelle Huppert that explored the struggles of the notorious and brilliant Renaissance painter as he is investigated by the Vatican.

Other highlights range from Nanni Moretti’s meta-comedy A Brighter Tomorrow (Il sol dell’avvenire) to Roberto Andò’s real-life inspired drama Strangeness.

The 2023 ST. ALi Italian Film Festival presented by Palace screens in the following locations:

Sydney – September 19–  October 18: Palace Central, Palace Norton St, Palace Verona, Chauvel Cinema

Canberra  –  September 20 – October 18 : Palace Electric Cinema

Adelaide – September 20 – October 15: Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas, Palace Nova Prospect Cinemas

Melbourne –  September 21 – October 18:  Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth, The Kino, Pentridge Cinema, The Astor Theatre, Cinema Nova

Brisbane – September 27 – October 25: Palace Barracks, Palace James Street

Perth – September 28 – October 25: Palace Raine Square, Luna Leederville, Luna on SX, Windsor Cinema

Byron Bay – September 28 – October 18: Palace Byron Bay

The full festival programme will launch when tickets go on sale on Thursday, August 24.