Oscar-winning director Jane Campion will open the 47th edition of the Festival di Cinema e Donne in Florence, running from October 21 to 25, 2026, at the Cinema La Compagnia. Festival artistic director Camilla Toschi announced the lineup, positioning the veteran filmmaker at the center of the event’s multidisciplinary programming, which is organized by the Area Cinema of Fondazione Sistema Toscana as part of the broader 50 Giorni di Cinema a Firenze initiative.
Opening Night and Special Screenings
The festival begins on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, with an inaugural program curated by Campion herself. The director will introduce a screening of Sally Potter’s 1992 film Orlando, an adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s novel starring Tilda Swinton. Alongside Potter’s feature, Campion will present Socks, a short film by Todd Karehana. The short emerged from A Wave in the Ocean, a mentorship and training project directed by Campion and producer Philippa Campbell.
“Non vedo l’ora di partecipare all’edizione di quest’year del festival di Cinema e Donne a Firenze,” Campion stated in official notes released by festival organizers. “Sono tre delle cose che amo di più al mondo: il cinema, le donne e Firenze. Cosa c’è di meglio?”
Thirty Years of Portrait of a Lady
On Saturday, October 24, 2026, Campion will join Hearst Italia Editor at Large Piera Detassis for a public conversation. The talk precedes a screening of Campion’s 1996 film Portrait of a Lady, marking the feature’s 30th anniversary. Based on Henry James’s novel and starring Nicole Kidman, the film features iconic scenes shot in Florence’s Piazza Santissima Annunziata and Lucca’s Palazzo Pfanner. This screening will launch a complete retrospective of Campion’s directorial work, which will run at Cinema La Compagnia from November through January.
Mission and Legacy of the Florence Festival
Established in 1979, the Festival di Cinema e Donne stands as Italy’s longest-running women’s film festival. Camilla Toschi emphasized the event’s ongoing objective to connect historical auteurs with emerging generations. Previous editions have welcomed figures such as Agnès Varda, Margarethe von Trotta, Chantal Akerman, Francesca Archibugi, Céline Sciamma, and Jasmine Trinca. Toschi noted that Campion was chosen for her historic impact on cinema and her active role as a producer supporting new talent.
Worth a look