©Courtesy of Torino Film Festival
The 43rd Torino Film Festival took place from November 21st to November 29th 2025, under the aegis of the National Museum of Cinema, presided by Enzo Ghigo and directed by Carlo Chatrian, with the artistic direction of Giulio Base.
This was the second year that Giulio Base was at the helm, bringing together independent filmmaking, illustrious talent and celebrating Hollywood legends. The retrospective and the poster of this year’s festival were dedicated to Paul Newman, on the centenary of his birth, with a selection of 24 films from his career.
There were a dozen illustrious recipients of the Stella della Mole Awards: Juliette Binoche, Vincent Lindon, Vanessa Redgrave, Terry Gilliam, Spike Lee, Hanna Schygulla, Sergio Castellitto, Jacqueline Bisset, Daniel Bruhl, Claude Lelouch, Aleksander Sokurov, Antonio Banderas. Other prestigious talent included Franco Nero and James Franco, to mention a few.
The 2025 line-up remained true to its film-loving and authorial past, whilst paying close attention to the new generations of cineastes. This 43rd edition of the Torino Film Festival featured 120 films (104 feature films and 16 shorts), selected from roughly 5,500 films submitted for selection. Out these 23 were world premieres: 11 international, 9 European and 42 Italian.
In this Exclusive Interview the artistic director of the 43rd Torino Film Festival, Giulio Base, shares his thoughts on this year’s cinematic kermesse:
©Courtesy of Torino Film Festival
Q : This was your second year as artistic director of TFF, was it easier or more difficult to keep the standards and expectations high as last year?
Giulio Base : I would say a bit of both. It was easier in terms of the work that we knew how to handle, with my selection committee and the entire entourage. Last year, was my first year and my concern was not to disappoint expectations. This year, as you said, the goal was not to go below the standards we had built in the previous edition. I think we succeeded in our intent, because the festival, is at the same level, if not better, in my opinion, and I’m happy of the general outcome.
Q : With your team of programmers you had to navigate through almost six thousand films, what was the criteria to narrow down the selection?
Giulio Base : Naturally we all like good movies. That’s the first criteria. But if I were to choose a word to define our criteria is that each film had to be memorable. Even if wasn’t perfect, especially because in the Competition we had first or second feature films, and it’s understandable for them to be flawed. But they had to have something that would stay in your mind, heart, and limbs.
Q : How has you profession as an actor and film director helped you in running a festival?
Giulio Base : For sure, the public relations aspect helped bringing the talent to the festival. For instance, I even directed Dolph Lundgren in the historical drama The Inquiry, so I’ve known him for a long time before inviting him to this year’s festival edition. What I can say is that running a festival has very much changed my perspective as a filmmaker. After this experience, I will pay close attention to the creation of the beginning of a film, since those initial moments are crucial to grab the attention of the viewer. Especially when it comes to a team of selectors who have to go through thousands of submitted films.
Q : From your first year, you made it clear you wanted an inclusive festival, this year you have enhanced this aspect…
Giulio Base : My wish was to create a festival for everybody. I didn’t want to involve just a part of the city or just the cinephiles or film students. I wanted to involve and bring together the bourgeoise, the common people, the aristocrats, the revolutionaries. I wanted to welcome everyone. That’s why also the selection of films was so heterogenous.
Q : You declared that the heart of your festival would continue to be films intended to be seen in the theatres, what are you thoughts on festivals that include television series in their selection?
Giulio Base : I acknowledge my position with pride. I don’t do it as a snob, nor with a sense of superiority. That is absolutely not the case. I simply made a choice in the name of cinema. I like TV series, I’ve worked in them, I just think they tell stories in a different way. It’s as if you went to a jazz festival wondering why there isn’t opera or disco music. The same can apply to an opera house: you wouldn’t go there to listen to reggae. I simply feel there is a space for each creative expression. For me festivals are for films that have been conceived for the movie theatre.
Q : In some public speeches you said that cinema lives through encounters between those who create films and those who watch them. You connected the cinema of the past, through Paul Newman’s retrospective, with the works of fledgeling filmmakers. Do you feel this year’s edition managed to connect past, present, and the future of those working in the film industry?
Giulio Base : I consider cinema not only a place of encounters through time, but also through different art forms. In cinema we may find theatre, music performances, and literature considering the many adaptations for the screen. Architecture is another important art form that shapes the look of a film. Not to forget that history gets revived through film. If I think of Schindler’s List, that film can be very educational to teach children about the Holocaust. Cinema offers a wide spectrum of cultural possibilities that not many other medias have.
©Courtesy of Torino Film Festival
Q : With your wife, Tiziana Rocca, at the artistic direction of the Taormina Film Festival you represent a power couple in the realm of film festivals. Do you give each other advice on the matter or do you keep work separate?
Giulio Base : Obviously living under the same roof we share information, but we have different approaches. She’s great at her job, focusing on production and organising events. She has an enormous talent, because you need it to interact so smoothly with film stars. I have a different background, I studied cinema, I’ve been working as a filmmaker, so I focus on the creative aspect of the industry. At the end of the day we very much complete one another.
Q : There are rumours of your possible direction of other prestigious festivals, I know it’s too soon to discuss this, but is this a role you’ve enjoyed so far and would like to continue in the future?
Giulio Base : Actually, that’s a good question, because last year, when I started, I was wondering if I would be good at it and if I would enjoy it. It all worked out, and I feel very lucky to love my job. As Mark Twain said “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” That is what has happened to me. I always did what I loved: acting directing, producing, writing. Now I’ve discovered how much I love working in a film festival and it is definitely something I would be happy to continue doing.