The stories of Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, Francesco De Gregori and Bernardo Bertolucci — three leading figures of Italian culture and entrepreneurship — will take center stage at the 21st edition of the Los Angeles Italia Festival, set to open on March 8 at the iconic TCL Chinese Theatre.
Founded and produced by Pascal Vicedomini, the festival is promoted by the Istituto Capri nel Mondo with the support of the Italian Ministry of Culture, under the patronage of the MAECI and the MIT, with the participation of Intesa Sanpaolo, KPMG, and Rainbow, and in collaboration with ICE, the Italian Cultural Institute, and the Consulate General of Italy in Los Angeles.
The 2026 program weaves together arthouse cinema, television, great music, and documentary storytelling. In music, the spotlight will be on Francesco De Gregori. Nevergreen by Stefano Pistolini, alongside documentaries dedicated to Riccardo Cocciante, Rino Gaetano, and Giacomo Puccini.
Among the films celebrating cinematic legends — in addition to the previously announced work on Gian Maria Volonté — LA, Italia 2026 will honor Bernardo Bertolucci with a screening of his masterpiece Novecento (1900) and with the documentary La nostra magnifica ossessione. Bernardo Bertolucci e la sua generazione by Marco Spagnoli, retracing the cultural and cinematic revolution led by the director and his generation.
The festival will also celebrate Italian entrepreneurial excellence with Luca: Seeing Red, dedicated to Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, directed by Manish Pandey together with Christopher M. Armstrong. The film explores Montezemolo’s global leadership and the iconic era of Ferrari, a worldwide symbol of Made in Italy, highlighting how managerial vision and national identity shaped success on the international stage.
A special event will spotlight the Neapolitan tradition with Renzo Arbore and the Orchestra Italiana, while a tribute will be dedicated to Tony Renis, a historic artistic bridge between Italy and America.
On the fiction and popular cinema front, the focus will be on Sandokan starring Can Yaman, as well as box-office hits such as Buen Camino with Checco Zalone, Oi Vita Mia by Pio e Amedeo, La vita va così by Milani, and other Italian productions engaging international audiences.
The journey culminates with Two Billion Hearts, narrated by Liev Schreiber, revisiting the USA ’94 World Cup ahead of the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026, set to take place this summer across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
