Florence, Italy is once again playing host to “Scelti dalla critica” (Chosen by the Critics), a film series curated by the late film critic Claudio Carabba and coordinated by the Tuscan branch of the National Union of Film Critics (SNCCI), alongside Spazio Alfieri. The eleventh edition of the series kicks off and runs through , showcasing six recent releases and a restored classic, all selected by the Tuscan group of the SNCCI. Screenings will take place every Tuesday at 7:00 PM at Spazio Alfieri.
Alongside the film series, the “Premio Carabba” (Carabba Prize) offers a unique opportunity for high school and university students. In collaboration with Fondazione Sistema Toscana’s “Lanterne Magiche – La Scuola con il Cinema” (Magic Lanterns – School with Cinema) educational program, the prize awards the authors of the best film reviews a trip to the Venice Film Festival.
Established in , the “Premio Carabba” aims to foster critical thinking about cinema among younger audiences. Iacopo Di Passio, President of Fondazione Sistema Toscana, emphasized the importance of “training young people to view images on the big screen with a critical eye – regarding content, techniques, and the messages that films convey.” He added, “This is a crucial formative path in today’s world, an era of massive production and consumption of audiovisual products. Knowing how to watch a film not passively, but by developing a personal interpretive key, is one of the objectives that the Lanterne Magiche program has always set for itself and implements with great capillarity and effectiveness in Tuscan schools of all levels.”
Students participating in the “Premio Carabba” are tasked with reviewing the films presented in the “Scelti dalla Critica” series. The four authors of the best reviews will receive a week-long immersive experience at the Venice Film Festival. The initiative is supported by the National Cinema and Image Plan for Schools from the Italian Ministries of Culture and Education.
Unicoop Firenze is providing support for the “Premio Carabba,” expressing enthusiasm for the program’s focus on young people and its provision of opportunities for reflection and cultural exchange. A representative from Unicoop Firenze stated, “We enthusiastically joined the initiative and are very happy to contribute to an event program that puts young people at the center, creating opportunities for meeting and common reflection on the fundamental themes of our civic life and giving the opportunity to experience a formative experience at the Venice Film Festival. It is a rich and quality initiative, which responds well to our commitment to culture as a common good and a tool for individual and collective growth.”
The films selected by the Tuscan group of the National Film Critics Syndicate – dubbed the “Magnifici Sette” (Magnificent Seven) – represent a diverse range of contemporary cinema. The lineup includes works by Paul Thomas Anderson (Una battaglia dopo l’altra), Jafar Panahi (Un semplice incidente, a Cannes Palme d’Or winner), Luca Guadagnino (After the Hunt – Dopo la caccia), Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne (Giovani madri, Cannes Best Screenplay winners), and Yorgos Lanthimos (Bugonia, presented in competition at the Venice Film Festival).
The series also features a classic film, Charlie Chaplin’s La febbre dell’oro (The Gold Rush), in a newly restored edition, and the debut work Orfeo by Virgilio Villoresi, which was presented Out of Competition at the last Venice Film Festival. This combination of established masterpieces and contemporary works aims to encourage both remembrance and exploration of new cinematic visions.
Students interested in participating in the “Premio Carabba” can register by by completing the registration form available at www.lanternemagiche.it and submitting it to info@lanternemagiche.it.
The Florence Film Awards, which concluded a January 2026 event, also saw significant recognition. The Sanguine dominated the awards, winning in categories including Best Horror, Best Indie Short Film, Best Producer, Best Sound Design, Best Cinematography, Best Director, and Best Editing. Adam Brummitt’s Black Ram also received multiple accolades, including Gold Award for Short Script and Indie Short Film. Other winners included La Casa di Nonna for Best Comedy and Trilero for Best Drama Short Film. The awards also highlighted talent from across the globe, with Bastian Urra’s THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US winning Best Student Film from the United Kingdom and THE EIGHTH HOUSE by Zack Van Eyck receiving a Silver Award for Feature Script.
