Nanni Moretti returns to Venice competition after 37 years with romantic feature Succederà questa notte

Return to the Venice competition

Italian director Nanni Moretti, aged 73, presented his new feature film, Succederà questa notte, in competition at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival on 5 September 2026. The premiere marks Moretti's return to the Lido after 37 years, following the 1989 screening of Palombella Rossa in the International Critics' Week section, and 45 years after his 1981 film Sogni d'oro won the Silver Lion. Welcomed with an extended ovation at the press conference, Moretti clarified that his long absence from Venice was logistical rather than an intentional boycott, explaining that his previous productions were rarely finished in time for summer submissions because he typically filmed at other times of the year. He also deflected questions about Italian domestic politics with humor before concluding the media session.

Too bad, I really wanted to talk about current politics, it will be for next time.

Adapting Eshkol Nevo's stories

The feature is freely adapted from the short story collection Legàmi by Israeli author Eshkol Nevo. Moretti previously adapted Nevo's writing for his 2021 drama Tre Piani. Working with co-screenwriters Federica Pontremoli and Valia Santella, Moretti merged several distinct narratives from the book into a single cohesive plot. The production departs from Moretti's conventional focus on political commentary and autobiography, centering instead on a multi-decade romance between Matteo, played by Louis Garrel, and Greta, played by Jasmine Trinca.

Many years ago I coined a rather silly phrase: I said I wanted to make the same film if possible, but always better. This time we imagined a powerful love story.

Plot structure and music licensing

The story spans an arc of 17 years, structured by three intertitle cards that mark narrative jumps of seven years, seven years, and three years. Filming took place across Rome, San Sebastián, and Oslo. The plot begins in Rome, where Matteo, a bookseller, meets Greta, an actress in a wedding dress who pauses on her way to her marriage to play a game with him barefoot. The characters cross paths again years later in San Sebastián during a Bruce Springsteen concert, while Greta searches for her lost daughter, and meet a third time in a Roman café when both are raising families with new partners. On set, Garrel performed a continuous basketball sequence requiring 25 takes and rode a Japanese scooter rather than Moretti's iconic Vespa. Producer Domenico Procacci of Fandango, working alongside Sacher Film and Rai Cinema, noted that securing the rights to feature live concert footage from Bruce Springsteen was a first for a fiction film, alongside licensing The Rolling Stones track She's a Rainbow for a collective dance scene.

Cast and distribution schedule

The cast includes Hippolyte Girardot, Angela Finocchiaro, Melina Akerman, Elena Lietti, Andrea Lattanzi, Antonio De Matteo, and Moretti himself in a supporting role. Trinca first worked with Moretti after being discovered as an 18-year-old student at Liceo Virgilio in Rome for his 2001 film La stanza del figlio. Succederà questa notte is the first of five Italian films competing for the Golden Lion at the 83rd edition of the festival. Italian theatrical distribution is scheduled to begin on 3 December 2026 through 01 Distribution.