Dolcevita on the Seine: the lineup for the open-air Italian film festival at the Arenes de Lutèce

The festival Dolcevita sur Seine is back at the Arènes de Lutèce for its 5th edition outdoors! From July 2 to 6, 2026, this civic and inclusive cinema-focused festival brings a slice of Italy to Paris, in honor of 70 years of twinning between the cities of Paris and Rome. “Only Paris is worthy of Rome; only Rome is worthy of Paris”!

It is a twin edition of the prestigious festival Nouvelle Vague sul Tevere, taking place simultaneously in Rome. In the heart of the Latin Quarter, the Gallo-Roman amphitheater becomes a large piazza, a festive and popular gathering spot, around the cinema, music, theatre and photography. Close to the big screen, a pop-up bar, designed as a cinema set, plunges the audience into the atmosphere of an Italian café from the 80s, inviting them to settle in one of the 450 deckchairs or on the old stone steps.

• To be read
• Top cinemas in Paris

The program for this 2026 edition is finally known. Last year, the Dolcevita sur Seine festival spotlighted a restored version of the film Rome, Open City (Roma città aperta). Cinephiles had the chance to attend the world premiere of Berlinguer – La Grande Ambizione by Andrea Segre, in the presence of Elio Germano, and the screening of L’art de la joie by Valeria Golino, adapted from the eponymous novel by Sicilian author Goliarda Sapienza, with, among others, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi.

This year, the film lineup on offer is:

• Once Upon a Time in the West by Sergio Leone
  Festival opening film
  Thursday, July 2 at 9:30 PM
  For its opening, Dolcevita-sur-Seine 2026 presents an exceptional screening of Once Upon a Time in the West at the Arenes de Lutèce. A rare venue, whose majesty matches the grandeur of the shots, the sweep of history, and the power of Sergio Leone’s cinema. A cinecittà child, Leone signs here one of his masterpieces. He bids farewell to the Western, which he had already dramatically reshaped with the Dollar Trilogy, and delivers a work whose beauty, melancholy and modernity continue to move us. Opposite him, Claudia Cardinale, unforgettable Jill, larger than life. Leone gives her one of the few genuinely positive female roles in his filmography; she responds with breathtaking grace, strength and freedom.
  
  
• Three Goodbyes by Isabel Coixet with Alba Rohrwacher
  Friday, July 3 at 9:30 PM at the Arenes de Lutèce 
  Tre ciotole, adapted from Michela Murgia’s final novel, published shortly before her death, follows Marta as her life collapses. When Antonio ends their relationship, everything unravels: memories, sleepless nights, the body itself. Gradually Marta tries to rebuild, until a persistent disturbance reveals a serious illness. Beside Alba Rohrwacher, Elio Germano plays a man who understands too late what he has lost.
  Preview, theatrical release in France on September 2, 2026
  
  
• Il grande Boccia by Karen di Porto
  Saturday, July 4 at 6:30 PM at the Arenes de Lutèce
  The Rome-born director and actress Karen di Porto is a rare gem in the Roman cinema landscape. This film traces the arc of the greatest — and the worst — Italian director, Tanio Boccia, a legendary Cinecittà figure of the 1960s.
  
  
• The Bicycle Thief by Vittorio De Sica with Lamberto Maggiorani and Enzo Staiola
  Friday, July 3 at 6:30 PM 
  
  
• Birds, Small and Large by Pier Paolo Pasolini with Totò and Ninetto Davoli
  Monday, July 6 at 6:30 PM
  
  
• Ugly, Dirty and Bad by Ettore Scola with Nino Manfredi, Linda Moretti, Ettore Garofolo and Franco Merli
  Saturday, July 4 at 9:30 PM 
  
  
• A Very Nice Guy by Carlo Verdone with Carlo Verdone, Mario Brega, Renato Scarpa and Veronica Miriel
  Sunday, July 5 at 6:30 PM
  Restored by the Bologna Cinematheque 
  
  
• The Pigeon by Mario Monicelli
  Monday, July 6 at 9:30 PM
  Mythic closing! A quintet of quirky thieves attempt to rob a Roman pawnshop... Starring Marcello Mastroianni, Vittorio Gassman, Totò, Renato Salvatori and Claudia Cardinale.

The festival also hosts talks, guided walks, and exhibitions, plus a special prize: the Dolcevita Prize — a competition of unreleased or premiere Italian films shown at the Paris Cinéma Club venues, a 100% women-led selection by Italian women filmmakers whose audience serves as the jury!

Screenings take place daily at the Arènes de Lutèce from around 6:30 p.m. to roughly 10 p.m., but note that admission is free, subject to availability.