An Italian Year, the second feature from Laura Samani, hits theaters on June 10, 2026. Fresh from its 2025 showing in the Orizzonti section at the Venice Film Festival, this Franco-Italian drama adapts Un anno di scuola, a work by Giani Stuparich, relocating its story to Trieste in the early 2000s.
An Italian Year
Film | 2025
In theaters: June 10, 2026
Drama-comedy | Running time: 1h42
Directed by Laura Samani | Screenplay: Laura Samani, Elisa Dondi
Starring Stella Wendick, Giacomo Covi, Pietro Giustolisi, Samuel Volturno
Original title: Un anno di scuola
Nationalities: Italy, France
The film follows Fred, a 17-year-old Swedish girl who arrives in Trieste in September 2007 and enrolls in a senior class at a technical high school. The only girl among a crew of boys, she quickly grabs the attention of a trio of friends, whose carefully balanced dynamic is gradually pushed to the brink by her arrival.
Laura Samani reimagines Giani Stuparich’s 1929 text, placing it in 2007–2008, just before social networks saturate teenage social life. The choice of Trieste goes beyond geography: the border city, oriented toward Italy, Slovenia, and Central Europe, provides a liminal setting for a moment of transition — the end of high school, looming departures, and the forging of self.
An Italian Year had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival 2025, in the Orizzonti section. Giacomo Covi took home the Orizzonti Award for Best Actor for his performance in the film, which went on to screen at several international festivals. The project also marks Laura Samani's second feature after Piccolo corpo.
The film speaks to fans of coming‑of‑age narratives, European dramedies and movies that center on adolescence, group dynamics, and those pivotal years. Set in Trieste, rooted in literature, and featuring a cast of young performers, it carries a distinctly Italian identity without simply turning into a school chronicle.
Trailer for An Italian Year:
To keep the cinema-going experience going, check out the June movie releases, the films to see right now, and our selection of the dramatic comedies of the year.
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