LA GRADIVA

Special screening | France, Italy | 2026 | Drama, Coming of Age | 145 min | In French and Italian with English subtitles

Directed by: Marine Atlan
Written by: Marine Atlan, Anne Brouillet
Produced by: Inès Daïen Dasi (Les Films du Poisson), Angelo Barbagallo (Bibi Film), Arte France Cinéma
Cinematography: Pierre Mazoyer, Marine Atlan
Original Score: XXX
Film Editing: Guillaume Lillo
Cast: Antonia Buresi (Mrs Mercier), Colas Quignard (Toni), Suzanne Gerin (Suzanne), Mitia Capellier-Audat (James), Rouge Isaac (Amaury)
International Sales: Mk2 Films
US Distributor: 1-2 Special
US Release Date: December 18, 2026

Synopsis

High-school seniors Toni, working-class smart Aleck, his best friend James, the class Romeo, and brainy wallflower Suzanne travel to Naples with a group of classmates and their passionate Latin teacher to study the ruins of Pompeii in this coming-of-age journey that shakes each of them to their very core. Marine Atlan‘s haunting first feature boasts a breathtaking ensemble cast and an infinitely delicate touch, as it recounts a story of youthful dreams and family myths that are slowly shattered, like the “burning ash and volcanic rock that rained down from Vesuvius” on that fateful day, back in 79 A.D.

Director’s bio

La Fémis film school graduate, writer/director/cinematographer Marine Atlan has written and directed two shorts, Green Romances (2016) and Daniel (2018). She’s served as director of photography on numerous shorts, including her own, as well as the features Jessica Forever (2018), Au jour d’aujourd’hui (2021), Nos Cérémonies (2022), Thunder (2022), The Rapture (2023), Room 999 (2023), Queens of Drama (2024) and Louise Hémon’s The Girl in the Snow (TAFFF 2025).  La Gradiva, her first feature, premiered in the Critics’ Week section of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Grand Prize. It was also screened in the centerpiece section of the Toronto Film Festival and as part of the Main Slate of this year’s New York Film Festival.