Il Cinema in Piazza festival returns to Rome in 2022 with free films, big names and three locations.

Rome film fans can look forward to watching movies on the big screen under the stars again this summer with the return of Il Cinema in Piazza.

The free event takes place from 3 June to 31 July in three different locations. Screenings are held at 21.15, every night except Monday and Tuesday, and booking is not required.

The majority of the films are screened in their original language with subtitles in Italian.

In addition to its base at Piazza S. Cosimato in Trastevere, the eighth edition of the festival will return to Casale della Cervelletta in Rome's eastern suburbs and Monte Ciocci park at Valle Aurelia.

Il Cinema in Piazza once again hosts a range of international special guests including Wes Anderson, David Mamet, Paweł Pawlikowski and Fanny Ardant, with Pietro Castellitto and Carlo Verdone among the stars of Italian cinema.

There will also be tributes to Libero De Rienzo (on the first anniversary of his death), Pier Paolo Pasolini, Massimo Troisi, Mel Brooks and Alfred Hitchcock.

The festival is organised by Piccolo Cinema America, a Trastevere-based association of young volunteer film enthusiasts, led by president Valerio Carocci.

The festival's organisers are no stranger to overcoming obstacles, from political opposition to right-wing aggression, and they recently opened the fully refurbished, state-of-the-art Cinema Troisi.

For the last eight years the festival has consistently punched above its weight to reel in some of the top names in Italian and international cinema as guests in addition to screening a diverse range of movies.

The full programme is available on the Cinema in Piazza website.