"DJ's MMP" (USA) in competition at the "Rome International Movie Awards"

"DJ's MMP" directed by DJ Ragland (USA) is in competition at the "Rome International Movie Awards".
The Eternal City awaits you 💖
Submit your Short & Feature Film, Web Series, Documentary, Music Video, Trailer, Screenplay, Poster and Photography via "Filmfreeway" (here).

"Round machine - Machine ronde" (Belgium) in competition at the "Rome International Movie Awards"

"Round machine - Machine ronde" directed by Lucas Racasse (Belgium) is in competition at the "Rome International Movie Awards".
The Eternal City awaits you 💖
Submit your Short & Feature Film, Web Series, Documentary, Music Video, Trailer, Screenplay, Poster and Photography via "Filmfreeway" (here).

"More going down" (USA) in competition at the "Rome International Movie Awards"

"More going down" written by Dennis J. Manning (USA) is in competition at the "Rome International Movie Awards".
The Eternal City awaits you 💖
Submit your Short & Feature Film, Web Series, Documentary, Music Video, Trailer, Screenplay, Poster and Photography via "Filmfreeway" (here).

"Dormi Samir" (Italy) in competition at the "Rome International Movie Awards"

"Dormi Samir" directed by Damiano Impiccichè (Italy) is in competition at the "Rome International Movie Awards".
The Eternal City awaits you 💖
Submit your Short & Feature Film, Web Series, Documentary, Music Video, Trailer, Screenplay, Poster and Photography via "Filmfreeway" (here).

"Chair" (Canada) in competition at the "Rome International Movie Awards"

"Chair" directed by Ningxin Yang (Canada) is in competition at the "Rome International Movie Awards".
The Eternal City awaits you 💖
Submit your Short & Feature Film, Web Series, Documentary, Music Video, Trailer, Screenplay, Poster and Photography via "Filmfreeway" (here).

"Breathing Underwater" (Netherlands, UK) in competition at the "Rome International Movie Awards"

"Breathing Underwater" directed by Gabriella White (Netherlands, UK) is in competition at the "Rome International Movie Awards".
The Eternal City awaits you 💖
Submit your Short & Feature Film, Web Series, Documentary, Music Video, Trailer, Screenplay, Poster and Photography via "Filmfreeway" (here).

"The Healer - La bocca dell'anima" (Italy) in competition at the "Rome International Movie Awards"

"The Healer - La bocca dell'anima" directed by Giuseppe Carleo (Italy) is in competition at the "Rome International Movie Awards".
The Eternal City awaits you 💖
Submit your Short & Feature Film, Web Series, Documentary, Music Video, Trailer, Screenplay, Poster and Photography via "Filmfreeway" (here). 

"One moment" (USA) in competition at the "Rome International Movie Awards"

"One moment" directed by Elijah Hemba, Ige Doten (USA) is in competition at the "Rome International Movie Awards".
The Eternal City awaits you 💖
Submit your Short & Feature Film, Web Series, Documentary, Music Video, Trailer, Screenplay, Poster and Photography via "Filmfreeway" (here). 

Now you can submit your work directly on our website!

Great news!!! We are extremely proud to announce that from today you can submit your work directly to the "Rome International Movie Awards" as well.

No more additional commissions to platforms... very easy, direct and absolutely safe!

Any genre is welcome!
 

Interview with Directors Nini Caroline Skarpaas Myhrvold and Espen Jan Folmo

Norwegian co-directors Espen Jan Folmo, Ph.D. and Nini Caroline Skarpaas Myhrvold fuse psychology, cultural research and visual poetry into films designed to spark collective transformation. Folmo spent a decade leading Norway’s Quality Lab for Psychotherapy, advancing research on mentalization and cultural change, while Myhrvold’s background spans trauma-sensitive environmental therapy and executive studies at Hult International Business School. Their debut feature, "Look up - The science of cultural evolution", distils cutting-edge science and mythic storytelling into an animated odyssey that has earned more than 100 international awards -including multiple Gold Awards at the “Florence Film Award”s, Best Educational Film at the “Cannes World Film Festival”, and Best Picture & Best Animation at the “London Movie Awards”.

ESPEN JAN FOLMO - IMDB PAGE

NINI CAROLINE SKARPAAS MYHRVOLD - IMDB PAGE

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q. Hello Nini Caroline and Espen, it's a pleasure to have you with us for this interview. Congratulations on your ‘Best Documentary Feature’, ‘Best Editing’ and ‘Best VFX’ awards at last October's edition of the “Rome International Movie Awards” (click HERE).
Your new documentary is “Look up: The science of cultural evolution": in a few words, what is it about?    
A. “Look up” is a three-hour documentary essay built on one invitation-raise your gaze. We braid evolutionary biology, psychotherapy research, myth, and music into a single through-line: cooperation is nature’s master-code. From the first microbial mergers to today’s global networks, the film asks how cultures heal, stall, or leap forward, and what each of us can do to widen the circle of “we.”

Q. Why did you decide to make a documentary on this subject?
A. Because the subject started making us. Years of clinical work revealed how personal trauma mirrors cultural fracture. A book felt too silent; only cinema could let viewers feel the evidence, not just understand it.

Q. What got you into the film production industry? Have you ever received any formal training in this area?
A. Our “film school” was psychology labs, concert halls, and midnight philosophy debates. We entered film sideways—writing research by day, scoring music by night—until the camera united every discipline we loved.

Q. Before "Look up - The science of cultural evolution", what can you tell us about your film?
A. We cut our teeth on a 50-minute animated explainer about Bitcoin’s cultural ripple effects. The lessons in pacing, clarity, and digital craft became “Look up”’s spine.

Q. What kind of directors do you describe yourself?  
A. We call our practice scientific poetry. One of us lays down Bach-like architecture; the other paints silence and texture around it. We’re happiest when the film starts directing us.

Q. Directors (and indeed actors) who inspire you?
A. Tarkovsky for turning time into prayer, Kubrick for forensic gaze, Jodorowsky for lucid dreaming. Acting inspirations: Max von Sydow’s gravitas and Rooney Mara’s interior stillness.

Q. Your favourite movies? And of course, films you really deplore?
A. "Love: the mirror", "Groundhog day", "The mission". Deplore: any algorithm-driven sequel that quotes without listening.

Q. Any future projects you'd like to share?
A. The Doula School—film-rich coursework on parenting as cultural genesis—and a hybrid feature about AI ethics told through three epochs of human dreaming.

Q. Where can people see your work?
A. The trailer and the whole documentary can be watched on "Youtube" (HERE and HERE) and we are also on "Imdb" (HERE).

Q. Thank you for this very inspiring interview, Nini Caroline and Espen. Here at the “Rome International Movie Awards” we look forward to seeing and appreciating your new film productions!
A. We are grateful to the “Rome International Movie Awards”, where “Look up” won 'Best Documentary Feature', 'Best Editing', and 'Best VFX' in 2024. Thank you for offering a stage where philosophy and craft can dance; until our next reel-keep looking up.

"Emblem - Emblema" (Brazil) in competition at the "Rome International Movie Awards"

"Emblem - Emblema" directed by Platão Capurro Filho (Brazil) is in competition at the "Rome International Movie Awards".
The Eternal City awaits you 💖
Submit your Short & Feature Film, Web Series, Documentary, Music Video, Trailer, Screenplay, Poster and Photography via "Filmfreeway" (here).

Interview with Award-Winning Directos Nini Caroline Skarpaas Myhrvold and Espen Jan Folmo is coming on June 14th

Interview with Award-Winning Directos Nini Caroline Skarpaas Myhrvold and Espen Jan Folmo is coming on June 14th... Only on the "Rome International Movie Awards" website.

Do you want to be the absolute protagonists of our festival? Book your exclusive interviews here.
The Eternal City awaits you 💖 

May trophies ready to fly!!!

Our beautiful trophies are ready to fly: the statuettes for the May edition will be sent today. What are you waiting for? There is no better gift for you and your cast and crew! Order now the "Capitoline Wolf" with Romulus and Remus, symbol of Rome 💖

How to order:

- Enter in our "Filmfreeway" page (HERE)

- Submit your project in the TROPHY category

MAY 2025 - WINNERS

We are extremely proud to announce the winners for the May contest (in alphabetical order).
Congratulations!!!

 

Best Original Screenplay

Beat of your own drum

Nicholas P. Runfolo

USA

 

Best Original Screenplay

Chained to your ghost

Amanda Lemberg

Hungary

 

Best Action

Best Trailer

Best Director

Best Cinematography (Rodrigo Moran)

Children of the order

Daniel Harrington

USA 

 

Best Romantic

Best Producers (Deborah Hadfield, Jessica Deborah Brooks)

Best Ensemble (Jonathan Bremner, Rose Muirhead, Arlow White, Howard Davey, John Mason, Dave Wong)

Best Sound Design (Phil Cape)

Best VFX (Simon Wilkinson)

Best Costume Design (Julie Chambers)

Best Production Design (Adele Hill)

Chinese whispers

Deborah Hadfield

USA

Best Drama

Best Producers (Curt Samlaska, Tyler Marcus)

Best Director

Best Actor (Ken Phillips)

Best Actress (Chelsey Queeley)

Best Supporting Actor (Edward Bachir Karam)

Best Supporting Actress (Jasmine Freeman)

Best Young Actor (Ryan Sandberg)

Best Original Score

Best Special Makeup (Maria-Aurelia Ramon)

Forgiving retribution

Curt Samlaska

USA

Best Horror

Intus dark

Denise Sganzerla

Brazil

Best Original Screenplay

Invasion of the Brewery Slugs

William Curley

USA

Best Feature

Best First Time Director

Best Duo (Rita Rusciano, Alessandra Persi)

Best Cinematography (Jheison Garcia)

Best Editing (Jessica Beltramello)

It happens in one night - Succede in una notte

Emiliano Canova

Italy

 

Best Original Screenplay

It's open

Doug Maguire

USA

 

Best Photography

Le portrait

Manav Menon

France

 

Best Comedy

Best First Time Director

Best Ensemble (Bonnie Rose, Charlie Solis, Timothy R. Boyce, Jonathan Casillas, Jordan Waller, Joseph Collins, Stephen Moscatello, Rami Wahid, Marta Rapa)

Best Sound Design (Joseph Hellow)

Best Costume Design (Donna Maloney)

Best Makeup and Hairstyling (Vera Stromsted, Agnes Blah)

Living with grandma

Finise Avery

USA

 

Best Documentary Short

Best First Time Director

Nado

Daniele Farina

Italy

 

Best Thriller

Best Poster

Best Producers (J. G. Clarke, David Lightfoot)

Best First Time Director

Best Actor (Jeremy Piven)

Best Actress (Marielle Intveld)

Best Supporting Actor (Brad McCarthy)

Best Supporting Actress (Arwen Diamond)

Best Cinematography (Maxx Corkindale)

Best Editing (Cleland Jones)

Best Sound Design (Mark D'Angelo, Paul van Nimwegen)

Best Original Score (Mark D'Angelo)

Best Costume Design (Callum Royce)

Best Makeup and Hairstyling (Bec Cochrane)

Numbered Lives

J. G. Clarke

Australia 

 

Best Thriller

Best Director

Best Actor (Jake Waring)

Best Actress (Nicole Evans)

Best Supporting Actor (Grahame Edwards)

Best Supporting Actress (Ruchika Jain)

Best Duo (Jake Waring, Nicole Evans)

Best Editing (Christina Morris)

Best Makeup and Hairstyling (Lauren Clare)

Orchid moon

Lewis William Robinson

UK

 

Best Feature

Best Director

Best Ensemble (Agi Gubik, Tibor Szervet, Miklos Szekely B., Franciska Farkas, Bela Meszaros, Zoltan Mucsi)

Best Cinematography (Balázs Dobóczi, Gábor Szabó)

Best Original Score (Arthur Valentin Grósz)

Skating on the Razor's Edge

Jeno Hodi

Hungary

 

Best Original Screenplay

The connecting betrayal

Vivianne Rosenberg

USA

 

Best Feature

The Exterminator

William Thomas Curley

USA

 

Best Fantasy

Best First Time Director

Best Actor

Best Supporting Actor

Best Supporting Actress

Best Original Score

Best Production Design

The last dollhouse

Alastair Romãno

Greece

 

Best Mystery

Best Director

Best Ensemble (Yessenia Bailey, Dan Farrell, Juan Carlos Flores, Andrés Luna, Vianney Martínez, Sabrina Millán)

The shoe - El zapato

Mauricio De la Maza-Benignos, Sofía Alejandra Díaz Garza

Mexico

 

Best Documentary Feature

Best Poster

The truth and the seeker

Mark Christopher Hemstock

Canada

Best Documentary Featurette

Thriving over thrauma - Healing journeys

Max de Bruin

Netherlands

 

Best Experimental

Vinespiration

Stephen John Vineburg

USA

 

Best Experimental

Wildfire smoke - Sky swallower

Rodolfo Pérez-Luna

Chile

"Invasion of the Brewery Slugs" (USA) in competition at the "Rome International Movie Awards"

"Invasion of the Brewery Slugs" written by William Thomas Curley (USA) is in competition at the "Rome International Movie Awards".
The Eternal City awaits you 💖
Submit your Short & Feature Film, Web Series, Documentary, Music Video, Trailer, Screenplay, Poster and Photography via "Filmfreeway" (here).

"Children of the order" (USA) in competition at the "Rome International Movie Awards"

"Children of the order" directed by Daniel Harrington (USA) is in competition at the "Rome International Movie Awards".
The Eternal City awaits you 💖
Submit your Short & Feature Film, Web Series, Documentary, Music Video, Trailer, Screenplay, Poster and Photography via "Filmfreeway" (here).

"The Exterminator" (USA) in competition at the "Rome International Movie Awards"

"The Exterminator" written by William Thomas Curley (USA) is in competition at the "Rome International Movie Awards".
The Eternal City awaits you 💖
Submit your Short & Feature Film, Web Series, Documentary, Music Video, Trailer, Screenplay, Poster and Photography via "Filmfreeway" (here).

"Living with grandma" (USA) in competition at the "Rome International Movie Awards"

"Living with grandma" directed by Finise Avery (USA) is in competition at the "Rome International Movie Awards".
The Eternal City awaits you 💖
Submit your Short & Feature Film, Web Series, Documentary, Music Video, Trailer, Screenplay, Poster and Photography via "Filmfreeway" (here).

"Chinese whispers" (UK) in competition at the "Rome International Movie Awards"

"Chinese whispers" directed by Deborah Hadfield (UK) is in competition at the "Rome International Movie Awards".
The Eternal City awaits you 💖
Submit your Short & Feature Film, Web Series, Documentary, Music Video, Trailer, Screenplay, Poster and Photography via "Filmfreeway" (here). 

May's edition: Official Selection announced today

The May’s call for entries is just closed.
Our judges are working very hard to select the best of the best ✌️
Stay tuned to your email inbox, because today will announce the selected films via "Filmfreeway".
All the award winners from the different sections will be announced shortly 😀
And the new call for entries is open on "Filmfreeway" (here).
Good luck!

"Intus dark" (Brazil) in competition at the "Rome International Movie Awards"

"Intus dark" directed by Denise Sganzerla (Brazil) is in competition at the "Rome International Movie Awards".
The Eternal City awaits you 💖
Submit your Short & Feature Film, Web Series, Documentary, Music Video, Trailer, Screenplay, Poster and Photography via "Filmfreeway" (here).