Oscar®-winning auteur Paolo Sorrentino (The Left Hand of God, MVFF44; Youth, MVFF38) once again finds his perfect collaborator in Toni Servillo, who brings depth and a nuanced performance to the role of Mariano de Santis, the President of the Italian Republic. Shot between Turin and Rome with Sorrentino’s signature visual finesse, and opening the 2025 Venice Film Festival, La Grazia unfolds like a philosophical drama—elegant, intense, and resonant with grace. In his final days of office, the widowed president navigates both official duties and a deeply personal longing for his late wife, while facing two moral dilemmas that challenge his sense of justice and humanity. As Mariano balances the weight of law, memory, and desire, Sorrentino crafts a story of love, loss, and the fleeting nature of time, infused with moments of humor, tenderness, and profound reflection. The film is Sorrentino at his best, a compelling exploration of life’s intimate and public intricacies. —João Federici
Paolo Sorrentino
A native of Naples, Paolo Sorrentino’s first feature, One Man Up, arrived in 2001. Since then, he has become one of Italy’s most celebrated directors. His films include Il Divo (2008), the winner of the Jury Prize at Cannes; The Great Beauty (2013), winner of an Oscar® and a BAFTA for Best Foreign Language Film; Youth (MVFF38), the winner of three European Film Awards; Loro (2018); The Hand of God (MVFF44), a Best Foreign Language Oscar nominee and Silver Lion winner at the Venice Film Festival; and Parthenope (2024). He also created the miniseries The New Pope (2019).