Roma Elastica

Roma Elastica
French teaser poster
Directed byBertrand Mandico
Screenplay byBertrand Mandico
Produced by
  • Thomas Verhaeghe
  • Mathieu Verhaeghe
  • Marco Alessi
  • Daniele Segre
Starring
CinematographyNicolas Eveilleau
Edited byLaure Saint-Marc
Music byPierre Desprats
Production
companies
  • Atelier de Production
  • Redibis Film
  • Dugong Films
  • Rai Cinema
Distributed by
  • Condor Distribution (France)
  • Europictures (Italy)
Release dates
  • 21 May 2026 (2026-05-21) (Cannes)
  • 23 December 2026 (2026-12-23) (France)
Running time
107 minutes
Countries
  • France
  • Italy
Languages
  • English
  • French
  • Italian

Roma Elastica is a 2026 surrealist fantasy comedy-drama film written and directed by Bertrand Mandico, starring Marion Cotillard and Noémie Merlant, with Isabella Ferrari, Tea Falco, Maurizio Lombardi, Ornella Muti, Martina Scrinzi and Franco Nero in supporting roles. The film is a co-production between France and Italy and was shot at the Cinecittà Studios in Rome, and also in Nice and La Gaude in France between 26 May and 18 June 2025. It is described as "a tribute to some of the great masters and legends of Italian cinema", as it follows an actress who is going to shoot what may be her last film in Rome in 1982.

The film had its world premiere at the Midnight Screenings section of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival on 21 May, where it competed for the Queer Palm. It won the Best Director award at the 2026 Fantastic Fest. It will be released theatrically in France by Condor Distribution on 23 December 2026.

Premise

In 1982, Eddie, a French actress on the verge of collapse, goes to Rome to shoot a science-fiction film that may also be her last one.

Cast

Production

Development

Bertrand Mandico wrote and directed the film, a co-production between France's Atelier de Production and Italy's Redibis Film and Dugong Films, in collaboration with Rai Cinema and with support from the Italian Ministry of Culture. In December 2023, it was reported that the film had been granted €25.000 in funding from CNC's commission for assistance for the co-development and co-production of Franco-Italian cinematographic and audiovisual works. On 19 May 2024, producers Thomas and Mathieu Verhaeghe told French magazine Le Film français that they were going to produce the film.

On 28 May 2025, Variety reported that the film's plot details are being kept under wraps, and Cinecittà's CEO Manuela Cacciamani announced during a press conference that Roma elastica "is a tribute to some of the great masters and legends of Italian cinema."

Mandico's frequent collaborator Nicolas Eveilleau serves as director of photography. The costumes were designed by Pauline Jacquard. The score was composed by Pierre Desprats.

Casting

On 20 December 2024, Vogue France announced that Marion Cotillard will play the film's lead, an actress who is going to shoot her latest film in Rome in the 1980s, and that Alba Rohrwacher and Jasmine Trinca were also in the cast. On 25 April 2025, Noémie Merlant joined the cast. On 28 May 2025, Maurizio Lombardi, Ornella Muti, Martina Scrinzi, Franco Nero and Isabella Ferrari joined the cast. While Trinca was no longer in the cast according to Cinecittà's website.

In July 2025, Cinecittà's website added Agnese Claisse, Milutin Dapcevic, Zlatko Burić, Josephine Thiesen, Michele Bravi, Alessio Gallo, Ondina Quadri, Tea Falco, Coco Labbée, Michelangelo Dalisi, Toni Pandolfo, Christophe Bier, Martina La Manna, Simone Zambelli, PierGiuseppe Di Tanno, and Maziar Firouzi to the ensemble, while Rohrwacher was no longer in the cast.

Filming

Filming was originally scheduled to begin in January 2025, but it was later postponed to the end of May 2025. Filming took place in Nice and La Gaude in France, and at Cinecittà studios in Rome, Italy. Shooting began on 26 May 2025, and wrapped on 18 June 2025.

French cinematographer Nicholas Eveilleau shot the production in 35mm film.

Release

The film had its world premiere at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival in the Midnight Screenings section on 21 May. It will be released theatrically in France by Condor Distribution on 23 December. Europictures will release the film in Italy. The film made its North American premiere in main competition at the Fantastic Fest on 18 September 2026, where it won the award for Best Director. Rapid Eye Movies will release the film in Germany on 11 March 2027.

Reception

Critical response

Amber Wilkinson of Screen International wrote: "Mandico's excess all areas approach may not be for everyone but Marion Cotillard's fully committed performance at the heart of Roma Elastica has just about enough magnetism to pull the film back from the unruly brink."

Martin Kudlac of ScreenAnarchy wrote that Roma Elastica "is a cinephile phantasmagoria that, despite Mandico's deliriously transgressive "incoherent" style and strange humor, turns out to be fairly accessible, even to non-Mandico aficionados."

Accolades

Award / Film Festival Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Cannes Film Festival 23 May 2026 Queer Palm Bertrand Mandico Nominated
Fantastic Fest 24 September 2026 Best Film Nominated
Best Director Won
Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival 4 October 2026 Crossovers Competition - Feature Film Nominated
Special Jury Mention Won

References

  1. 1 2 "Roma Elastica". Festival de Cannes. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 "Roma Elastica". The Film Catalogue. Archived from the original on 16 September 2026. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  3. 1 2 Wilkinson, Amber (21 May 2026). "'Roma Elastica' review: Marion Cotillard anchors fractured, excessive Italian 1980s drama". Screen International. Archived from the original on 16 September 2026. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  4. 1 2 Kudlac, Martin (24 August 2026). "Locarno 2026 Review: ROMA ELASTICA Cannibalizes the Myth of the Movie Star in a Delirious Cinephile Phantasmagoria". ScreenAnarchy.
  5. ↑ "Festival de Locarno | Critique : Roma Elastica". Le Polyester (in French). 8 August 2026. Archived from the original on 16 September 2026. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  6. 1 2 "Roma Elastica". Condor (in French). Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 "Roma Elastica - Press Kit" (PDF). Unifrance (in French). p. 11. Retrieved 28 August 2026.
  8. ↑ "Le CNC attribue des aides à sept œuvres franco-italiennes". Écran Total (in French). 19 December 2024.
  9. 1 2 "'Roma elastica': a Cannes il film con Marion Cotillard girato a Cinecittà" [‘Roma elastica’: in Cannes the film with Marion Cotillard shot at Cinecittà]. Cinecittà (in Italian). 9 April 2026.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Roma elastica". Filmitalia. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  11. ↑ "Aide au codéveloppement et à la coproduction d'œuvres cinématographiques et audiovisuelles franco-italiennes : résultats de la commission du 4 décembre 2023" [Support for co-development and co-production of Franco-Italian cinematographic and audiovisual works: the results of the Commission of 4 December 2023]. CNC.fr (in French). 4 December 2023.
  12. ↑ "Les déjeuners du Film français à la Plage des Palmes" (PDF). Le Film français (in French). 19 May 2024. p. 8.
  13. 1 2 3 Vivarelli, Nick (28 May 2025). "Marion Cotillard Set for Bertrand Mandico's Italian Cinema Homage 'Roma Elastica' to Be Shot at Cinecittà". Variety.
  14. ↑ "Cinecittà 2025-2029: announced the new Industrial Plan". Cinecittà News. 28 May 2025.
  15. 1 2 Verhaeghe, Thomas (28 May 2025). "Roma Elastica de @bertrandmandico c'est parti !!!!". Instagram.
  16. ↑ "Unveiling Roma Elastica: A Cinematic Journey through 1980s Rome". Tales From The Collection. 16 May 2025. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
  17. ↑ Lavallée, Eric (15 November 2025). "Bertrand Mandico's 'Roma Elastica' - Everything We Know So Far..." Ioncinema.com.
  18. 1 2 L'Hostis, Ninon (20 December 2024). "Marion Cotillard jouera une star de cinéma dans le prochain film de Bertrand Mandico" [Marion Cotillard will play a movie star in Bertrand Mandico's next film]. Vogue France (in French).
  19. 1 2 "Le nouveau film de Bertrand Mandico, avec Marion Cotillard et Noémie Merlant, en tournage fin mai" [Bertrand Mandico's new film, starring Marion Cotillard and Noémie Merlant, filming at the end of May]. Écran Total (in French). 25 April 2025.
  20. ↑ "Roma elastica". Scriptoclap (in French). Retrieved 21 December 2024.
  21. ↑ Lemercier, Fabien (13 March 2025). "Bertrand Mandico's Roma elastica receives a CNC advance on receipts". Cineuropa.
  22. ↑ "Casting figurants/silhouettes sur Nice pour film". MaxiCasting (in French). 5 May 2025. Archived from the original on 19 April 2026. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  23. ↑ "Casting homme-singe issu du milieu circassien pour LM". MaxiCasting (in French). 26 May 2025.
  24. ↑ "Atelier de Production : début de tournage le 26 mai pour « Roma Elastica » de Bertrand Mandico" [Atelier de Production: filming begins on 26 May for "Roma Elastica" by Bertrand Mandico]. Satellifacts (in French). 28 April 2025.
  25. ↑ "Casting comédiens H/F parlant l'italien natif pour des rôles dans le prochain film de Bertrand Mandico" [Casting Male/Female actors who are native Italian speakers for roles in Bertrand Mandico's next film]. Cast Prod (in French).
  26. ↑ "Cannes Film Festival". Kodak. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
  27. ↑ "The Screenings Guide of the 79th Festival de Cannes" (PDF). Festival de Cannes. p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 May 2026. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
  28. ↑ "Les distributeurs ajustent leurs line-ups". Boxoffice Pro (in French). 13 May 2026.
  29. ↑ "Bertrand Mandico s'apprête à tourner « Roma Elastica » avec Marion Cotillard et Noémie Merlant". Trois Couleurs (in French). 28 April 2025.
  30. ↑ Bruschini, Giuliana (20 May 2026). "Roma Elastica: il nuovo film con Marion Cotillard ambientato negli anni '80 arriva nei cinema italiani" [Roma Elastica: the new film with Marion Cotillard set in the 80’s arrives in Italian cinemas]. PressView (in Italian).
  31. ↑ Zilko, Christian (18 August 2026). "Fantastic Fest Unveils 2026 Lineup Headlined by 'Resident Evil,' 'Carrie,' and 'Wild Horse Nine'". IndieWire.
  32. 1 2 "Fantastic Fest 2026". Fantastic Fest. Archived from the original on 16 September 2026. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  33. 1 2 Moreau, Jordan (22 September 2026). "Fantastic Fest 2026 Awards Winners List: 'Ghost in the Cell,' 'Girl in the Night' and 'Adult Supervision' Take Top Feature Honors (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
  34. ↑ "Roma Elastica de Bertrand Mandico (2026)". Unifrance. Retrieved 28 August 2026.
  35. ↑ Ques, Florian (30 April 2026). "Queer Palm 2026 : un record de films LGBT+ au Festival de Cannes" [Queer Palm 2026: a record of LGBT+ films at the Cannes Film Festival]. Têtu (in French).
  36. ↑ Economou, Vassilis (23 September 2026). "The 19th Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival is ready to unspool". Cineuropa. Archived from the original on 23 September 2026. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
  37. ↑ "Roma Elastica – FEFFS" (in French). Retrieved 2 October 2026.
  38. ↑ Economou, Vassilis (5 October 2026). "The Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival crowns No Rest for the Wicked with the Golden Octopus". Cineuropa.