IFF26 Centrepiece Premiere: Sweetheart

Centrepiece Premiere

Sunday, September 27

Enjoy a complimentary glass of sparkling wine on arrival before the Australian premiere of Sweetheart, an award-winning drama that unfolds across one enchanting Summer in Sicily.

Luna Leederville: 12:45pm arrivals for 1:00pm session start
Luna on SX, Fremantle: 5:45pm arrivals for 6:oopm session start
Windsor Cinema, Nedlands: 3:34pm arrivals for 4:oopm session start

Australian premiere

Gioia mia 

Written and directed by Margherita Spampinato in her feature film debut, this award-winning drama follows a young boy who discovers ancient mysteries, love and superstition when he is sent to spend his summer holidays with an aunt in Sicily.

A lively, cheeky boy, Nico's (Marco Fiore) family lives a modern, technological and hyper-connected lifestyle. He is sent to spend the summer in Sicily, as a guest of an elderly aunt, Zia Gela (Aurora Quattrocchi), a religious and grumpy woman. She lives alone in the house where she was born and raised, a place untouched by technology, without wi-fi, and suspended in time. Nico's aunt welcomes him with annoyance, introducing him to her mysterious world inhabited by angels and spirits, dominated by a magical sense of religion and steeped in superstition.

But, as modernity clashes with tradition and science with faith, a reluctant summer together transforms into a spellbinding adventure when Nico learns that the mysterious Sicilian house is full of secrets.

WINNER - Best Actress, Best New Director, David di Donatello Awards 2026
WINNER - Special Jury Prize CINÉ+, Pardo for Best Performance, Locarno Film Festival 2025
WINNER - BNL BNP Paribas Special Award, Nastro d'Argento Awards 2026

Italian, Sicilian dialect with English subtitles