At the Acea stand, film stills tell the story of Rome’s iconic drinking fountain. “Gocce di Cinema” and the “I Mille Volti dell’Acqua” contest also return.
Once again this year, water takes centre stage at the Rome Film Fest. Acea returns for the event’s 21st edition with a stand dedicated to the culture of water and to raising awareness of the need to protect this essential resource. At the heart of the stand will be a true icon of the city: the nasone, Rome’s historic drinking fountain.
A discreet and familiar presence, the drinking fountain has been part of everyday life in Rome for a century and a half and, over time, has also become part of the city’s cinematic imagery. The nasone appears in numerous Italian films, offering a glimpse of the city and its more everyday character, from neorealism to contemporary cinema. At the Film Fest, ACEA will present some of the most significant stills in which the Roman drinking fountain serves as a backdrop or becomes an integral part of the scene. The selection ranges from “Campo de’ Fiori” (“The Peddler and the Lady”) by Mario Bonnard, starring Anna Magnani and Aldo Fabrizi, and “I soliti ignoti” (“Big Deal on Madonna Street”) by Mario Monicelli, starring Marcello Mastroianni, Vittorio Gassman and Totò, to “Accattone” by Pier Paolo Pasolini and “Ladri di biciclette” (“Bicycle Thieves”) by Vittorio De Sica, through to “La grande bellezza” (“The Great Beauty”) by Paolo Sorrentino and “C’è ancora domani” (“There’s Still Tomorrow”) by Paola Cortellesi. Through cinema, this small retrospective explores the relationship between Rome, its inhabitants and water.
The Acea stand, located at the Auditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone, will be set up as a fully fledged film set, evoking the atmosphere of Cinecittà. Visitors can take photos in a dedicated area featuring the nasone and watch, on the LED wall, scenes inspired by Italian films that have immortalised Rome’s drinking fountains. The finalist short films from the “I Mille Volti dell’Acqua” contest and educational content from the ACEA Scuola project will also be screened.
Visitors will be guided to the stand by the “Blu Carpet”, which, for the occasion, will take on the colours of water.
Alongside the activities at the stand, “Gocce di Cinema” (“Drops of Cinema”) also returns. Curated by Fondazione Cinema per Roma, the film series is dedicated to the relationship between water and the seventh art. The selection features films that explore the theme from different perspectives: ecological, naturalistic, cultural, artistic, dreamlike and religious, through the eyes of some of the directors who have helped shape the history of cinema.
The new edition of “I Mille Volti dell’Acqua”(“The Thousand Faces of Water”) has also been confirmed. Promoted by Acea and organised in collaboration with the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, the contest is dedicated to original short films that explore water through fiction, documentary or animation, in line with the Group’s sustainability goals. The theme of the 2026 edition is “La via dell’acqua: dalla depurazione al mare” (“The journey of water: from treatment to the sea”), tracing water’s path and highlighting the importance of protecting it at every stage. The winning short film will be screened on 13 October, the opening day of the event at the Auditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone. The winning filmmaker will receive the Premio Speciale Gruppo Acea, together with a €5,000 contribution.
Acea, the culture of water at the Rome Film Fest. The “nasone” takes centre stage on the “Blu Carpet”
