Academy Award-Winning Director Returns with a Presidential Drama That Asks the Questions We Avoid
Paolo Sorrentino is on irresistible form. The Academy Award-winning filmmaker behind The Great Beauty, Il Divo, and The Hand of God returns with La Grazia, a sweeping exploration of love, duty, and personal freedom that premiered as the Opening Film at the 2025 Venice Film Festival. MUBI has now released the official trailer ahead of the film’s UK and Ireland theatrical release on March 20, 2026.
The Film
La Grazia (literally “The Pardon”) centers on Mariano De Santis, Italy’s outgoing fictional president, as he navigates the final months of his term during the constitutionally mandated “white semester,” the period when a president cannot dissolve parliament. A staunch Catholic and experienced jurist, De Santis finds himself at a moral crossroads: should he sign into law a bill legalizing euthanasia? Simultaneously, he must consider pardon petitions from two individuals convicted of murdering their partners.
The film draws inspiration from a real case that haunted Sorrentino: a man pardoned by Italian President Sergio Mattarella after being convicted for killing his wife, who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. That kernel of moral complexity expands into a meditation on fatherhood, conscience, and the enduring question that gives the film its philosophical weight: who owns our days?
Toni Servillo delivers what The Hollywood Reporter calls a “magnificent” performance as De Santis, navigating these impossible decisions with the help of his confidante and daughter, Dorotea, played by Anna Ferzetti. The supporting cast includes Massimo Venturiello as the Minister of Justice, Orlando Cinque, Milvia Marigliano, and Simone Colombari as the Prime Minister. Italian rapper Guè also appears as himself.
Critical Reception and Awards Season
The film has earned strong reviews, with Rotten Tomatoes reporting 80% positive from 46 critics. The consensus reads: “Celebrating the virtues of fortitude and patience, La Grazia is an atypically restrained effort from writer-director Paolo Sorrentino that reunites him with the dependably majestic Toni Servillo.”
The Times awarded four stars, declaring “Paolo Sorrentino is on irresistible form.” The Guardian matched with four stars, calling the film “stylish, ruminative and enigmatic.”
At Venice, Servillo took home the Coppa Volpi for Best Actor, adding to a festival run that also included the New York Film Festival and the BFI London Film Festival. The film has since received European Film Award nominations for Best Screenwriter and Best Actor. The December 2025 US theatrical release positioned the film for Academy Awards consideration, with Servillo emerging as a strong contender for Best Actor.
More stills in our gallery:
Production
Sorrentino shot primarily in Turin’s Piedmont region, transforming the city’s architectural landmarks into stand-ins for Roman political power. Locations included the Castello del Valentino, Moncalieri Castle, Palazzo Chiablese, the Polytechnic University of Turin, the Accademia delle Scienze di Torino, and the Museo Egizio. Additional filming took place at Rome’s Piazza di Spagna. Principal photography wrapped in early May 2025.
The film is a Fremantle production through The Apartment, in association with Numero 10 and PiperFilm. Producers include Annamaria Morelli and Paolo Sorrentino, with Andrea Scrosati for Fremantle, and Massimiliano Orfei, Luisa Borella, and Davide Novelli for PiperFilm.
MUBI acquired worldwide rights excluding Italy in February 2025, handling distribution across North and Latin America, the UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, the Benelux, Spain, Turkey, India, Australia, and New Zealand. The Match Factory manages sales elsewhere.
Release Details
- US & Canada Theatrical: December 5, 2025 (no longer in theaters)
- US Streaming (MUBI): February 6, 2026
- Italy Theatrical: January 15, 2026
- UK & Ireland Theatrical: March 20, 2026
- Director: Paolo Sorrentino
- Cast: Toni Servillo, Anna Ferzetti, Massimo Venturiello, Orlando Cinque, Milvia Marigliano
- Distributor: MUBI
For US audiences, La Grazia is no longer available in theaters following its December theatrical run. The film will be available exclusively on MUBI streaming from February 6, 2026.
La Grazia marks Sorrentino’s continued collaboration with Servillo, following their work on The Great Beauty, Il Divo, and The Consequences of Love. With its signature poetic vision and evocative soundtrack, this heartfelt masterwork cements Sorrentino’s position among cinema’s most distinctive voices.
