IDDA: Irene Dionisio's Italian Drama to Make World Premiere at TIFF
Tecla Insolia and Romana Maggiora Vergano star in the TIFF Platform selection.
IDDA, a new Italian drama directed by Irene Dionisio and starring Tecla Insolia and Romana Maggiora Vergano, is set to make its world premiere in the Platform section of the Toronto International Film Festival.
IDDA by Irene Dionisio | World Premiere at TIFF 2026 (Platform Competition) | Narrative Feature | 2026 | Italy | in Italian with English subtitles | 89 mins.
Adele and Sofia, childhood friends now in their thirties, reunite after years apart to fulfill a dream they once shared: reaching the summit of Mount Etna. But something feels off, and a bitter confrontation breaks out, opening old wounds and unveiling deeply buried secrets. They separate just as the volcano begins to tremble. Adele presses on alone, haunted by the wish that she had turned back and reached the crater together with Sofia to listen to the mountain's magical breathing.
A first-look image has been released for IDDA, the sophomore narrative feature from rising Italian filmmaker Irene Dionisio (Pawn Street), following the announcement of the film's world premiere at this year's Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Platform Competition. Starring two of Italy's top emerging actresses, Tecla Insolia (The Art of Joy) and Romana Maggiora Vergano (There's Still Tomorrow), the film follows childhood friends Adele and Sofia, now in their thirties, whose lifelong bond is challenged during a journey hiking up the eerie volcanic landscapes of Sicily's Mount Etna.
Rai Cinema International handles international sales and will present IDDA to buyers at TIFF's content market, a new addition to the festival launching this year. Initial interest has been strong: the film was already sold for distribution in Bulgaria through Beta Film and to Brazil's Orta Film at the Cannes Marché du Film in May.
IDDA is in the running for the TIFF Platform Award, the festival's headline juried competition, which champions bold directorial vision and distinctive storytelling. Starting this year, the award will directly qualify a non-English language winner for the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards.
Director Irene Dionisio emerged from Italy's documentary and visual-arts scenes before moving into narrative filmmaking. She received the Solinas Prize, France's SCAM Prize, and Jury Prize at Tehran's Cinema Verité for her feature documentary Shores (2015). Dionisio's first narrative feature, Pawn Street (2017), which premiered at Venice Critics' Week, was nominated for the David di Donatello & Globo d'Oro awards for Best Debut, winning the Silver Ribbon for Best Screenplay. Her video installations were exhibited internationally, from Venice's Palazzo Grassi to OCAT Shanghai. Dionisio has also served as the artistic director of Turin's LGBTQI film festival Lovers for the National Museum of Cinema.
Actress Tecla Insolia, a 2026 Berlinale European Shooting Star, won the David di Donatello award for Best Actress for Valeria Golino's Cannes-premiered series The Art of Joy. Her credits also include Francesco Costabile's Venice title Familia, Italy's submission for the Best International Feature Oscar, and Damiano Michieletto's Spring. Actress Romana Maggiora Vergano rose to international prominence with Paola Cortellesi's box office hit There's Still Tomorrow and has portrayed leading roles in Venice-premiering Francesca Comencini's The Time It Takes and Paolo Strippoli's The Holy Boy, as well as Roland Emmerich's Those About to Die and Marco Bellocchio's Portobello.
Irene Dionisio co-wrote the film with Marco Borromei, whose credits include Laura Samani's Small Body. IDDA is produced by Kino Produzioni's Giovanni Pompili, with Isabella Weber serving as delegate producer, with Rai Cinema, Filippo Montalto and Francesco Montalto of Andromeda Film, Francesco Grisi and Giorgia Priolo of EDI Effetti Digitali Italiani, in collaboration with Antonio Miyakawa of Wise Pictures. Kino Produzioni returns to TIFF after producing Lucía Aleñar Iglesias' 2025 FIPRESCI Prize winner Forastera, and co-producing the 2024 Platform Award winner, Carlos Marques-Marcet's They Will Be Dust.
The creative team includes cinematographer Gergely Pohárnok (Taxidermia, L'Immensità, and Valeria Golino's Euphoria), editor Aline Hervé (Martin Eden), production designer Rachele Meliadò (David di Donatello winner for Alice Rohrwacher's La Chimera), Costume Designer Andrea Cavalletto, and sound designer Riccardo Alfano. The original score was composed by Matteo Marini and Gabriele Concas of The Sweet Life Society with Peter Miyakawa.
About RAI CINEMA INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION
In February 2024, Rai Cinema established Rai Cinema International Distribution, a dedicated business unit created to strengthen the international distribution of its new film titles and enhance the global reach of Italian cinema. Headed by Fulvio Firrito, the division was conceived not only as a commercial project, but also as a strategic opportunity to promote Italian identity, culture and storytelling abroad. Based in Rome, Rai Cinema International Distribution combines market expertise, an expanding global network and a tailored approach to sales, promotion and festival strategy. In just two years, the division has been building a diverse and carefully curated slate that brings together major Italian auteurs, established filmmakers and highly talented first- and second-time directors. Its aim is to connect Italian films with international audiences, distributors, broadcasters and platforms, supporting each title according to its artistic profile and market potential. Rai Cinema International Distribution is a business unit of Rai Cinema, Italy's leading film production and distribution company, led by CEO Paolo Del Brocco.
About KINO PRODUZIONI
From its Rome headquarters, Kino Produzioni reaches out towards international partners and filmmakers to develop a new generation of emerging voices and support established talents, promoting stories that explore the major societal and human issues of our time. Among the company's latest international co-productions presented at A-List International film festivals: Lucía Aleñar Iglesias's 'Forastera' 2025 - Toronto International Film Festival, Prix FIPRESCI; Carlos Marques-Marcet's 'Polvo Serán' 2024 - TIFF Platform Prize And 4 Gaudí Awards; Carlo Sironi's 'Quell'estate con Irène' 2024 - Berlinale, Generation 14 Plus; María Alché and Benjamin Naishtat's 'Puán' 2023 - San Sebastián Official Competition, Best Leading Performance and Best Screenplay; Laura Luchetti's 'The beautiful summer' 2023 - Locarno Film Festival, Piazza Grande; Carla Simón's 'Alcarràs' 2022 - Berlinale, Golden Bear.
Produced with the support of MiC - Italian Ministry of Culture. Screenplay developed in the Racconti IDM Script Lab 2023 and the workshop of CIRCLE Fiction Orbit 2023. Project presented at the Berlinale Co-Production Market 2024, MIA Market, and Ateliers de Tétouan Cinéma Méditerranéen 2024 (First Prize winner). Developed with the support of Film Commission Torino Piemonte – Piemonte Film TV Development Fund, IDM Film & Music Commission Südtirol, and MEDIA CREATIVE EUROPE. IDDA has obtained the GREEN FILM certification for an environmentally sustainable production.
