IFF25 The Negotiator

IFF25 The Negotiator

IFF25 The Negotiator

Il Nibbio

AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE

Inspired by real events, The Negotiator is a dramatic spy thriller starring Claudio Santamaria and Sonia Bergamasco that delivers a profound reflection on the meaning of heroism and sacrifice, exploring power relations that remain powerfully resonant 20 years on.

The Negotiator follows the twenty-eight days leading up to the tragic events of March 4, 2005, when SISMI senior military intelligence officer Nicola Calipari (Santamaria) sacrificed his life in Baghdad during an operation to free the journalist Giuliana Sgrena of “il manifesto”, who had been kidnapped by terrorists in Iraq. As SISMI’s deputy director of operations and head of ops in Iraq in the early 2000s, Calipari played a crucial role in operations in Iraq, safeguarding human life and keeping the peace.

A production made possible by the Calipari family, who approved the screenplay and participated in filming, and supported by the National Security Authority of the Prime Minister’s Office during development, The Negotiator pays tribute to his memory and the sacrifice that earned Calipari the Gold Medal for Military Valour.

“Dramatises real events to gripping effect.” - Cineuropa

WINNER - Ribbon of Legality, Nastro d’Argento Awards 2025

NOMINEE - Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Nastro d’Argento Awards 2025

Rating: CTC
Runtime: 109 mins

Session Times

Eastend Cinemas
Tue, Sep 23:
15:50

Thu, Oct 2:
15:30

Sat, Oct 4:
13:30

Tue, Oct 14:
14:15

Prospect Cinemas
Thu, Sep 18:
20:30

Sun, Sep 28:
19:00

Tue, Sep 30:
15:30

Tue, Oct 7:
20:40

Festival Highlights

CTC From: Sep 17, 2025
In this powerful story of courage and compassion from Gianni Amelio, two military doctors work at a clinic in Northern Italy in the final year of WWI as the devastating S
M A director calls all his favourite actresses to film a movie set in Rome in the 70s that tells the vicissitudes revolving around a prestigious tailoring.
CTC In 1980s-1990s Italy, Riccardo Schicchi's agency Diva Futura revolutionises mass culture by turning free love into porn, making stars of Ilona Staller, Moana Pozzi and ot
CTC Rome, 1980. Unable to get her novel The Art of Joy published, author Goliarda Sapienza finds herself briefly imprisoned after she steals some jewellery from a wealthy fri
CTC In this clever biopic intertwining fiction and documentary, director Mimmo Calopresti tells the story of fashion designer Gianni Versace, from his youth in Reggio Calabri
PG A documentary following 90-year-old Isabella Ducrot for two years, an artist who is sought after by leading galleries the world over, after devoting herself to art at the
CTC Oscar-winning filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino’s highly anticipated new drama La Grazia (“Grace”), direct from its world premiere at Venice.
CTC Ivano de Matteo's compelling drama stars Stefano Accorsi as a widowed father whose 16-year-old like any other commits a serious crime, testing his ability to forgive.
CTC In the aftermath of WWII, in a rural village in the South of Italy, a single mother befriends the local wedding planner and begins to understand her rights as a woman in
CTC Festival favourite Pierfrancesco Favino supports a stellar cast in this migrant story from Academy Award winner Gabriele Salvatores that follows two Neapolitan kids as th