IFF26 Sweetheart
IFF26 Sweetheart
Gioia mia
AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
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.
[Italian, Sicilian dialect with English subtitles]
"A delicate generation gap drama." - Variety
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