Roma Film Music Festival, from the Piero Umiliani tribute to Star Wars: here are all the protagonists of the 2026 edition

The fifth edition of the Roma Film Music Festival, an international event dedicated to the world of film scores, will take place from March 16 to 22. A week of exclusives, major events, and free meetings and discussions with key figures in the industry. The festival comes to life across the Auditorium della Conciliazione, the Forum Theatre, and the Forum Studios, the historic studios founded by Ennio Morricone, Piero Piccioni, Armando Trovajoli and Luis Bacalov.

In its Italian premiere, the Star Wars chapter “Return of the Jedi” will be screened with a live score; equally significant is the tribute to a giant like Piero Umiliani, featuring an immersive exhibition and live sets from Calibro 35 and Gegè Munari Quintet. Furthermore, for the first time in Italy, one of Hollywood's soundtrack legends, Randy Kerber, the pianist behind Harry Potter and Forrest Gump, will present to festival audiences for the very first time the immersive concert “The Piano in Hollywood – A Night with Randy Kerber”.

The first three days (from March 16 to 18) are dedicated to the centenary of the great composer Piero Umiliani: a pioneer of jazz in Italy and a central figure in film music (he composed over 150 soundtracks, including Mario Monicelli's I soliti ignoti), he is the author of the timeless Mah Nà Mah Nà and remains to this day a point of reference for young musicians, producers and international DJs who reinterpret his sound. Roma Film Music Festival dedicates two concerts and an immersive exhibition to him, taking audiences on a multisensory journey through images, sound archives and evocative settings.

Monday, March 16 at 8:30 pm kicks off with "GEGÈ MUNARI & FRIENDS", a live show led by Gegè Munari, the historic drummer for Piero Umiliani and Ennio Morricone. With 92 years of energy and artistic vitality, he will sweep the Forum Theatre audience into an evening of great intensity, enriched by special guests and surprise appearances.

Tuesday, March 17 from 10 am to 7 pm, the entire day is dedicated to the immersive exhibition Piero Umiliani 100th Anniversary, featuring vinyl listening sessions and special guests. The exhibition can also be visited an hour before the Monday, March 16 and Wednesday, March 18 concerts, though on those occasions only for those who have purchased tickets to the live shows.

Wednesday, March 18 at 9 pm, the Forum Theatre opens its doors to a special CALIBRO 35 concert dedicated to Piero Umiliani. The most cinephile band on the European music scene takes the stage in immersive format: a sonic experience of great impact, able to bring the Maestro's visionary writing into dialogue with the band's explosive energy and unmistakable stylistic signature. A special back-to-back DJ set by DJ Frankie45 and Jolly Mare follows.

Thursday, March 19 at 9 pm, Roma Film Music Festival presents, for the first time in Italy, the legendary RANDY KERBER, the pianist who has accompanied the emotions of world cinema. A longtime collaborator of John Williams and the original performer on iconic soundtracks including Harry Potter, Titanic, La La Land and Forrest Gump (his is the piano in the famous feather scene that opens the film with Tom Hanks), he presents the world premiere of the immersive concert "The Piano in Hollywood – A Night with Randy Kerber". A production in collaboration with Robert Townson Productions.

Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi in Concert is the festival's closing event: the entire film screens on the big screen in high definition, while on stage the Orchestra Italiana del Cinema – in its largest 80-piece lineup – performs the score live, in perfect sync with the film. Amid immortal themes and monumental orchestrations, John Williams's legendary music – etched into our collective memory – comes back to life with a full symphony orchestra 43 years after the film's cinematic debut.

George Lucas's epic struggle between the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire reignites at the Auditorium Conciliazione in Rome on Saturday, March 21 (9 pm) and Sunday, March 22 (3 pm and 7:30 pm) with conductor Ernst Van Tiel; and again at the Teatro Lirico Giorgio Gaber in Milan with Maestro Benjamin Pope on Saturday, May 2 (9 pm) and Sunday, May 3 (3 pm and 7:30 pm), to mark Star Wars Day.

Six performances and two cities to experience this thrilling cine-concert, which in Milan coincides with the eagerly awaited Star Wars Day celebrations, under the motto May the Fourth Be with You.

As in every edition, this year's festival also hosts the Film Music Talks curated by Massimo Privitera and Marco Patrignani: a series of free meetings dedicated to leading figures in film music, designed as a space for high-level cultural outreach and dialogue between industry and education (booking is required via the form on the official website romafmf.com).

Monday, March 16 kicks off at the Forum Studios (5pm) with "The Sound of Image," curated by Paolo Vivaldi, a leading composer of scores for theatre, film and television.

On Tuesday, March 17, events take place at the Forum Theatre. Things get underway (12pm) with Massimo Privitera and Daniela Bocconi presenting the book "La sinfonia delle emozioni" (Edizioni Bietti). In the afternoon (4pm), "Piero Umiliani: A Close Encounter with a Giant of Music" is on the program. His daughters Alessandra and Elisabetta Umiliani take part alongside Claudio Fuiano, a record producer specializing in film scores. Together they present a previously unreleased interview with Piero Umiliani, conducted by Fuiano and recorded in 1990, a precious testimony to his artistic thinking and compositional method. Once again in the spotlight, the Umiliani sisters will talk with singer-songwriter Joan Thiele at 5pm, followed by a conversation with Jolly Mare, one of the most talented Italian DJs and producers.

On Wednesday, March 18 at Forum Studios (5:30 pm), Randy Kerber and Robert Townson, veteran producer and record curator, headline a panel dedicated to musical excellence in international cinema. Afterwards (7 pm), the Umiliani sisters discuss their father's artistic and cultural legacy alongside Calibro 35, a band long tied artistically to the composer's figure.

On Thursday, March 19 at the Forum Studios (2:30pm), the program includes "The Composer's Authorial Role in Film," curated by the Associazione Compositori Musica per Film (ACMF), with President Roberto Pischiutta and Board Member Marco Tesconi. Taking part are Lorenzo D'Amico De Carvalho of 100 Autori and Francesco Martinotti, President of ANAC.

Also in the afternoon (4pm), a discussion devoted to the international scene brings together the artistic directors of festivals twinned with the Roma Film Music Festival: Marco Patrignani in conversation with Diego Navarro of Fimucité – Tenerife International Film Music Festival and Agata Grabowiecka of the Krakow Film Music Festival, exploring shared artistic visions and cultural strategies.

At 5:30pm comes "The Three Souls of a Film: Direction, Editing, Music," with composer Fabio Massimo Capogrosso, editor Francesca Calvelli and director Gianluca Jodice.

At 7pm, the day wraps up with the presentation of the book "Ennio Morricone: il genio, l'uomo, il padre," written by his son Marco Morricone and journalist Valerio Cappelli (Sperling & Kupfer Editore). Joining the authors in conversation are Andrea Scazzola and director and actor Sergio Rubini. A lifelong journey through firsthand accounts and unveiled behind-the-scenes stories, with musical contributions from Andrea Morricone.

"Star Wars – Return of the Jedi" is an officially licensed Disney Concerts event, in association with Lucasfilm and Warner/Chappell Music. ©️ All rights reserved. The concert runs 2 hours and 50 minutes.

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ROMA FILM MUSIC FESTIVAL 2026 – SCHEDULE

MONDAY, MARCH 16

5:00pm – Forum Studios, Studio A

Panel with Paolo Vivaldi, The Sound of Image (free event).

8:30pm – Forum Theatre

Concert "GEGÈ MUNARI & FRIENDS" with Gegè Munari and surprise guests.

Here are the tickets

TUESDAY, MARCH 17

From 10 to 19 – Forum Theatre

Immersive exhibition Piero Umiliani 100th anniversary with vinyl listening sessions and special guests (free event).

12 pm – Forum Theatre

Presentation of the book La sinfonia delle emozioni by Massimo Privitera and Daniela Bocconi, Edizioni Bietti (free event).

4 pm – Forum Theatre

Panel: Piero Umiliani: a close encounter with a giant of Music

With Claudio Fuiano, Alessandra and Elisabetta Umiliani (free event).

5:30 pm – Forum Theatre

Talk with the Umiliani sisters and Jolly Mare, DJ and producer (free event).

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18

From 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm – Forum Studios, Studio A

Panel with Randy Kerber and Townson (free event).

From 7 pm to 7:45 pm – Forum Studios, Studio A

Panel with Calibro 35 and the Umiliani Sisters (free event).

7 pm – Forum Theatre

Concert CALIBRO 35 dedicated to Piero Umiliani.    

Here for tickets.

THURSDAY, MARCH 19

2.30 pm – Forum Studios, Studio A

Panel: The compositor's authorial role in a film work.

With: Francesco Martinotti, president of ACMF (Associazione Compositori Musica per Film), Pivio (President), Marco Testoni (Board Member) and Lorenzo D'amico, president of 100 autori (free event).

4.00 pm – Forum Studios, Studio A

Panel with Diego Navarro, Marco Patrignani and Agata Grabowiecka (free event).

5.30 pm – Forum Studios, Studio A

Panel: The three souls of a film: direction, editing, music, with Fabio Massimo Capogrosso, Francesca Calvelli and Giuliano Jodice (free event).

7:00 pm – Forum Studios, Studio A

Presentation of the book Ennio Morricone. Il genio, L'uomo, Il padre by Marco Morricone and Valerio Cappelli (Sperling & Kupfer Editore).

Moderated by: Andrea Scazzola. With a special appearance by Sergio Rubini and musical contributions from Andrea Morricone (free event).

7 pm – Forum Theatre

Concert by Randy Kerber

Tickets here 

SATURDAY, MARCH 21

9 PM – Auditorium Conciliazione

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (film concert)

Tickets here 

SUNDAY, MARCH 22

3 PM – Auditorium Conciliazione

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (film concert)

Tickets here

7:30 PM – Auditorium Conciliazione

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (film concert)

Tickets here

Ride the wave of great music

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