Duse (film)

Duse
Italian theatrical release poster
Directed by	Pietro Marcello
Screenplay by	Pietro Marcello Letizia Russo Guido Silei [1]
Starring	Valeria Bruni Tedeschi Noémie Merlant Mimmo Borrelli Fausto Russo Alesi Marcello Mazzarella
Cinematography	Marco Graziaplena
Edited by	Fabrizio Federico [2] Cristiano Travaglioli
Music by	Fabrizio Elvetico Marco Messina Sacha Ricci
Production companies	Palomar Avventurosa Ad Vitam Rai Cinema PiperFilm
Distributed by	PiperFilm (Italy)
Release dates	3 September 2025 (2025-09-03)(Venice) 18 September 2025 (2025-09-18)(Italy)
Running time	122 minutes
Countries	Italy France
Language	Italian
Budget	€7.6 million[ citation needed ]

Duse is an upcoming biographical film directed by Pietro Marcello, co-written by Marcello, Letizia Russo and Guido Silei. ^[1] Starring Valeria Bruni Tedeschi in the titular role, it follows the life of Italian stage actress Eleonora Duse prior to the World War I, and the abrupt societal changes caused by the conflict. ^{[3] [4]}

The film will have its world premiere in the main competition of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on 3 September 2025, where it was nominated for the Golden Lion. ^[5] It will be theatrically released in Italy on 18 September by PiperFilm.

Premise

In the wake of the First World War, former actress Eleonora Duse makes a return to the stage, contending with the limits of her own body as well as realities of power at odds with her utopian ideals. ^[3]

Cast

• Valeria Bruni Tedeschi as Eleonora Duse
• Noémie Merlant as Enrichetta Checchi, Duse's daughter
• Mimmo Borrelli as Ermete Zacconi
• Fausto Russo Alesi as Gabriele D'Annunzio
• Marcello Mazzarella
• Fanni Wrochna
• Vincenzo Pirrotta
• Federico Pacifici
• Vincenza Modica
• Edoardo Sorgente
• Savino Paparella
• Vincenzo Nemolato
• Stefano Rosato

Production

The Match Factory opened Duse to international pre-sale at the Marché du Film during the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. ^[4] That May, Variety reported that production on the film was underway. ^[3]

References

1. "Duse". Film Italia. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
2. "Pietro Marcello's new movie Duse is selected for Venice". Cineuropa - the best of european cinema. 2025-07-23. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
3. Vivarelli, Nick; Keslassy, Elsa. "Pietro Marcello Shooting 'Duse' With Valeria Bruni Tedeschi and Noémie Merlant, the Match Factory Handling Sales". Variety. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
4. Lemercier, Fabien; Abbatescianni, Davide; Economou, Vassilis (22 May 2024). "The announcements made at Cannes' Marché du Film". Cineuropa. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
5. "Biennale Cinema 2025 | Duse". La Biennale di Venezia. 2025-07-14. Retrieved 2025-07-22.

External links

• Duse at IMDb