Casa Verdi documentary Viva Verdi! has its European premiere at Parma’s Festival Verdi
Viva Verdi!, a documentary about life inside Casa Verdi, the Milan home that Giuseppe Verdi built for retired singers and musicians (and now dancers), will have its European premiere at the Festival Verdi in Parma on Sunday 11 October. The 9pm screening at the Cinema D’Azeglio is free.
The film, which the festival presents as an Oscar contender, reaches Parma through the International Friends of Festival Verdi, chaired by James Miller, which acts as a bridge between the city and the United States. Its director, Yvonne Russo, producer Christine La Monte and Parma co-producer Federico Rodelli will introduce the screening and talk with the audience afterwards, in a conversation moderated by Michele Guerra, the Mayor of Parma and President of the Teatro Regio.
Third acts at Casa Verdi
Shot inside Casa Verdi over many years, the film follows celebrated opera singers, musicians in their “third act” as they mentor the young music students from around the world who live alongside them. Verdi had the house built in 1896 and regarded it as one of his most important works, so the festival sees the Parma screening as a particularly meaningful homecoming.
The documentary portrays a lively community in which distinguished artists carry on singing, playing, teaching and creating. Made under the patronage of the Appassionati Verdiani Club dei 27, it explores the lasting power of music, creativity, purpose and the bond between generations.
The filmmakers said that bringing Viva Verdi! to Parma during the festival was deeply meaningful for all of them. “The film celebrates not only Verdi’s music, but also his profound awareness that artists need a community, a purpose and the possibility of remaining creatively active throughout their lives,” they said. They added that they were honoured to share it in Verdi’s homeland “and to celebrate the living legacy of Casa Verdi with the Festival Verdi audience”.
From Lincoln Center to Parma
The Parma screening follows a recent presentation at Film at Lincoln Center in New York, where Viva Verdi! opened the United Nations General Assembly’s Healing Arts Week as part of the Juilliard School’s Fall Festival. That screening and its panel brought together leading figures from the arts, health, education and creative ageing to consider how creativity can support longer, healthier and more connected lives.
After a run of US festivals, cinemas and the awards season, the film continues to reach audiences through cultural institutions, opera houses, educational bodies and social-impact screenings. It is streaming on Jolt.film, and is available to educational institutions through Collective Eye.
Viva Verdi! is screened at the Cinema D’Azeglio, Parma, on Sunday 11 October 2026 at 9pm, followed by a meeting with the filmmakers.
Entry is free.
Information: Teatro Regio di Parma box office, Strada Giuseppe Garibaldi 16/A, Parma, +39 0521 203999, biglietteria@teatroregioparma.it.
