February 15, 2026
Showtime: 4:00 pm
@ Peace Theater at Nazareth University Arts Center
This is a SUNDAY Showing!
Synopsis
In Italian with English subtitles
Please join us for another unique, outstanding film that could only come from Italy.
On 4 February 2005, in Baghdad, a group of armed men abducted journalist Giuliana Sgrena (Sonia Bergamasco- The Best of Youth, Like a Cat on a Highway) who worked for the Italian communist daily paper Il Manifesto. Accused of concealing weapons of mass destruction (which were never found), Iraq was occupied by U.S. Marines and troops from the UK, Australia and Poland. After a month of imprisonment, on 4 March, Al Jazeera announced the journalist’s release.
Nicola Calipari (Claudio Santamaria – The Medicine Seller, They Call Me Jeeg Robot, Casino Royale) a senior SISMI (secret military services) executive, “the Negotiator,” put his family aside and his life on the line to save that of Giuliana Sgrena through diplomatic means.
The film recounts the twenty-eight days leading up to the tragic events of the botched escape on the 4th of March 2005. The film sets out the facts at a dry and nervous pace, moving between Rome and Baghdad, following the various stages of the negotiations expertly led by Calipari, and alluding to ambiguous maneuvering behind the scenes, from the decision to avoid another CIA blitz at all costs, whose previous hostage “extractions” had proved disastrous, to a senior official in Rome who openly impedes his work on the ground. There is the skillful navigating between Shia-Sunni conflicts in Iraq. We’re shown the long days the journalist spends imprisoned at the hands of Jihad. In the final 30 minutes, the film’s action comes thick and fast.
Il Nibbio (The Negotiator) captures the audience’s attention within the first ten minutes. The film is thrilling, engaging, and smartly executed by director Alessandro Tonda and the winner of Italian Golden Globes for Best Actor and Best Film of 2025, along with other international awards.
Finally, the true story of Italian hero, Nicola Calipari, is brought to light after being kept hidden for the past 20 years.
– Courtesy of Cineuropa.org
DIRECTOR: Alessandro Tonda
STARRING: Claudio Santamaria, Sonia Bergamasco, Anna Ferzetti, Marta Giovannozzi, Sergio Romano, Jerry Mastrodomenico
RELEASE DATE: March 6, 2025
LENGTH: 1 hour and 49 minutes
Directed By: Alessandro Tonda
Written By: Sandro Petraglia
Starring- Claudio Santamaria
- Sonia Bergamasco
- Anna Ferzetti
- Marta Giovannozzi
- Sergio Romano
- Jerry Mastrodomenico