Dominic Allen’s unique Australian feature film Tiber (Tevere), shot entirely in Italy and in Italian language, is set to premiere at high profile festivals in both countries almost simultaneously this October.
Securing prestigious Official Competition selection for both events, Tiber World Premieres at the Adelaide Film Festival (AFF), where it is the only Australian film vying for the Feature Fiction Award with a cash prize of $10,000.
Announced yesterday at the press conference at Rome’s Palazzo Madama, home of the Italian Senate, the International Premiere of Tiber will take place at the 7th Matera International Film Festival (MATIFF), with BAFTA Awards Executive Joyce Pierpoline serving as International Jury President.
Held in the spectacular Italian hillside town of Matera, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and 2026 Mediterranean Capital of Culture and Dialogue, the festival takes ‘Mediterranean, mirror of the world’ as its theme, inviting reflection on the Mediterranean as a place of dialogue, memory, and cultural exchange.
A warm, nuanced road trip in a vintage Fiat, Tiber sees grieving father and art historian Marco travel with his young daughter from Tuscany towards Rome’s iconic Tiber river. As they journey through the sun-drenched landscape, he gradually fulfills a promise he has long been avoiding.
The intimate and evocative drama is the feature narrative debut for acclaimed documentary and VR filmmaker Dominic Allen, who directed the film in his second language from the script co-written with award-winning Melbourne novelist Miles Allinson.
“I am enormously grateful to Adelaide and Matera International Film Festivals,” says Allen.
“Tiber was made in Italy, in Italian, with an Italian cast, and it grew out of the years I spent living and studying in Rome, where the city’s churches, ruins and sculptures taught me that the past is never simply behind us. A film like this has two homes, the country it comes from and the country in which it was made, and it means a great deal that it will meet audiences in both within the same fortnight.”
Made independently with a small, experienced cast and crew, the film was shot entirely on location in Italy including Rome, Florence, Cortona and Lake Trasimeno.
Working alongside acclaimed Italian actors acclaimed Italian actors Emiliano Campagnola (La nostra vita, Occhi blu, Il Colpo del cane) and Roberto Salemi (Fireworks, Baaria), Tiber stars Marcus J. Cotterell (Giuseppe Tornatore’s The Best Offer, Abel Ferrara’s Go Go Tales), playing opposite his real-life daughter, 8-year-old Uma Cotterell and partner Tamara Godivier in their screen debuts.
Based in Rome for over two decades, Marcus J. Cotterell is an Australian actor and filmmaker whose work spans theatre, television, and cinema. A rare Australian graduate of Rome’s prestigious National Academy of Dramatic Art Silvio D’Amico, he is bilingual in English and Italian, reflecting a rich bicultural artistic identity.
The 2026 Adelaide Film Festival jury comprises of Toronto International Film Festival CEO Cameron Bailey, actor Xavier Samuel, actor and filmmaker Tilda Cobham-Hervey, filmmaker and academic Sandeep Ray, and producer Anna Vincent.
Following its premiere screening events, Tiber immediately continues its festival run at the Byron Bay Film Festival, also in October.
Tiber was selected for the AFF goes to Cannes initiative in 2026, with the filmmakers showcasing Tiber at the Cannes Film Festival’s Marché du Film, the world’s biggest film market.
Tiber is a Windy Lighthouse Studios Production. Directed by Dominic Allen, co-written by Allen and Miles Allison. Produced by Margarita DeCoster, Executive Produced by Marcus J.Cotterell, with Joel Betts as DoP, score by International Emmy Award-winning Composer Rose Riebl, Sound from Adam Afiff, Editor Sarah Edwards and Colorist Billy Wychgel.
AFF World Premiere
6pm Friday 16 October | The Piccadilly
6.30pm Saturday 24 October | Palace Nova Eastend
Byron Bay Film Festival
7pm Tuesday 20 October | Palace Byron Bay
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