The story of Beniamino Zuncheddu comes to the big screen. From Thursday, October 8, 2026, in fact, Zustìssia, the first fiction feature by Sardinian director Francesco Piras, will have preview screenings in theaters across Sardinia before arriving in cinemas throughout Italy on October 15.

Distribution therefore begins on the Island, where this legal case originated and where, after 33 years, Beniamino Zuncheddu was finally able to embrace his freedom again.

The cities involved include Cagliari and Sassari. In the regional capital, Cinema Odissea has added the film to its schedule starting October 8; in Sassari, screenings are confirmed at Cityplex Moderno, with showings throughout the weekend.

Beniamino Zuncheddu: 33 years in prison as an innocent man

The film tells one of the most dramatic cases in recent Italian legal history: in 1991, Beniamino Zuncheddu, then a young shepherd, was arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment for the Sinnai massacre, in which three people were killed.

For more than three decades, he continued to proclaim his innocence while his life passed by behind bars.

Many years later, the course of events changed when lawyer Mauro Trogu decided to fight for a retrial.

A legal battle lasting seven years culminated on January 26, 2024, when Zuncheddu was acquitted. In total, he spent around 33 years in prison as an innocent man, in what has been described as the longest miscarriage of justice in recent Italian history.

This is the story arc that Zustìssia brings to the screen, inspired by the book Io sono innocente, written by Trogu himself together with Zuncheddu.

The title evokes the Sardinian words «sa zustìssia», meaning justice, and focuses not only on the injustice suffered by the protagonist, but also on the long struggle for truth and freedom.

Zustìssia: cast and direction by Francesco Piras

Beniamino Zuncheddu is played by Fabrizio Ferracane, while Michele Riondino plays lawyer Mauro Trogu.

The cast also includes Geppi Cucciari, Paola Giannini, Jacopo Cullin, Francesco Colella and, in a special appearance, Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu.

The story and screenplay are by Lisa Nur Sultan and Niccolò Gentili.

For Francesco Piras, a director from Sardinia and former cinematographer, this is his debut in feature-length fiction.

The film is produced by Palomar and PiperFilm, in collaboration with Netflix and Rai Cinema, and received contributions from the Autonomous Region of Sardinia and support from the Sardegna Film Commission Foundation.

A film about Sardinia and the search for justice

The decision to launch the film in Sardinia carries particular significance.

Zustìssia does not tell a distant or abstract story: it tells a story born in the mountains of the southern part of the Island, a story that has spanned generations and left a deep wound in the protagonist and in the community that followed his journey.

On the eve of the release, Zuncheddu himself spoke about the case again, recalling how, despite being acquitted after 33 years in prison, «no one has ever apologized to me».

These words give the film a dimension that goes beyond its cinematic narrative: that of an unresolved question about justice, responsibility, and the price a miscarriage of justice can exact.

And it will be Sardinian audiences who are the first to encounter this story on the big screen.

Zustìssia opens in Cagliari, Sassari, and other theaters across the Island on October 8; from October 15, the film will be distributed throughout Italy.

A date with cinema, but also with the memory of a case that has shaped Sardinia and the national debate on justice.

A story of pain and determination, but above all of the long search for the «zustìssia» that gives the film its title.

Where to see Zustìssia in Sassari: cinemas and screening times

In Sassari, the film Zustìssia is showing at Cityplex Moderno, at Viale Umberto I 18.

For today, Thursday, October 8, 2026, four screenings are scheduled, all in Screen 1:

  • 4:00 p.m.
  • 6:10 p.m.
  • 8:20 p.m.
  • 10:30 p.m.

Screenings will continue on Friday, October 9, Saturday, October 10, and Sunday, October 11, with different times on the final day.

To find out what other films are showing at city theaters, visit the section on Sassari cinema listings on Il Sassarese Medio.

Sunday, October 11: special screening with the cast at Cityplex Moderno

On Sunday, October 11, 2026, Cityplex Moderno in Sassari will host a special event dedicated to Zustìssia.

At the 7:30 p.m. screening in Screen 1, director Francesco Piras and the film’s cast will be there to meet Sassari audiences.

An opportunity to learn more about the making of the film and meet the performers in a story that has deeply affected Sardinia.

For further information and to check seat availability, visit the official Cityplex Moderno website.

To discover other cultural events taking place in the area, see the Sassari and Sardinia events calendar.

Zustìssia: film details

  • Title: Zustìssia
  • Director: Francesco Piras
  • Cast: Michele Riondino, Fabrizio Ferracane, Paola Giannini, Jacopo Cullin, Francesco Colella, Geppi Cucciari, Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu.
  • Story and screenplay: Lisa Nur Sultan and Niccolò Gentili.
  • Runtime: 111 minutes.
  • Genre: Drama.
  • Release in Sardinia: October 8, 2026.
  • Nationwide release: October 15, 2026.

Plot: The film tells the true story of Beniamino Zuncheddu, the subject of one of the longest miscarriages of justice in Italian history. After 33 years of wrongful imprisonment, the legal battle led by lawyer Mauro Trogu results in a retrial and Zuncheddu’s acquittal on January 26, 2024.