The 38th edition of Il Cinema Ritrovato festival was full of emotions, and - if you're wondering - yes, this is the best festival in the world.
There's something magical about this festival, much like the films it shows. Last year, it wasn't even October when we started searching for rooms again for our stay in Bologna this June of 2024. We wouldn't miss it for the world, and I believe we'll keep coming back year after year as long as we have the opportunity. Several months before the start of the 38th Il Cinema Ritrovato, the visual identity was unveiled. I vividly recall imagining the cloth bag adorned with Catherine Deneuve from The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, the critical acclaimed and 1964's Palme d'Or winner written and directed by Jacques Demy. This film stood out as one of the main highlights of the festival for numerous reasons. But, let's start from the beginning.
Photo by Margerita Caprilli Production, Courtesy of Cineteca di Bologna
A whole day at Cinema Modernissimo
The Cinema Modernissimo, a historic cinema in Bologna, reopened on November 21, 2023, after a 14-year renovation project. The transformation, initiated by a visionary move from Angelo Guglielmi, involved repurposing the long-closed Cinema Modernissimo and an adjacent underpass into a vibrant cultural hub. The project, supported by local authorities, Confindustria Emilia Area Centro, and cinema giants Pathé and Gaumont, revitalized the space into a leading Italian cinema. The reopening was celebrated as a testament to the enduring love for cinema and its history, and the cinema’s new features include exhibition spaces and cultural events, linking Bologna’s past with its present.
During our first trip to Bologna last year, we observed the ongoing construction for the renovation and reopening of the Cinema Modernissimo. This year, we had the pleasure to visit it, watch various screenings and talks and visit both exhibitions: Alice Rohrwacher’s first exhibition, Bar Luna, and an exhibition dedicated to photographs of Bologna. One of the aspects I was eagerly anticipating this year was the stunning red seats at Cinema Modernissimo. Each seat features the name of a director, actor, or even a character from classic and modern films engraved on it.
That Monday was filled with exciting cinematic discoveries. Our first film of the day was Yasujirō Ozu's I Was Born, But..., introduced by his devoted admirer, Wim Wenders. Following that, we watched Marcel Pagnol's Merlusse, with Alexander Payne explaining that this film inspired his creation of The Holdovers. Before our third screening, we enjoyed our usual espresso with ice and a pastel de nata at Café Pathé within the Cinema Modernissimo. We then experienced Juho Kuosmanen's Silent Trilogy, a performance where three short silent films—Romu-Mattila ja kaunis nainen, Salaviinanpolttajat, and Kaukainen planetta—were presented with live sound, music, and foley effects by Ykspihlajan Kino-orkesteri, Heikki Kossi, and Pietu Korhonen. Though the films are separate, together they form a cohesive whole, and we had a unique cinematic experience unlike any other.
The day concluded with the evening screening of one of my favorite films from this year’s festival, Chemi Bebia (My Grandmother) by Kote Mikaberidze. In this uproarious satire, a sluggish office worker goes on a wild quest to locate a "grandmother"—a powerful bureaucrat who can provide a recommendation letter to save his job and escape his wife’s displeasure. Banned for almost 50 years, the film presents a thrilling 60 minutes of imaginative visuals, clever camera tricks, and stop-motion animation. It was accompanied by a live score from the Finnish group Cleaning Women, who played improvised instruments made from repurposed household items, adding to the film's distinctive and irreverent charm from the silent era.
Marlene Dietrich, Anatole Litvak & the Female Gaze
One of the most important retrospectives of this year's festival was dedicated to Marlene Dietrich, curated by Deutsche Kinemathek. Marlene Dietrich, a name so iconic that it often requires no introduction, has left a profound impact on film and society over the past century. Her career is marked by a fearless disruption of norms, from challenging societal standards to dominating the screen with her unique presence. Dietrich remains a role model for various communities due to her "provocative" choices as a working mother, bisexual star, cross-dresser, and fashion icon. Her political activism and advocacy for freedom, tolerance, and democracy further define her enduring legacy. We had planned to see them and succeeded in watching two of Dietrich's most famous films: Josef von Sternberg's Shanghai Express and Billy Wilder's A Foreign Affair.
The retrospective Journeys Into Night: The World of Anatole Litvak was also one of the festival's tribute that caught our attention, despite the fact that we only got the time to screen his film Anastasia. This is a standout film of the 1950s, and Litvak's "entry into his ‘identification of woman’ series" as Ehsan Khoshbakht - retrospective's curator points out. Anastasia explores themes of identity and history with elegance and restraint. The plot follows Bounine, a white Russian general in exile, who tries to pass off an itinerant woman, Anna, as Anastasia Romanov to claim the Romanov fortune. As Bounine trains Anna to impersonate the Grand Duchess, he begins to doubt whether she might truly be Anastasia.
On the same female gaze topic, this year, Il Cinema Ritrovato introduced us to a unique and surprising film full of dark humor and abundant food, focusing on female empowerment: Ester Krumbachová's Murdering the Devil. This is a visually stunning example of complete artistic freedom and marks both the start and end of Krumbachová's directorial career. In the film, a lonely woman (Jiřina Bohdalová) seeking a man gets more than she expected when she starts courting the gluttonous and boorish Mr. Devil (Vladimír Menšík), who turns out to be literally the boyfriend from hell. Featuring a mix of ’60s lounge music, striking art direction, and lavish Czech cuisine, this subversive anti-rom-com sharply critiques male chauvinism while celebrating female pleasure, desire, and liberation.
A trip to the Classics
This year's Il Cinema Ritrovato festival showcased, among other significant films, two of its most celebrated films in restored 4K prints: Steven Spielberg's Jaws and Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai. These iconic and influential films were represented at the festival, offering attendees two exceptional viewing experiences that are difficult to replicate elsewhere.
Another unique experience, which we missed last year, is the special screenings at Piazzetta Pier Paolo Pasolini, located in the courtyard of the Cineteca. These screenings use a traditional projector, reminiscent of the early days of cinema, offering a nostalgic way to watch films. The film we screened this year was Bílý ráj (White Paradise), directed by Karel Lamač, and it dates back to 1924, making it a century-old. In a lonely mountain setting, orphaned Nina dreams of a better life while working for her harsh guardian, Jakob Rezek. On Christmas Eve, escaped convict Ivan Holar returns to visit his dying mother. Nina and Ivan find each other in the tavern’s cellar—Nina hiding from Rezek and Ivan evading patrol guards. Their encounter leads to a transformative journey of love, loss, and redemption, setting the stage for new beginnings for both.
Karel Lamač's film doesn’t feel like it was made 100 years ago, despite the fact that its visuals, the black-and-whites, and the tinted and toned prints "betray" its date, the film creates a powerful sense of timelessness, bringing us back to the era in which it was made.
Damien Chazelle & the Ones Who Dream
If anyone told me years ago, when I first saw Whiplash and later watched La La Land repeatedly, that there would come a day when I’d be in the same room with Damien Chazelle, hearing him speak about cinema and his inspirations, I would have laughed for sure. Yet, here we are, where life has worked its magic. At the festival, Damien Chazelle, the guest of honor, gave a special talk with the festival’s director, Gianluca Farinelli, and also introduced later that night Jacques Demy's film The Umbrellas of Cherbourg alongside Rosalie Varda, the daughter of Demy and Agnès Varda.
No other festival in the world is like this one, and as rightly stated "this is cinephiles heaven". And with that, among many other film screenings, this year's Il Cinema Ritrovato festival has ended for me. As you might have guessed, we're already starting to look for places to stay for next year. The festival will be there, waiting for us once again. See you in 2025, Il Cinema Ritrovato. Arrivederci!