La Piazza che verrà, Bologna e il Cinema

Kissing Gorbaciov

November 2023 •Italian

A small town in Salento, some Soviet rock bands, CCCP and an 8-day trip between Moscow and Leningrad. The incredible story of a tour between two worlds that would never be the same again.

Infinity: The Universe of Luigi Ghirri

October 2022 •Italian

In this poetic portrayal of Luigi Ghirri (1943–1992), a master of contemporary photography, the director gives voice and, in particular the image, to the protagonist. The photographer takes the audience on a tour of the outskirts of daily life as seen from the corner of his eye, the area in between what is artificial and authentic or grand and small – the meso-scale.

Il giovane corsaro - Pasolini da Bologna

April 2022 •Italian

A young student prepares his degree thesis on Pasolini and Bologna by investigating the relationship of the great intellectual with the city of his childhood and his studies. Following in the footsteps left by Pasolini in Bo­logna, the protagonist will tell, for the first time in the form of a documentary and with a rock narrative rhythm, the emotional, visceral but also controversial bond of Pasolini with Bologna until his final days, also characterized by severe criticisms of the “consumerist and communist” city, a symbolic terrain of the adverse social and economic metamorphosis from paleo­industrial to neo-capitalist society.

2021-1985

December 2021 •

Confidential report on designer Dino Gavina's showroom created by Carlo Scarpa between 1961 and 1963. Restoration details and stills from a 1985 film by Ellis Donda.

Guida per camminare all'ombra

June 1954 •Italian

The documentary illustrates the history of the birth and development of the porticoes module in Bologna, starting from the Middle Ages. After a brief historical investigation on the origin of the arcades and on the revolution that affected urban architecture following their introduction, we analyze the social impact that these had, and still have, on the lives of Bolognese citizens. The porch, among other things, is presented as an architectural solution capable of facilitating meeting and communication.

Kidnapped

May 2023 •Italian

The story of Edgardo Mortara, a young Jewish boy living in Bologna, Italy, who in 1858, after being secretly baptized, was forcibly taken from his family to be raised as a Christian. His parents’ struggle to free their son became part of a larger political battle that pitted the papacy against forces of democracy and Italian unification.

Working Slowly (Radio Alice)

October 2004 •Italian

Bologna, 1976. The paths of two aimless young friends intertwine with those of Radio Alice, a pirate radio politically aligned with the leftist student movement.

Almost Blue

November 2000 •Italian

A police inspector suspects a serial killer is afoot in the university city of Bologna, luring in his victims through online video chats before murdering them and assuming their identity.

E allora mambo!

September 1999 •Italian

After receiving a large sum of money on his bank account by mistake, a small-town thirtysomething dissatisfied with his life sees the opportunity of turning back the clock to when things were good, reliving the carefree life of an university student in a big city. Here, he falls in love with a girl and gets her pregnant. There's just one problem: he already has a wife and a daughter back home!

Impiegati

February 1985 •Italian

Friendship and competition among a group of bank clerks in 1980s Italy.

Fantasia, ma non troppo, per violino

January 1976 •Italian

See You

September 1999 •Italian

15-year-old Andrea lives in a world of his own, where an innocent friendship with a pretty girl becomes a full-blown romance. He invites her to a motor show in nearby Bologna, but she fails to show up at the bus station. Instead, Andrea is joined by his older sister Stefania–who's planning a runaway with her boyfriend Angelo.

Attila

January 2016 •Italian

Nanook of the North

June 1922 •English

This pioneering documentary film depicts the lives of the indigenous Inuit people of Canada's northern Quebec region. Although the production contains some fictional elements, it vividly shows how its resourceful subjects survive in such a harsh climate, revealing how they construct their igloo homes and find food by hunting and fishing. The film also captures the beautiful, if unforgiving, frozen landscape of the Great White North, far removed from conventional civilization.

Olympia: Part One – Festival of the Nations

April 1938 •German

Commissioned to make a propaganda film about the 1936 Olympic Games in Germany, director Leni Riefenstahl created a celebration of the human form. This first half of her two-part film opens with a renowned introduction that compares modern Olympians to classical Greek heroes, then goes on to provide thrilling in-the-moment coverage of some of the games' most celebrated moments, including African-American athlete Jesse Owens winning a then-unprecedented four gold medals.

Olympia: Part Two – Festival of Beauty

June 1938 •German

Commissioned to make a propaganda film about the 1936 Olympic Games in Germany, director Leni Riefenstahl created a celebration of the human form. Where the two-part epic's first half, Festival of the Nations, focused on the international aspects of the 1936 Olympic Games held in Berlin, part two, The Festival of Beauty, concentrates on individual athletes such as equestrians, gymnasts, and swimmers, climaxing with American Glenn Morris' performance in the decathalon and the games' majestic closing ceremonies.

Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory

March 1895 •French

Working men and women leave through the main gate of the Lumière factory in Lyon, France. Filmed on 22 March 1895, it is often referred to as the first real motion picture ever made, although Louis Le Prince's 1888 Roundhay Garden Scene pre-dated it by seven years. Three separate versions of this film exist, which differ from one another in numerous ways. The first version features a carriage drawn by one horse, while in the second version the carriage is drawn by two horses, and there is no carriage at all in the third version. The clothing style is also different between the three versions, demonstrating the different seasons in which each was filmed. This film was made in the 35 mm format with an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, and at a speed of 16 frames per second. At that rate, the 17 meters of film length provided a duration of 46 seconds, holding a total of 800 frames.

Great Poets: In Their Own Words

August 2014 •English

A journey into the BBC archives unearthing glorious performances and candid interviews from some of Britain's greatest poets.

The Entire Universe

December 2016 •English

Eric Idle persuades Professor Brian Cox to present a lecture on the birth of the entire universe. Brian soon realises Eric is actually hosting a comedy and musical extravaganza.

In Memory of Sergo Ordzhonikidze

December 1937 •Russian

The film is about the life and work of Grigory Ordzhonikidze Konstantinoviche, an important personality in both the Communist Party and the Soviet state. The film includes speeches by his bereaved friends who attended his funeral. In 1937, after the unexpected death of Sergo Ordzhonikidze, Vertov received an urgent order from the government to produce a film about the life of Ordzhonikidze. He was ordered to work together with Yakov Bliohom and the director of the film "Battleship Potemkin" distributed by Goskino (Soviet State Committee for Cinematography).