The First Destination for Il Cinema Ritrovato On Tour Shall be… Cinema Akil
Celebrate the best of Italian film this week…
Cinema Akil, the GCC’s only independent cinema, has announced that it will host Il Cinema Ritrovato on Tour – a travelling festival celebrating the best in Italian films.
The upcoming event also marks the tour’s first time in the Middle East, which will take place from September 15 – 21 in partnership with the Italian Cultural Institute Abu Dhabi.
There are seven heritage films on the agenda, restored by Cineteca di Bologna’s laboratory L’Immagine Ritrovatare. The debut movie is Vittorio De Sica’s Sciuscià (Shoeshine) following the story of two shoeshine boys in post-war Italy. (Sciuscià also won the first Academy Award for Best International Film Feature.)
Next on the list is Sambizanga outlining Angola’s independence movement and journey to freedom directed by Sarah Maldoror who was one of Africa’s first female directors. Other films that will be featured are Assunta Spina, Chess of the Winde, Signore E Signori (also known as The Birds) The Bees and the Italians, A River Called Titas and Al Hal – Transes.
Il Cinema Ritrovato was created in 1986 and has grown significantly in size, becoming a renowned world festival. For their tour in the Middle East, the partners worked closely with Cineteca di Bologna and the Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project founded by distinguished director, Martin Scorsese. Guy Borlée, the Festival Coordinator, is going to attend various screenings to provide cinema goers with the chance to discuss film making and heritage cinema in great detail.
“We are honoured to once again join hands with Cinema Akil, this time for the region’s first edition of Il Cinema Ritrovato On Tour. It is the first time that the film festival is coming to the Middle East and we’re looking forward to witnessing Cinema Akil become the destination of exchange and offer a glimpse into the timeless and historic allure of filmmaking,” Ida Zilio-Grandi, Director of Italian Cultural Institute Abu Dhabi said.
“The iconic Il Cinema Ritrovato has been an inspiration to our work at Cinema Akil throughout our journey since we opened our doors, as one of the world’s most iconic film festivals dedicated to classic and repertory cinema, the festival’s programming and the restoration efforts of the Cineteca di Bologna is responsible for keeping humanity’s shared cinema history alive,” Butheina Kazim, founder of Cinema Akil said. “With the support of our ongoing partners at the Italian Cultural Institute in Abu Dhabi, it is an honour for us to bring this collaboration to Dubai as an affirmation of our commitment to the magic of cinema from across borders and time.”
“I am honoured to be a part of the team brining Il Cinema Ritrovato on Tour to Dubai. Cineteca di Bologna has been restoring great classics for years, to make them available around the world and give them a second youth. Thanks to Cinema Akil, cinephiles will have a chance to (re)discover a great selection of heritage films and exchange point of views,” Festival Coordinator, Guy Borlée, said.
For more information, visit cinemaakil.com