Il Cinema Ritrovato on Tour 2023
Our first iteration of Il Cinema Ritrovato on Tour ran from May 11 to 13, 2023 at The Main Cinema in Minneapolis, MN. We partnered with the Cineteca di Bologna, Il Cinema Ritrovato, and the Film Society of Minneapolis and St. Paul to present three days of restored, archival cinema from the 2022 edition of Il Cinema Ritrovato in Bologna, Italy.
Opening Night Lecture by Pamela Hutchinson
To celebrate Opening Night of Minneapolis’s first annual Il Cinema Ritrovato on Tour festival, film critic and historian Pamela Hutchinson will give a talk introducing Il Cinema Ritrovato: Italy’s festival of restored and rediscovered cinema held annually in Bologna.
BÉHULA (France, India, Dir. by Camille Legrand, 1921)
Most of India’s prolific silent film productions have disappeared. Miraculously, we came upon Béhula, adapted from a Bengali legend in the Manasa Mangal—the epic cycle dedicated to the Snake Goddess, Manasa. Introduction by Shivendra Singh Dungarpur
SALOMÉ (USA, Dir. by Charles Bryant, Alla Nazimova, 1922)
A hypnotic adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s play, this 1922 queer fever dream ruffled a few feathers in its day, but has since become a touchstone of repertory silent film. Natacha Rambova’s extravagant design and Alla Nazimova’s gestural performance reached their zenith in Salomé. Introduction by Pamela Hutchinson
FAR FROM HOME (Iran, Germany, Dir. by Sohrab Shahid Saless, 1975)
The third film in an unplanned trilogy focusing on social isolation and stillness, Far From Home follows a few days in the life of Husseyin (played by the Iranian Parviz Sayyad), a Turkish ‘guest worker’ who shares a flat in West Berlin with a group of fellow Turks. Introduction by Sima Shakhsari
CANOA: A SHAMEFUL MEMORY (Mexico, Dir. by Felipe Cazals, 1976)
One of Mexico’s most highly regarded works of political cinema, Canoa: A Shameful Memory reimagines a real-life incident when a group of urban university employees on a hiking trip were viciously attacked by residents of the village of San Miguel Canoa. Introduction by Héctor Melo Ruiz
THE CIRCUS TENT (India, Dir. by Aravindan Govindan, 1978)
The Circus Tent is a poetic, allegorical film that gently explores the transience of human relationships and the rootlessness of the marginalized through the ripples created in the bucolic existence of a village on the banks of a river by the arrival of a roving circus troupe. Introduction by Shivendra Singh Dungarpur
ALGERIA IN FLAMES (Algeria, France, Dir. René Vautier, 1958)
Algeria in Flames depicts acts of resistance during wartime and in everyday life, as well as documenting the tragic massacre of Sakiet Sidi Youssef. The film cost Vautier physical injuries and a long spell in prison, but he had no regrets. Introduction by Joëlle Vitiello
LES MAINS LIBRES (Algeria, Dir. by Ennio Lorenzini, 1964)
Using the aesthetic of militant cinema of the time, Les Mains libres displays a rich array of archival material from the Algerian war: rarely-seen photos, footage, press clippings. It is the first international Algerian film production. Introduction by Joëlle Vitiello
LABORER’S LOVE (China, Dir. by Shichuan Zhang, 1922)
The early 1920s saw an unprecedented cinema craze in China. It was in this sizzling ambiance that Zhang Shichuan and Zheng Zhengqiu made Laogong zhi aiqing, a slapstick satirical commentary about an unflappable fruit seller who is in love with the daughter of a doctor.
I BY DAY, YOU BY NIGHT (Germany, Dir. by Ludwig Berger, 1932)
A tale of interiors and interiorities, a comedy of mistaken identity that folds in on itself. I by Day, You by Night is about matchmaking and filmmaking becoming one and the same: an artistic practice giving us access to our own desires. Introduction by Rick McCormick
THE LONG FAREWELL (Russia, Dir. by Kira Muratova, 1971)
Divorcee Evgeniia Vasilevna has spent 15 years working at the same desk as a technical translator. She is equally stuck in the rut of her mothering role, refusing to acknowledge that her son Sasha has grown up, as in many ways she refuses to grow up herself. Introduction by Julia Chadaga
FLAMING EARS (Austria, Dir. by Ursula Pürrer, Dietmar Schipek, Ashley Hans Scheirl, 1991)
Flaming Ears is a pop science fiction lesbian fantasy feature set in the year 2700. It’s a story of love and revenge, and an anti-romantic plea for love in its many forms—a cyberdyke movie that stimulates both the body and the brain. Introduction by Marya E. Gates
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