The free festival opens with the extended version of Sergio Leone's "Once Upon a Time in America" and continues with acclaimed films from Satyajit Ray, Luchino Visconti, Roberto Rossellini and Stig Björkman
LOS ANGELES, March 1, 2016 — (PRNewswire) — The Cineteca di Bologna, one of Europe's most renowned archives for film restoration and preservation, and the School of Film and Television at Loyola Marymount University present Il Cinema Ritrovato: Rediscovered Film, a mini-film festival held on the LMU campus March 14, 15 and 16. The free festival features a selection of classic restored films from acclaimed filmmakers Sergio Leone, Satyajit Ray, Luchino Visconti and Roberto Rossellini as well as Stig Björkman's 2015 documentary Ingrid Bergman: In Her Own Words.Il Cinema Ritrovato: Rediscovered Film opens with the extended version of Once Upon a Time in America, Sergio Leone's Italian-American epic gangster drama that reportedly received a 15-minute standing ovation at its 1984 Cannes Film Festival premiere. The extended version, restored by the Bologna Cineteca and unveiled at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, includes 22 minutes of footage that was cut during editing in 1984. The last labor in Leone's career, the film stars Robert DeNiro and James Woods, and includes a beautiful musical score by Ennio Morricone.
The festival continues with five additional films curated by Guy Borlée of Cineteca di Bologna, LMU School of Film and Television Dean Stephen Ujlaki and Dr. Richard P. Hadley, SFTV Interim Program Director/Associate Professor of Film & TV Studies.
"I am excited to co-curate this year's festival. We will be screening three restored films that were part of last summer's Il Cinema Ritrovato festival in Bologna: Rocco and his Brothers (Luchino Visconti, 1960) and parts I and II of Satyajit Ray's Apu Trilogy, Pather Panchali (1955) and Aparajito (1956). We will also screen a restoration of Roberto Rossellini's Voyage to Italy (1954) starring Ingrid Bergman, and the new Ingrid Bergman documentary, Ingrid Bergman: In Her Own Words by Stig Björkman, who was a visiting artist at the School of Film and Television a few years ago," said Dr. Hadley.
"Cineteca of Bologna is very happy to bring to Los Angeles a small selection of its festival Il Cinema Ritrovato, which has been defined as 'pure heaven for cinéphiles.' In one week, we let our audience dive into the pleasure of unique screenings, to discover the best restorations of the year (film print or digital), to meet renowned experts on film history as well as protagonists of the current cinema. The 30th edition will take place from June 25 - July 2, 2016. This year, we will also host the international Congress of the Fédération Internationale des Archives du Film (FIAF). So Bologna will become the natural meeting place for film lovers," said Borlée.
Dean Ujlaki commented, "We are thrilled to welcome Il Cinema Ritrovato back to campus for the fourth year. One of the best ways to support film restoration is by giving our students and community the opportunity to experience these cinematic treasures on the big screen."
Il Cinema Ritrovato: Rediscovered Film
restored films from Cineteca di Bologna
March 14 - 16, 2016
Free screenings, open to the public; RSVP required
Mayer Theater, LMU Campus
Opening Night! Monday, March 14
6:00pm
ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA – EXTENDED VERSION
USA-Italy/1984/color/255 min.
Sergio Leone
The extended version, restored by the Bologna Cineteca and unveiled at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, includes 22 minutes of footage that was cut during editing in 1984. The last labor in Leone's career, the epic gangster film stars Robert DeNiro and James Woods, and includes a beautiful musical score by Ennio Morricone.
Tuesday, March 15
4:10pm
SONG OF THE LITTLE ROAD (PATHER PANCHALI)
India/1954/B&W/125 min.
Satyajit Ray
The Apu Trilogy brought India into the golden age of international art-house film. This first film in the series introduces us to little Apu, a free-spirited child in rural Bengal who matures into an adolescent urban student and finally a sensitive man of the world.
7:15pm
ROCCO AND HIS BROTHERS (ROCCO E I SUOI FRATELLI)
Italy/1960/B&W /178 min.
Luchino Visconti
Rocco and His Brothers is Luchino Visconti's spectacular epic about the dramatic events that befall a family traveling to Milan to begin a new life.
Wednesday, March 16
1:30pm
JOURNEY TO ITALY (VIAGGIO IN ITALIA)
Italy/1954/B&W/82 min.
Roberto Rossellini
Among the most influential films of the postwar era, Roberto Rossellini's Journey to Italy (Viaggio in Italia) charts the declining marriage of a couple from England on a trip in the countryside near Naples.
4:10pm
THE UNVANQUISHED (APARAJITO)
India/1956/B&W/109 min.
Satyajit Ray
This sequel to Song of the Little Road continues the story of Apu, who progresses from wide-eyed child to intellectually curious teenager. We witness his academic and moral education, as well as the growing complexity of his relationship with his mother.
7:15pm
INGRID BERGMAN: IN HER OWN WORDS
Sweden/2015/color/114 min.
Stig Björkman
Through never-before-seen home movies – along with Ingrid Bergman's personal notes, letters, and diaries – In Her Own Words presents an intimate and moving portrait of one of the most acclaimed film actresses of all time.
INFO/RSVP: sftv.lmu.edu/programs/special/ilcinemaritrovato/
About LMU SFTV
Movie industry moguls helped establish Loyola Marymount University's (LMU) current campus on the bluffs above west Los Angeles in the 1920s. By 1964, LMU was formally teaching film and television curriculum, and in 2001, the School of Film and Television (SFTV) was established as its own entity. Today, SFTV offers students a comprehensive education where mastering technical skills and story is equally important to educating the whole person, including the formation of character and values, meaning and purpose. SFTV offers undergraduate degrees in animation, production, screenwriting, film and television studies and recording arts; and graduate degrees in production, screenwriting and writing and producing for television. The school is one of the few film programs providing students with a completely tapeless model of production and post-production, and SFTV's animation program is one of the few worldwide that teaches virtual cinematography. Selected alumni include John Bailey, Bob Beemer, Francie Calfo, Brian Helgeland, Francis Lawrence, Lauren Montgomery, Jack Orman, Van Partible and James Wong, among others. Get more information at sftv.lmu.edu or facebook.com/lmusftv.
For more information, contact:
Julie Porter
LMU School of Film and Television
Email Contact
310-338-1697