La Piazza che verrà, Bologna e il Cinema(2022)

Infinity: The Universe of Luigi Ghirri(it)

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.

Kissing Gorbaciov(it)

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.

Guida per camminare all'ombra(it)

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.

Il giovane corsaro - Pasolini da Bologna(it)

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(xx)

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.

Kidnapped(it)

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.

E allora mambo!(it)

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!

Working Slowly (Radio Alice)(it)

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.

Attila(it)

Impiegati(it)

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

Almost Blue(it)

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.

Fantasia, ma non troppo, per violino(it)

See You(it)

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.

A Year in Champagne(en)

The exploding cork. Endless tiny bubbles floating up and up in the glass. An indulgence. A celebration. A seduction. A triumph. This is the essence of Champagne, isn’t it? But it’s not just bubbles in a glass that makes the wine, or the mystique. Only sparkling wine produced within the boundaries of the Champagne region is truly “Champagne.” At first glance, the region is not an obvious source of romance. Champagne’s history is grim and bloody, swept by war and destruction from Attila the Hun to the filthy trenches of WWI and the Nazi depredations of WWII. The environment for winemaking is desperately hard — northerly latitude, chalky soil, copious rain, frost, rot. Yet it’s these difficulties that help make the wine unique.

9-Man(en)

'9-Man' is an independent feature documentary about an isolated and exceptionally athletic Chinese-American sport that's much more than a pastime. Since the 1930s, young men have played this gritty streetball game competitively in the alleys and parking lots of Chinatown. At a time when anti-Chinese sentiment and laws like the Chinese Exclusion Act forced Chinese restaurant workers and laundrymen to socialize exclusively amongst themselves, nine-man offered both escape and fraternity for men who were separated from their families in China and facing extreme discrimination and distrust. Pivoting between oil-spotted Chinatown parking lots and jellyfish-filled banquet scenes, the film captures the spirit of nine-man as players not only battle for a championship but fight to preserve a sport that holds so much history.

James Ensor: Demons Teasing Me(en)

This film explains what James Ensor (1860-1949) meant for the development of art and makes palpable where he got his inspiration from.

American Drug War 2: Cannabis Destiny(en)

Director Kevin Booth navigates through the cutting edge of Cannabis research while becoming a foster parent to a child court ordered to take powerful mind altering drugs.

Bosnia!(bs)

The carnage in Sarajevo provides the focus of this French documentary which seeks to call attention to the terrible conflict in the hopes of finally ending it. The film is divided into five parts. Each part covers a time frame ranging from April 4, 1992, the beginning of the war, to the present. The major issues that occur are three-fold. It depicts the systematic genocide of Bosnians, the silence of Western countries, and the determination of the Bosnians to resist. They refuse to be seen as victims, even though the filmmakers portray them so. Also included are the origins and political aspects of the war. It offers interviews with participants. It also reveals how the U.S. State Department censored reports about Serbian death camps.

Tsahal(en)

The ideologies underlying the foundation of modern Israel are explored in this documentary, the third of a trilogy (created over a twenty year span) exploring the Jewish experience. The two earlier documentaries, "Porquoi Israel," and "Shoah," have had great effect on the ways documentaries are produced. "Tsahal" zeroes in on the crucial role of the military in Israeli society and politics. The film uses many in-depth interviews to present the many feelings and thoughts about the Israeli military.

Łódź Ghetto(en)

The Polish city of Łódź was under Nazi occupation for nearly the entirety of WWII. The segregation of the Jewish population into the ghetto, and the subsequent horrors are vividly chronicled via newsreels and photographs. The narration is taken almost entirely from journals and diaries of those who lived–and died–through the course of the occupation, with the number of different narrators diminishing as the film progresses, symbolic of the death of each narrator.