Today, Milena Gabanelli’s Dataroom focuses on Il Cinema Ritrovato festival, in an in-depth report co-authored with Francesco Tortora.
“Someone once said that you can’t make a living from culture. This story began in Bologna 40 years ago. While science-fiction blockbusters were taking over movie cinemas, a group of young film enthusiasts decided to organise a festival showcasing classic masterpieces that were otherwise destined to gather dust in archives.
The festival was called Il Cinema Ritrovato (‘Rediscovered Cinema’) and revolved around the Cineteca Foundation. The idea proved successful. A few years later, European funding helped establish a film restoration laboratory.
Today, the festival has become an international event, attracting an average of 140,000 attendees over nine days and generating an economic impact of €15 million for hotels, restaurants, and local transportation services. Meanwhile, Bologna’s film restoration laboratory has earned a reputation as the most prestigious in the world.”