Timothy Brock | Silent London

What is Il Cinema Ritrovato? A few years back at a Bologna dinner, an important person with far more right to speak on these matters than I have, announced that for them, Il Cinéma Ritrovato was not a festival, but a museum. They spoke eloquently, and sincerely, but honestly I think that is a nonsense. Il Cinema Ritrovato, which has just closed its largest ever, “XL” edition, at the age of 40, is a festival in every sense of the word.

Il Cinema Ritrovato is a celebration, it’s true – so it is a festival according to that fluffy definition. Sitting with the crowds watching classics in Piazza Maggiore or encountering rarely seen gems in the Cinemalibero strand will convince you of that – of the love for cinema that animates all the action. Ritrovato is place of joy, of friendships and new connections. A pleasure to attend, even in a heatwave.

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Grey skies clung to the Verdi this afternoon but you can’t put a dampener on a homecoming like this one. I’ve been to several festivals this year, but nothing really compares to the Giornate. And our hearts were warmed by festival director Jay Weissberg’s words of welcome, in which we pointed out how vital it is, these days more than ever, to cherish these events that bring people together in a shared endeavour.

Today was a day of varying shades and two colour schemes. We had a couple of stonking great classics. And also a slate of fragments, curios, oddities and ends – several of which had their merits, albeit in their own unconventional way. In fact, a certain aura of strangeness hung over the whole day, which you might attribute to the unseasonal weather, but I am partially putting down to the after-effects of watching Megalopolis last weekend.

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