Photo: Sina Weibo

 
 
The Italian Film Masters Retrospective exhibition kicked off on Thursday in Shanghai to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of China-Italy diplomatic ties, as well as to commemorate the centennial birthday of the legendary Italian film master Federico Fellini. 

A total of nine classics from four Italian auteurs- Federico Fellini, Bernardo Bertolucci, Vittorio de Sica and Pier Paolo Pasolin - will be showcased at the exhibition, including De Sica’s 1948 neorealist drama Bicycle Thieves, Pasolin’s maiden work as a director Accattone and The Spider's Stratagem, a film took inspirations from a story by Jorge Luis Borges and brought to the screen by Bertolucci, who also directed the well-known picture The Last Emperor. 

Fellini’s Oscar-winning 1954 masterpiece La Strada (The Road) is a major highlight at the exhibition. The picture is a part of the master’s cinematic trilogy scrutinizing the theme of “loneliness.” It tells a touching picaresque story of a light-hearted girl who is sold by her mother to a brutish traveling entertainer. A newly restored 4K version of the film that was completed in October will make its Asian debut at the exhibition. 

All the films at the exhibition are major pieces marking the Italian neorealist film movement that emerged around the end of World War II.

Focusing on the “grassroots” poor and the lower-working-class people in Italy, this genre of film depicts the impact Fascist rule had on ordinary Italians, and reveals their resilience in facing painful circumstances as well as their longing for a stable and peaceful life. 

Film has always been a cultural bridge that conveys the shared values between China and Italy. 

Incorporated into the 20th World Italian Language Week, the film exhibition will hold a total of 18 screenings at the Shanghai Film Art Centre and Shanghai Art Theatre. 

The exhibition is scheduled to end on November 1.