The summer season has begun, and the city of Bologna is preparing to host one of the most beloved events for film lovers from all over the world: Sotto le stelle del Cinema (Under the Stars of Cinema).

For 56 nights, from June 17th to August 14th, the heart of the city will be transformed into an open-air cinema, with a program that will intertwine with the evening events of the 38th edition of the Il Cinema Ritrovato festival.

The program, rich in restored classics of Italian and international cinema, will feature special tributes to three great protagonists of Italian cinema: Sandra Milo, Marcello Mastroianni, and Massimo Troisi. It will be possible to visit exhibitions dedicated to their artistic careers and discover unpublished aspects of their lives and work.

Then, as tradition dictates, the film screenings in the piazza will be accompanied by the presence of legendary figures from international cinema. And that’s not all. This year there will be Francesco Guccini, celebrating the 40th anniversary of Fra la via Emilia e il West; Darren Aronofsky presenting Amadeus by Miloš Forman; and Wim Wenders presenting, in the company of Alexander Payne, the film Wild Strawberries and one of his great successes: Paris, Texas.

Damien Chazelle will introduce the musical by Jacques Demy Les Parapluies de Chebourg, which inspired La La Land, and his latest film Babylon, while Sergio Castellitto will present La visita di Antonio Pietrangeli. We will retrace the origins of French cinema with Nicolas Seydoux and Thierry Frémaux. Pietro Marcello will present Seven Samurai by Akira Kurosawa, and there will also be Andrej Zvjagincev with his Leviathan and Gianluigi Toccafondo with La Voix Des Sirènes. There will also be special moments such as the presentation of the Cipputi Prize at Palazzina LAF, directed by Carlo Degli Esposti and Altan. Pupi and Antonio Avati will present their Ultimo minuto. There will also be Daniele Gaglianone and Valerio Mastandrea with La mia classe; Fatih Akin with his Rheingold; with the director’s cut of Dogman; Roberto Andò with his successful La stranezza; Benjamin Voisin and Xavier Giannoli with Le illusioni perdute; Jonathan Wang, producer of Everything Everywhere All at Once and Pier Francesco Favino with L’ultima notte di Amore. Finally, Jeremy Thomas, producer of Bernardo Bertolucci’s colossal The Last Emperor, will also be present.

Sotto le stelle del cinema is not only the opportunity to watch a great film in a unique setting, one of the most beautiful squares in Bologna, but also a moment to discover new emerging talents.

If you are in Bologna, you can’t miss this event!