The third edition of ‘A Season of Classic Films’ was presented today at the EU Pavilion in Cannes when ACE (Association des Cinémathèques Européennes) revealed details of the new programme running June to December 2022 in European cinemas and online.

A Season of Classic Films

‘A Season of Classic Films’ is a series of free screenings designed to attract younger audiences to our shared cinematic cultural heritage. The programme looks to raise awareness of the work of European film archives, connecting the public with cinema history and the significance of film preservation. Most of the films are new digital restorations, and some screenings include dynamic elements such as live music performances and educational interactive sessions. All films are available with English subtitles.

Twenty-two film archives from 21 European countries (all ACE members) will participate in the classic film season, and each archive has selected a film or film compilation from their own collection to restore and present.

Joint Restoration Grant

Additionally at the event in Cannes, ACE presented the Joint Restoration Grant of €50,000 awarded for the restoration of the film Life of a Shock Force Worker (1972). The jury, comprising filmmaker Sergei Loznitsa, Pordenone Silent Film Festival director Jay Weissberg and director of the Cinema-Fiction Department of ARTE Claudia Tronnier, selected the film from a raft of proposals submitted by European film archives.

Four partner institutions from Slovenia, Croatia, Austria and Bosnia are joining forces to restore Life of a Shock Force Worker, a wonderful example of Yugoslavian New Cinema. Inspired by daily life in a coal mine, the film critiques the political regime of the era, all the time illustrating the state ideology of comradeship and unity. It further offers a clearer and more nuanced view of Yugoslavian film history, one of the blind spots on the map of European film heritage, and at the same time touches upon the pertinent matter of propaganda in our post-truth era.

“Large parts of the Yugoslavian film heritage have so far been underserved,” the jury writes of its choice. “Life of a Shock Force Worker has strong imagery, but it is in desperate need of colour grading since the original has faded with time. A key asset is that ACE and the four partner institutions responsible for this restoration project will collaborate with DoP Karpo Godina.”

During the war in Bosnia in the 1990s, film director Bahrudin Bato Čengić deposited a 35mm print of the film at the Slovenian cinematheque, while the image and sound negatives remain at the Croatian state archive. Post-restoration, the film will be offered in a new 2K edition with the support of the EU Creative Europe MEDIA programme and the Ministry of Culture of Republic of Slovenia.

Cinema and online screenings

This year’s ‘A Season of Classic Films’ promises to offer very much an in-person series of events and presentations within European cinemas. Most of the films will also be available online to allow for a greater reach to international audiences, building up on the experience gained during the previous edition.

“The second edition of A Season of Classic Films took place when most of our public venues were closed for long periods of time,” says ACE President Sandra den Hamer, also Director of Eye Filmmuseum. “Nevertheless, European cinematheques actively connected with their audiences through online screenings, new streaming platforms and/or hybrid events. ‘A Season of Classic Films’, as a joint project, again strengthened the collaboration and solidarity between the participating film institutions.”

The Cannes ‘A Season of Classic Films’ presentation took place on May 23 at the EU Pavilion. The event was moderated by Paulina Reizi (Eye Filmmuseum, Coordinator of A Season of Classic Films). Speakers and special guests included Sandra den Hamer (President of ACE and director of Eye Filmmuseum), Sergei Loznitsa (Filmmaker), Claudia Tronnier (Director of the Cinema-Fiction Department at ARTE) and Jay Weissberg (Director of the Pordenone Silent Film Festival).

ABOUT THE ASSOCIATION DES CINÉMATHÈQUES EUROPÉENNES (ACE)

The Association of European Cinematheques (Association des Cinémathèques Européennes – ACE) is an affiliation of 49 European national and regional film archives. Its role is to safeguard the European film heritage and make the rich audiovisual records collected and preserved by the various film archives accessible to the public. ACE members are non-profit institutions committed to the FIAF Code of Ethics.

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Lichtspiel / Kinemathek Bern joins the second edition of A Season of Classic Films with a compilation of unique short films that takes viewers to a journey to the various regions of Switzerland. The compilation consists of eight newly digitised films, presenting aviation pioneers in the 1920s to progressive women in the 1960s. The films will premiere on Thursday 2 September at 20:00 CEST in a special free-admission event at Lichtspiel’s premises in Bern and via live stream with English subtitles. An introduction by Brigitte Paulowitz, Head of Film Collections and Restorer at Lichtspiel, will provide the context to the films.

 Watch Travel through Switzerland

A Season of Classic Films is an initiative of the Association des Cinémathèques Européennes (ACE) with the support of the EU Creative Europe MEDIA programme to raise awareness of the work of national and regional film archives, connecting the public with cinema history and the preservation of film heritage. Twenty-two European film institutions are taking part this year offering free access to films from their precious collections. This screening is organised by Lichtspiel / Kinemathek Bern.

Reise durch die Schweiz (Travel through Switzerland) | Switzerland, 1920-1961, 102′

1. Basler Flugtag. 12. September 1920. Advertisement, 1920, 9’, silent.
2. [Familienferien Tessin]. Amateur film, 1930, 14’, silent.
3. Hollywood Ball im Kursaal, 13. August 1932. Documentary, 1932, 16’, silent.
4. [Generalversammlung SLV vom 30.11.1949 in Baden und Herr Speck]. Documentary, 1932, 7’, silent.
5. Printemps neige et ski à Grindelwald. Documentary, 1947, 12’, sound.
6. Lambretta. Advertisement, 1950, 4’, sound.
7. Wer mit der Zeit geht. Documentary, 1953, 17’, sound.
8. Frauen im helvetischen Mosaik. Documentary, 1961, 23’, sound.

The short films have been digitised, based on original film elements preserved by Lichtspiel / Kinemathek Bern, with the support of A Season of Classic Films.

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Cinemateket / The Norwegian Film Institute joins A Season of Classic Films with the restored film Ung flukt (Edith Carlmar, 1959), a teen rebellion drama with Liv Ullmann in her debut role, with a free special cinema screening event on Wednesday 25 August at 18:00 CEST at Cinemateket in Oslo, while the film will be free-to-view worldwide between 26 August and 2 September, with English subtitles.

 Watch Ung flukt here (26 August – 2 September)

The digital restoration was carried out by the National Library of Norway in 2018 and has drawn attention internationally to the work of Edith Carlmar, the number one female director in Norwegian post-war cinema. Carlmar was not only Norway’s first female director, but she made what is considered to be the country’s first film noir (Death Is a Caress). Together with her husband Otto Carlmar, she founded the film company Carlmar Film AS, where he produced and she directed one brilliant film after another. She directed ten films in ten years and Ung flukt is her last feature film.

Speaking about the restored film, Head of Cinemateket Jan Langlo said, “The restored version of Ung flukt (The Wayward Girl) was selected for Berlinale Classics in 2019. This generated quite a lot of interest in both this film and other films by Edith Carlmar, and there are several retrospectives of her films being planned at international festivals in 2021 and 2022. New viewers recognise Ung flukt as a surprisingly vital film, with a vibrant Liv Ullmann in her screen debut.” 

A Season of Classic Films is an initiative of the Association des Cinémathèques Européennes (ACE) with the support of the EU Creative Europe MEDIA programme to raise awareness of the work of national and regional film archives, connecting the public with cinema history and the preservation of film heritage. Twenty-two European film institutions are taking part this year offering free access to films from their precious collections. This screening is organised by Cinemateket / The Norwegian Film Institute.

Ung flukt (The Wayward Girl) | Norway, 1959, 95′

Director: Edith Carlmar. Producer: Otto Carlmar. Cast: Liv Ullmann, Atle Merton, Rolf Søder, Nanna Stenersen, Randi Brænne, Tore Foss. Physical characteristics of first release: 35mm, 95’, B&W, mono sound, Norwegian. Film copy screened during A Season of Classic Films: DCP, 95’, B&W, sound, Norwegian. Available subtitles: English. Copyright: Norwegian Film Institute.

Ung flukt is based on a book by Nils Johan Rud and tells the story of 17-year-old Gerd, the illegitimate daughter of a single working mother. Gerd, played by Liv Ullmann in her first lead role, has fallen into delinquency. After she spends a brief stint in police custody, Gerd’s boyfriend, a student, disobeys his parents and takes her away to the country to protect her from bad influences.

• Wednesday 25 August, 18:00, Cinemateket Dronningens gate 16 0152 Oslo. With English subtitles. Introduced by Hege Jaer, Curator at Cinemateket. Reserve your free ticket here!
• Thursday 26 August – Wednesday 2 September. Watch free online here, worldwide access, English subtitles.

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Cinémathèque suisse will present the new 4K restoration of Derborence, a landmark work by the Swiss filmmaker Francis Reusser (1942-2019), during two free special screenings, one at the Locarno Film Festival (12 August) and one at the Festival international du film alpin des Diablerets (14 August).

The digital restoration was carried out by the Cinémathèque suisse in the Color Grade laboratory, with the support of RTS. The special free screening events are offered by A Season of Classic Films, an Association des Cinémathèques Européennes (ACE) initiative with the support of the EU Creative Europe MEDIA programme and in partnership with Cinémathèque suisse.

Twenty-two film institutions from all over Europe, including the Cinémathèque suisse, are taking part this year in A Season of Classic Films. The initiative offers free access to restored European films, connecting the public with cinema history and the preservation of film heritage.

Derborence | Switzerland/France, 1985, 99′

Director: Francis Reusser. Producer: Jean-Marc Henchoz, Claude Stadelmann. Cast: Isabel Otero, Jacques Penot, Maria Machado, Jean-Marc Bory, Bruno Cremer. Music: Maria Carta / Sound Design: François Musy / Cinematography: Emmanuel Machuel / Film Editing: Christine Benoît and Francis Reusser / Production Design: Jean-Marc Stehlé / Costume Design: Rose-Marie Melka. Physical characteristics of first release: 35mm, 99’, colour, sound, French. Film copy screened during A Season of Classic Films: New restoration. DCP, 99’, colour, sound, French. Copyright: Les productions JMH, Marion’s Films, Sagittaire production.

The lives of two newlyweds, Antoine, an alpine shepherd, and Thérèse, are overturned when a landslide swallows the mountain pasture where Antoine is working. Believed to be dead by everyone, Antoine suddenly returns home. In this adaptation of Charles Ferdinand Ramuz’s novel, Francis Reusser has crafted a sensual alpine western, which competed in Cannes in 1985 and received the César for the best French-language film the following year.

• Thursday 12 August, 15:00, PalaCinema 1, 74 Locarno Film Festival. With English subtitles. Introduced by Emmanuelle de Riedmatten, Jean Reusser and Frédéric Maire. Reserve your free ticket here!
• Saturday 14 August, 13:30, Festival International du Film Alpin des Diablerets (FIFAD 2021). Closing screening event, more information here.

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This summer the big screen of Piazza Maggiore will light up again, a restart expected by an entire community. On the occasion of the ‘Sotto le stelle del cinema’, Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna will present the new 4K restoration of Comizi d’amore (Love Meetings, Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1965) during two free special screenings with English subtitles on Monday 28 June.

The film has been restored at the L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory, by Cineteca di Bologna, in collaboration with Compass Film and with the support of MiC and A Season of Classic Films, an initiative of ACE – Association des Cinémathèques Européennes within the Creative Europe MEDIA programmme of the European Commission. Twenty-two film institutions from all over Europe, including the Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna, are taking part this year in A Season of Classic Films. The initiative offers free access to restored European films, connecting the public with cinema history and the preservation of film heritage.

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On Sunday 27 June, the Greek Film Archive will present a newly-restored copy of the unknown masterpiece Fishermen and Fishing, by Leon Loisios, produced in 1961 (22’), narrated by the acclaimed director Stavros Tornes. Along with the world premiere of this new restoration, the Greek classic silent film Social Decay (1932, 50’) by Stelios Tatasopoulos will also be screened with English and French subtitles. The programme will be first presented on 27 June (9:15pm) in the cinematheque’s open-air cinema in Athens and from 28 June to 7 July, the films will be free-to-view online with worldwide access.

 Watch Fishermen and Fishing and Social Decay

The special free screenings and the restoration of Fishermen and Fishing are made possible thanks to A Season of Classic Films, an initiative of the Association des Cinémathèques Européennes (ACE) with the financial support of the EU Creative Europe MEDIA programme. Twenty-two film institutions from all over Europe, including the Greek Film Archive (Ταινιοθήκη της Ελλάδος), are taking part this year in A Season of Classic Films. The initiative offers free access to restored European films, connecting the public with cinema history and the preservation of film heritage.

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In collaboration with the Slovenian Film Centre and the Slovenian Film Archives, the Slovenian Cinematheque presents seven digitally restored remarkable short films in a world premiere, in the context of A Season of Classic Films. This rare overview of Slovene filmmakers will premiere on Tuesday 22 June in a special free-admission event at the Silvan Furlan Hall of the Slovenian Cinematheque in Ljubljana. Between 23 and 27 June, the films will be free-to-view online with English subtitles. An introduction by Igor Prassel, Head of programme department at the Slovenian Cinematheque, will provide the context to the films and details about their restoration.

 Watch Seven Slovenian Shorts (23 – 27 June)

The Slovenian programme highlights important filmmakers from the history of national cinema (1946-1984) and, in particular, their explosive creativity within film expression, which without exception integrates formal and narrative experiments. The historical overview starts with France Štiglic’s Mladina gradi (Youth Builds, 1946), an internationally acclaimed documentary on the building of socialism after liberation and then continues with Bizoviške perice (Laundresses from Bizovik, 1959), a film reportage on countryside laundresses by Jože Bevc, followed by Barva spomina (The Colour of Memory, 1967), a portrayal of painter Jože Spacal and his art directed by Jože Babič and Giorgio Šestan, Gratinirani možgani Pupilije Ferkeverk (Fried Brain of Pupilija Ferkeverk, 1970), an exquisite experimental short calling for freedom of expression by the renowned DOP and film director Karpo Godina, Slavica exception (Slavica Exceptional, 1971), a documentary portrait of a professional striper by Mako Sajko, Cukrarna (1972), Jože Pogačnik’s homage to an old building and its inhabitants with a glorious past and a tragic present, and finally, Zvonko Čoh’s Poljubi mehka me radirka (Kiss Me Gentle Rubber, 1984), a milestone in Slovenian artistic animated film.

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