A Season of Classics Films is a series of free film screenings and parallel activities across Europe to raise awareness of the work of European national and regional film archives, especially among young adults. Most of the films are new digital restorations and some screenings include exciting elements such as live performances or experimental electronic music.
With 22 participating institutions, the initiative also aims to support the reopening of European film archives, all affected by the COVID-19 crisis. Considering that the COVID-19 pandemic means the events will be subject to certain limitations, several institutions also plan worldwide free streaming events to enable greater access. All films are available with English subtitles.
This is an initiative of the Association des Cinémathèques Européennes (ACE) with the support of the EU Creative Europe MEDIA programme.
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17 June | Summer Daydream: A Selection of Vintage Bulgarian Short Films | Bulgaria, 1926 – 1940, 70′
* New restoration world premiere*. Cinema screening and online streaming with live music, organised by the Bulgarian National Film Archive. After the live stream, the programme will remain free-to-view online until the end of June.
A compilation of early Bulgarian films depicts life in Bulgaria in the interwar period with a pinch of humour and it takes the viewers to an imaginary vacation in the Black Sea and the countryside.
PROGRAMME DETAILS & ACCESS LINK
Gypsies / Cikáni | Czechoslovakia, Karel Anton, 1921, 85′
New digitisation. After the live stream, the film will remain available until the end of June. The screening is organised by the Národní filmový archiv, Prague.
A film adaptation of the eponymous novel by Karel Hynek Mácha – author of the celebrated epic poem May – about a Venetian gondolier whose beloved is enticed away by a wealthy foreigner.
PROGRAMME DETAILS & ACCESS LINK
18 – 25 June | One Song a Day Takes Mischief Away / Tko pjeva zlo ne misli | Yugoslavia, Krešo Golik, 1970, 93′
* New digitisation premiere*. Online stream, organised by the Croatian state archive – Croatian cinematheque.
Tko pjeva zlo ne misli is a musical comedy set in 1930s Zagreb. The film presents in a seemingly vaudeville plot the life of the Šafranek family in Zagreb in 1935.
PROGRAMME DETAILS & ACCESS LINK
22 June | Seven Slovenian Shorts | Yugoslavia, 1946-1984, 82′
* New restoration world premiere*. Cinema screening (22 June) and online stream (23-27 June), organised by the Slovenian Cinematheque.
A rare overview of Slovene filmmakers within the Yugoslav federation.
PROGRAMME DETAILS & ACCESS LINK
23 June | Maria do Mar | Portugal, Leitão de Barros, 1930, 105′
*New digital restoration in 4K*. Online premiere – live stream event.
With English and French subtitles and an introduction about the film. Organised by the Cinemateca Portuguesa – Museu do Cinema.
Maria do Mar is the story of a vendetta. The film weaves the maritime landscape and the fishermen’s life in the village of Nazaré.
PROGRAMME DETAILS & ACCESS LINK
24 June | The crucified / Ukřižovaná | Czechoslovakia, Boris Orlický, 1921, 60′
17:00 CEST – Live stream. Free online worldwide screening. Music: Ondřej Dizzcock (Ondřej Bělíček).
19:30 CEST – Live discussion. Topic: Acting styles in silent cinema.
A naturalistic 1921 adaptation of a Jakub Arbes novel that deals with the socio-political climate of the mid19th century Czech lands, antisemitism, war and love. The screening and discussion are organised by the Národní filmový archiv, Prague.
27 June | Fishermen and Fishing / Ψαράδες και ψαρέματα [Psarades kai Psaremata] | Greece, Leon Loisios, 1961, 22′
* New restoration world premiere*. With English and French subtitles. Cinema screening (27 June) and online stream (28 June-7 July), organised by the Greek Film Archive.
This short film is a pioneer documentary in the tradition of observational cinema.
27 June | Social Decay / Κοινωνική σαπίλα [Koinoniki Sapila] | Greece, Stelios Tatasopoulos, 1932, 50′
With English and French subtitles. Cinema screening (27 June) and online stream (28 June-7 July), organised by the Greek Film Archive.
This is the first film of social realism in Athens of the 1930s. Drugs, gangs, prisons and also strikes and clashes with the police.
28 June | Comizi d’amore | Italy, Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1965, 89′
*New restoration, presented with a selection of never-before-seen outtakes*. With English subtitles. Open-air screening at 21:45 in Piazza Maggiore, Bologna, organised by the Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna.
Travelling through a “very old, very innocent, very hot Italy of the 1960s”, Pier Paolo Pasolini interviews Italians about various sexual issues such as homosexuality, divorce, prostitution and sexual equality.
14 August | Derborence | Switzerland/France, Francis Reusser, 1985, 99′
*New restoration*. With English and German subtitles. Cinema screening, organised by the Cinémathèque suisse.
The event serves as a tribute to the notable Swiss director Francis Reusser, who passed away a few months ago. One of his major success, Derborence is based on a novel from Swiss writer and poet Charles Ferdinand Ramuz. The story was inspired by real events of a natural disaster in the Alps.
25 August | The Wayward Girl / Ung flukt | Norway, Edith Carlmar, 1959, 95′
With English subtitles. Cinema screening (25 August) and online stream (26 August – 1 September), organised by the Cinemateket / The Norwegian Film Institute.
Teen rebellion drama with Liv Ullmann in her debut role, in a film directed by the number one female director in Norwegian post-war cinema.
2 September | Travel through Switzerland / Reise durch die Schweiz | Switzerland, 1920-1961, 102′
*New digitisation*. With English subtitles. Cinema screening and online stream, organised by Lichtspiel / Kinemathek Bern.
These unique short films offer an eclectic view of the past in different regions of Switzerland, from aviation pioneers in the 1920s to progressive women in the 1960s.
PAST SCREENINGS – STILL AVAILABLE ONLINE FOR FREE
Sanz and the secret of his art / Sanz y el secreto de su arte | Spain, Maximiliano Thous and Francisco Sanz, 1918, 65′
An unusual hybrid between documentary and fiction displaying the manufacture and handling of animated human-like dolls, known as automata, and the fictitious adventures of Don Liborio.
The archived live streaming features an introduction about the film and piano music by Arcadi Valiente Galbis. The film is restored and presented by Filmoteca Valenciana – Institut Valencià de Cultura.
PROGRAMME DETAILS & ACCESS LINK
White Paradise / Bílý ráj | Czechoslovakia, Karel Lamač, 1924, 73′
The film will remain available until the end of June. Worldwide access, with English subtitles. Music: Tomáš Vtípil.
Nina falls for the good heart and piercing eyes of an escaped prisoner and decides to help him visit his dying mother for the last time. The premiere screening was followed by a live discussion on ‘Classics Today‘. The screening and discussion are organised by the Národní filmový archiv, Prague.
ACCESS THE FILM + MUSIC PERFORMANCE HERE
Be Prepared! / Buď připraven! | Czechoslovakia, Svatopluk Innemann, 1923, 64′
The film will remain available until the end of June. Worldwide access, with English subtitles. Music: Wabi Experience.
Buď připraven! portrays the early Czech boy scout movement taking the audience to astonishing locations, such as Orlík castle and St John’s Rapids, the latter of which no longer exists. This is a new digital copy of the tinted and toned original film. Preserved, digitised and presented by the Národní filmový archiv, Prague.
ACCESS THE FILM + MUSIC PERFORMANCE HERE
The Sins of Love / Hříchy lásky | Czechoslovakia, Karel Lamač, 1929, 73′
The film will remain available until the end of June. Worldwide access, with English subtitles. Music: Ožvold & Ožvold & Kratochvíl.
A provincial couple of actors moves to the city and the wife becomes a star. The premiere screening is followed by a live discussion on ‘Music for Film‘. The screening and discussion are organised by the Národní filmový archiv, Prague.
ACCESS THE FILM + MUSIC PERFORMANCE HERE
Fight for the Matterhorn / Der Kampf ums Matterhorn | Germany, Mario Bonnard/Nunzio Malasomma, 1928, 117′
Free online worldwide screening with new music score by the Gebrüder Teichmann. English subtitles.
Based on the historic first ascent in 1865, Fight for the Matterhorn focuses on a male relationship and a borderline experience. On the occasion of a newly arranged music recording, the DFF – Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum dares to bridge the gap between silent film and electronic music.
PROGRAMME DETAILS & ACCESS LINK
Films of Jana Kříženecký [compilation] | Austro-Hungarian Empire, 1898-1911, 90′
The films will remain available until the end of June. Worldwide access, with English subtitles.
This compilation of shorts introduces some of the earliest films made in the Czech lands, shot by Jan Kříženecký from 1898 to 1911. The digitised original negatives and vintage prints allow us to see their diversity and material beauty. The compilation is presented with commentary by film restorer Jeanne Pommeau. The premiere screening was followed by a live discussion on ‘Presenting Early Cinema‘. The screening and discussion are organised by the Národní filmový archiv, Prague. More about the Czech silent film programme.
WATCH: films of Jana Kříženecký
The Lovers of an Old Criminal / Milenky starého kriminálníka | Czechoslovakia, Svatopluk Innemann, 1927, 125′
The films will remain available until the end of June. Worldwide access, with English subtitles. Music: Vojtěch Procházka.
A silent farce with two men who swap their identities to escape marriage. After the live stream, the film will remain available until the end of June. The screening is organised by the Národní filmový archiv, Prague.
PROGRAMME DETAILS & ACCESS LINK
Frosina / Фросина [Frosina] | Yugoslavia, Voislav Nanovic, 1952, 79′
* New restoration world premiere*. Open-air screening and online stream, organised by the Cinematheque of North Macedonia.
Frosina, a single mother who suffered a lot in life and lost many children, faces the fear of losing her only surviving child in the fight for freedom…
PROGRAMME DETAILS & ACCESS LINK
The man who had his hair cut short / De man die zijn haar kort liet knippen | Belgium, André Delvaux, 1965, 95′
The new restoration had its world premiere in two free special screenings at the CINEMATEK to celebrate the cinemas reopening in Belgium! This is a digital restoration in 2K from the original negative material preserved and restored by the Cinémathèque royale de Belgique / Koninklijk Belgisch Filmarchief. About the programme.
trailer about the film and the restoration
Bubble Bath / Habfürdő | Hungary, György Kovásznai,1979, 76′
The new restoration had its world premiere in two live streaming events, which are not accessible any longer. The restored film will soon premiere in the cinema. The film is restored and presented by the Nemzeti Filmintézet Magyarország – Filmarchívum / National Film Institute Hungary – Film Archive. About the programme.
trailer about the film and the restoration
PARTICIPATING FILM INSTITUTIONS
ALL ANNOUNCEMENTS
2021-06-22| SIX SLOVENIAN SHORTS
2021-06-18 | ONE SONG A DAY TAKES MISCHIEF AWAY (1970)
2021-06-17 | SUMMER DAYDREAM – A SELECTION OF VINTAGE BULGARIAN SHORT FILMS
2021-06-15 | DUTCH NOUVELLE VAGUE: ‘A MORNING OF SIX WEEKS’ (1966)
2021-06-12 | PREMIERE OF THE RESTORED PORTUGUESE SILENT FILM ‘MARIA DO MAR’ (1930)
2021-06-11 | TWO NEW RESTORATIONS FROM THE CINEMATHEQUE OF NORTH MACEDONIA
2021-06-08 | CELEBRATING THE CINEMAS REOPENING IN BELGIUM
2021-05-23 | FIGHT FOR THE MATTERHORN (1928)
2021-05-17 | PREMIERE OF THE RESTORED ALBANIAN FILM ‘THE DEATH OF A HORSE’
2021-04-12 | SHE DIDN’T SAY NO! WORLDWIDE FREE PREMIERE ON THE IFI PLAYER
2021-04-01 | DISCOVER CZECH SILENT FILMS FOR FREE FROM APRIL TO JUNE
2021-01-21 | FREE WORLDWIDE SCREENING OF ‘SANZ AND THE SECRET OF HIS ART’
2020-10-27 | LIST OF FILMS: DOWNLOAD THE PROGRAMME CATALOGUE
2020-10-15 | THE NEW SEASON OF CLASSIC FILMS TO BE PRESENTED AT FESTIVAL LUMIÈRE
2020-08-31 | THE NEW SEASON OF CLASSIC FILMS TO BE PRESENTED AT IL CINEMA RITROVATO