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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On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of one of the most popular musical comedies in Croatia, the Croatian state archive – Croatian cinematheque will release the newly-digitised film One Song a Day Takes Mischief Away / Tko pjeva zlo ne misli and it will be free-to-view online between 18 and 25 June.

 Watch Tko pjeva zlo ne misli (18-25 June)

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. The father of the family, Franjo, drinks spritzers, while Ana, the mother, is confined in the kitchen where she fantasises about the men in the novels she reads. Ana’s sister often comes uninvited mainly just to have a free lunch. Mr. Fulir, a playboy, starts courting Ana, eventually leading to a big scandal. In this routine and complicated world of adults, their son Perica satisfies his child curiosity in observing the elders and writing about everything they do and say in his diary. The film is strongly placed in this specific ambient and time, but it presents universal themes of romance and seduction, dreams, hopes and delusions in their collision with reality.

The special screening is 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 Hrvatski državni arhiv – Hrvatska kinoteka / Croatian state archive – Croatian cinematheque, 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.

Tko pjeva zlo ne misli (One Song a Day Takes Mischief Away) | Yugoslavia, 1970, 93′

Director: Krešo Golik. Producer: Croatia film. Cast: Relja Bašić, Mia Oremović, Mirjana Bohanec, Franjo Majetić, Tomislav Žganec, Vida Jerman. Scriptwriter: Krešo Golik (based on a novel by Vjekoslav Majer) / Director of photography: Ivica Rajković / music composer: Živan Cvitković / editing: Katja Majer / scenography: Željko Senečić / costumes: Ljubica Wagner. Physical characteristics of first release: 35mm, 93’, colour, sound, Croatian. Film copy screened during A Season of Classic Films: New digitisation of a photochemically restored 35mm film copy. DCP, 93’, colour, sound Croatian. No subtitles (dialogue-lists available). Copyrights: Croatia film (until the end of 2020); authors rights.

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The Bulgarian National Film Archive (BNFA) joins the second edition of A Season of Classic Films with a compilation of early Bulgarian films, entitled “Summer Daydream: A Selection of Vintage Bulgarian Short Films”. BNFA offers four archival treasures (1926-1940) which present life in Bulgaria during the interwar period with a pinch of humour. The programme will be screened on Thursday 17 June at 19:00 EEST (Sofia time) / 18:00 (Paris time) at the film archive’s Odeon movie theatre and the event will be simultaneously streamed via BNFA’s YouTube channel, with an introduction by film expert Rosen Spasov. The live musical accompaniment will be provided by violinist Boyana Zhelyazkova and pianist Yasen Obretenov. After the live stream event, the programme will remain available until the end of June.

 Watch Summer Daydream: A Selection of Vintage Bulgarian Short Films

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Both digitally restored, Mirno Leto (A Quiet Summer, 1961) and Frosina (1952) will premiere on 11 and 16 June, respectively, at 20:00 as part of A Season of Classic Films. The films will be presented in special open-air screening events in Skopje and via live stream and they will remain free-to-view online for five days via the Cinematheque’s website.

 Watch Mirno Leto (11-15 June)

 Watch Frosina (16-20 June)

Мирно лето [Mirno Leto] (A Quiet Summer) | Yugoslavia, 1961, 99′

Director: Dimitrie Osmanli (Димитрие Османли). Producer: Vardar Film – Skopje. Cast: Slobodan Perovic, Ljupka Dzundeva, Darko Dameski, Ilija Milchin, Petre Prlichko, Meri Boshkova, Ilija Dzuvalekovski, Stojka Cekova. DoP: Ljube Petkovski / Scriptwriter: Frida Filipovic / Music composer: Dragutin Savin. Physical characteristics of first release: 35mm, 99’, B&W, widescreen, sound, Macedonian. Film copy screened during A Season of Classic Films: New restoration. DCP, 99’, B&W, sound, Macedonian. Available subtitles: English. Copyright: Vardar Film – Skopje, Kinoteka na Republika Severna Makedonija.

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