The Italian Cultural Institute of Los Angeles pays homage to one of the most exciting eras in the history of Italian cinema with its photographic exhibition “The Neo-Realist Moment: Film Frames 1941-1952.” With 37 emotionally poignant images extracted from Italian Neo-Realist films, the black and white photographs on display range from the unforgettable Anna Magnani in the final scene of Rossellini’s “Roma Città Aperta” (Rome, Open City), to the feminine figures dressed in black in Visconti’s “Terra Trema” (The Earth Shakes), and finally to the desolate gaze of Lamberto Maggiorani in De Sica’s “Ladri di Biciclette” (The Bicycle Thief).
The exhibit, made possible by contributions from the Archivio fotografico e iconografico della Cineteca Nazionale, was met with great success in Italy. It is now being brought to the film capital of the world with the intention of not only evoking powerful emotions through the films’ beautifully universal stories, but also of giving sense to an artistic movement capable of adhering to the tragic reality of post-WWII Italian life.
Additionally on display, “Memories of Sicily: 1940-1942” by photographer Giacomo Pozzi Bellini, a rare documentation of Sicily in the 1940s. With dramatic authenticity, these photos intricately
reveal the traits and features of an archaic and rural society.
A special screening of the short film La Ricotta (The Curd Cheese), by Pier Paolo Pasolini, will be held the opening night of the exhibit. Special participation by cinematographer Dante Spinotti.
Under the Auspices of the Consulate General of Los Angeles, the exhibit is part of a wider Neo-Realist project produced in collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute, Cinecittà Luce S.p.A, Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, and UCLA Film and Television Archive. Thus, it is presented in conjunction with “Days of Glory: Masterworks of Italian Neo-Realism” a series of films organized by UCLA Film and Television Archive. The screenings (October 15 – November 16) will be shown at the Billy Wilder Theater of UCLA and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s Bing Theater. More information at www.cinema.ucla.edu and www.lacma.org
Photography—The Neo-Realist Moment: Film Frames 1941-1952
Images that have made the history of Italian Cinema
Italian Cultural Institute of Los Angeles
1023 Hilgard Avenue, Los Angeles CA 90024
Inauguration: September 27th, 7:00 PM
Open to the Public: September 29th—November 3rd, 2011.
Hours: M-F, 9:00AM—5:00PM (closed from 1:00-2:00); Saturday 10:00-2:00; Sunday closed.