Global film festival ‘Il Cinema Ritrovato On Tour’ makes first Middle East stop at Cinema Akil

Written by:
Manaal Fatimah
7th September 2023

We’re going to the movies…

Cinema Akil, the only independent cinema in the GCC and resident hotspot for all things vintage on the silver screen, is all set to host the ‘Il Cinema Ritrovato On Tour’, a globally renowned film festival making it’s first entrance into the region this month.

We’re talking the big guns of film festivals, and ‘Il Cinema Ritrovato On Tour’ is as prestigious as it gets. Running from Friday September 15 until Thursday September 21, the seven-day affair will see the arthouse cinema hosting screenings of coveted classics as part of the festival presentation.

A treat for all the cinephiles and self-proclaimed film cinema connoisseurs, the festival is being held in collaboration with the Italian Culture Institute Abu Dhabi, Cineteca di Bologna, a leading European archive for film restoration and preservation, and the Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project, founded by the one and only Martin Scorsese.

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What’s On at the cinema?

This first edition will showcase seven iconic heritage films, all digitally restored by Cineteca di Bologna in their state-of-the-art laboratory, L’Immagine Ritrovata. The illustrious collection has never before been seen in the region and will offer a captivating cinematic journey through the shelves of Italian, Indian, Moroccan, Iranian, and Angolan cinema as they evolved through time, curated by the Festival Coordinator, Guy Borlée.

Itty bitty details

Tickets are available for purchase on cinemaakil.com, priced at Dhs50 per screening screening. If you love vintage cinema with a burning passion, you can also buy a season pass at Dhs175 and catch all the screenings in the roster. Make sure to check the schedule to see what’s happening when.