The Bologna Cineteca
Past, present and future
The Birth of the Cineteca
If the past is alive, then even the past has a future. It was a desire to recover a cinematic heritage and also launch a dialogue with the present that inspired the launch of the Commissione Cinema in 1963, out of which was born the City of Bologna’s Cineteca.
The Roots of an International Outlook
The history and development of the Bologna Cineteca can be seen through a dual perspective: on the one hand a strong international outlook, and on the other a deeply rooted connection to the city’s local culture. A permanent member of the Fédération Internationale des Archives du Film (FIAF) since 1989, and of the Association des Cinémathèques Européennes (ACE) since its inception, in 1995 the Cineteca was designated an “autonomous city institution”.
A Media Citadel
The Bologna Cineteca is archives, libraries, exhibitions, workshops, cinemas and offices. With the inauguration of a new location in Via Riva di Reno in summer 2000, the Cineteca began the construction of a protective citadel for audiovisual media. Culmination came on 23 June 2003 with the concentration of a large part of the Cineteca’s activities on the site of a former slaughterhouse. Located in one of the city’s most innovative neighbourhoods, the Cineteca benefits from a close relationship with the nearby MAMBO museum of modern art and Bologna University’s Performing Arts and Communication Sciences departments.