Chasing the Real: Italian Neorealism at the BFI

Italian neorealism is one of the most prevalent post-war cinematic movements, and this season is centred around the re-release of Robert Rossellini’s Rome, Open City (1945) which is considered the very first example. The film follows a Resistance leader and his attempts to flee Nazi rule, set in 1944. But as with any great film fest, they’ll be insight from some experts, too. Guest speakers will explore the impact various women have had on the movement, in front of and behind the camera, at ‘The Women of Italian Neorealism’ on June 4, and the entire second half of the season will focus on work from the early ‘50s, with films such as Miracle in Milan (a fantasy comedy about an orphaned boy who is raised by an old lady) and Stromboli (about a  Lithuanian refugee who marries a Sicilian fisherman).