CINEMA PARADISO Cinema's Legacy

Upon receiving news that an old friend has died, famous Italian film director Salvatore Di Vita recalls his childhood growing up in post-World War II Italy, and the local Cinema Paradiso theater where he would spend all his free time. Friendly projectionist Alfredo would let Salvatore – then called “Toto” – watch films from the projection room, and even trained the boy to project prints. As Salvatore grew into a young man, his friendship with the fatherly Alfredo grew stronger, even as life – with lost loves and his increasing yearning to leave home – became more complicated. This restoration of Giuseppe Tornatore’s classic 1988 film, celebrating the 25th anniversary of its Best Foreign Language Film Oscar® win, is an initiative of Luce Cinecittà, with the support of Dolce & Gabbana and Cineteca di Bologna.