Bologna’s niche festival of forgotten films captures the streaming generation

Cinema Ritrovato is held in Bologna’s Renaissance square, Piazza Maggiore, and other city locations. Photograph: Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna

Bologna will be transformed into an open-air museum of cinema on Saturday as a nine-day festival dedicated to restored, rediscovered and overlooked films – some dating back more than a century – gets under way in the northern Italian city.

Now celebrating its 40th anniversary, Il Cinema Ritrovato, or “rediscovered cinema”, has evolved from its niche origins into an influential international gathering captivating a new generation of cinephiles.