MODERNISSIMO CINEMA

Following a reverse trend with respect to multiplex cinema logic, Cineteca di Bologna explores the new international movement to restore movie theatres of the early 1900s, and is poised to launch a significant cultural and entrepreneurial challenge in renovating the Cinema Modernissimo: returning the interiors of the auditoriums to their original Liberty style splendour and creating the prerequisites for a top quality viewing experience in line with modern technological standards, both in terms of image rendering (projection booth
to be equipped with film projectors and digital projectors for formats up to 4K, i.e. the current maximum resolution) and also in terms of sound quality. The recovery of the underground theatre constitutes a unique occasion for the city of Bologna. In the heart of the old town centre, within Bologna’s historic ‘square mile’, the “new” Cinema Modernissimo will become the ideal venue for disseminating cinematographic culture in a magnificent historic setting, providing continuity with the spectacle of the “Il Cinema Ritrovato” festival held
in Piazza Maggiore every year. The project to recover the historic movie theatre in Piazza Maggiore, which is the fruit of an agreement between Comune di Bologna, Bologna Fondazione Cineteca and proprietors Emmegi Cinema, with the collaboration of Unindustria Bologna, saw the renovation works start in the first quarter of 2016 with a project completion date set within the initial months of 2020. The contribution of Marchesini Group, in conjunction with several other major industrial groups in the Bologna area, has made it possible to make this project a reality. In 2019, in the framework of the “Cinema sotto le stelle” initiative promoted by Cineteca di Bologna, the Group sponsored a showing of Victor Fleming’s masterpiece “Gone with the Wind”.