The Archivio Storico Luce celebrates its 100th anniversary and confirms, with its history, a fundamental part of Italian audiovisual memory, passing down through generations the images of a country in constant evolution.
“The Archivio Luce is the visual biography of our country, a unique tool for those who wish to understand the past to navigate the present. With the celebrations for its centenary, we want to contribute to the dissemination of its extraordinary films and photographs, emphasizing its vitality as a driving force, even today, for art and culture. One of the priorities of my Presidency – adds Sbarigia – has been to emphasize the testimonial value of the Archive as a place of memory, reflection, and rediscovery, as well as its weight among the intangible assets that contribute to the value of the Cinecittà brand,” emphasized Chiara Sbarigia, President of Cinecittà with responsibility for the Archivio Luce.
“The Archivio Luce preserves an invaluable visual narrative of the last century of our country’s history: for its uniqueness and universality, in 2013 it was also included in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register, which values the most important archival and library collections on the planet, understood as places where the memory of peoples and cultures is preserved. This year’s anniversary will be an opportunity to promote the multiple facets of the Archive through different interpretations and to make it increasingly accessible and usable even to new generations. Digitizing and restoring are fundamental actions to preserve what is most cherished for a community, memory,” stated the Undersecretary for Culture Lucia Borgonzoni.
Many initiatives will celebrate this significant centenary: first and foremost, the publication of the podcast “Luce e Controluce,” produced by Chora Media for Cinecittà and available online from April 16, narrated by Andrea Zalone.
Michela Andreozzi, Massimiliano Bruno, Claudia Gerini, Edoardo Leo, Francesca Mazzoleni, Susanna Nicchiarelli, Rocco Papaleo, Sydney Sibilia will be responsible for the creation of eight short films that will compose a collective film in episodes titled “Cento anni di Luce”.
An event installation and performance by Quayola for the 100th anniversary of the Archivio Luce will be set up and open to the public at Teatro 18 in Cinecittà – the virtual reality studio equipped with one of the largest LED walls in Europe.
Furthermore, there will be conferences and meetings, the publication of the Guide to the Historical Archive and the National LUCE Institute, providing a complete overview of the collections and contributing to the dissemination of the cataloging work conducted by archivists, and a stamp will be issued, thanks to an initiative promoted by the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy, dedicated to the event.
Photo Credits: PxHere
