Celluloid underground

If there's anyone who understands the urgency of preserving film heritage, it is undoubtedly Ehsan Khoshbakht, director of Bologna's Cinema Ritrovato, the most important festival for rediscovering cinema from the past. In his second feature film as director, he introduces us to Ahmad Jurghanian, a collector who hid thousands of films to prevent them from being destroyed by the Regime. Cellulloid Underground follows the friendship between two inveterate film lovers, demonstrating the power that art holds for both bonding people together and as a weapon of resistance against authoritarianism and collective amnesia. Of course, the film features the meticulous labor of resurrecting forgotten footage in all its splendor. Fascinating images from essential film work that, thanks to figures like Khoshbakht, continues to amaze us with its resplendent past. (JHE)