In “Penser les festivals de films. Approches universitaires, institutionnelles et professionnelles: regards croisés”, Nice, 7-8 october 2024.

This paper provides an analytical framework for studying the discursive production associated with film festivals. Specifically, it seeks to examine the archival materials related to the conferences organized by the Mostra Internazionale del Cinema Libero in Porretta Terme (1959-1982), now housed in the Renzo Renzi Library – Cineteca di Bologna and cataloged withing 80 folders (MICL Archive). The analysis will entail a presentation of the archive materials and an examination of various sources crucial for reconstructing the debates in Porretta during the 1960s and 1970s. These sources include private correspondence, telegrams, administrative documents, conference proceedings, brochures, and press coverage. Furthermore, the paper will underscore the importance of reconstructing the history of these initiatives, emphasizing their significance within the broader context of film festival history and the evolution of cinema as an art form. Lastly, the paper will explore the resonance of these initiatives by examining contemporary press coverage.