The curtain went up on the Italian Film Masters Retrospective last week as the 4K version of the classic film “La strada” was screened in a Shanghai cinema.

Part of the 20th edition of the “Week of the Italian Language in the World”, the Italian Film Masters Retrospective 2020 will present nine pictures directed by four Italian film masters. There will be 18 shows in total from October 22 to November 1 in the Shanghai Film Art Center and the Yihai Theater.

This year marks the 50th year since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Italy, and it coincides with the 100th anniversary of Federico Fellini’s birth. Apart from “La strada” (1954), people will also be able to see “Le notti di Cabiria” (1957) and “Lo sceicco bianco” (1952) directed by Fellini in the coming days.

Movies have always been a bridge of cultural exchange between China and Italy. Back in the 1980s “The Last Emperor”, co-produced by the two countries, became a sensation and a milestone in Chinese film history, which best represents the friendship between Chinese and Italian filmmakers. As the two countries have got closer, cooperation in the film culture and industry has become deeper, including through the signing of co-production agreements and the holding and organization of film exhibitions.

Another piece of good news for film lovers is that starting from this year, Shanghai has become China’s first city to have weekly film retrospectives. Citizens can enjoy classic pictures from Russia, Spain, Italy and many other countries, as if there is a weekly film festival.