Repertory cinema remains a vibrant sector, as demonstrated each year by Il Cinema Ritrovato Festival in Bologna, Italy, and the Festival La Rochelle Cinéma (FEMA) – feasts of classic films that traditionally mark the start of the summer season between late June and early July, drawing large audiences. Each event offers a distinct atmosphere: a blazing maze of red bricks for Bologna, whose 39th edition ends on June 29, and a portside resort with an oceanic vibe for La Rochelle, which will take over until July 5 for its 53rd outing.
While the Bologna festival is organized by the local Cineteca (film archive) and supported by the renowned restoration laboratory L'Immagine Ritrovata, La Rochelle champions a cinephile's program blending present and past; both stand out for the variety of their retrospectives.
This year, the two festivals will briefly coincide and will share a tribute to two major American actresses: Katharine Hepburn (1907-2003) and Barbara Stanwyck (1907-1990). This happy coincidence invites us to compare them. Born the same year, both stars traversed 20th-century Hollywood from the advent of sound films, even outlasting the studio system by reinventing themselves on television over careers spanning several decades.
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