The Institute for Advanced Study is thrilled to share some exciting news from our community. Il Cinema Ritrovato on Tour is returning to Minneapolis this February for its fourth year, and we’re proud to support this remarkable series in collaboration with festival co-organizer and longtime IAS affiliate Maggie Hennefeld.
A Celebration of Rediscovered Cinema in the Twin Cities
Curated by Archives on Screen, Il Cinema Ritrovato on Tour brings rare, restored, and recovered films from international archives to local audiences. Presented in partnership with the MSP Film Society, the Walker Art Center, and Cineteca di Bologna, this year’s program offers an expansive look at cinema history—one that foregrounds feminist, queer, and global perspectives. All screenings will feature introductions by film scholars, historians, and practitioners.
Screenings will take place February 12–15, 2026, with films shown at both the Main Cinema and the Walker Art Center. The lineup draws from past editions of Il Cinema Ritrovato, the renowned archival film festival held each summer in Bologna, Italy.
What to Expect This Year
This year’s edition is especially rich and wide-ranging. Highlights include:
A Valentine’s Day queer triple feature exploring love, intimacy, and chosen family across decades and national contexts
New restorations of long-unseen feminist films from Lebanon, Hong Kong, and Sri Lanka
A late-silent era sex comedy, presented with original live music
Deeply contextualized screenings introduced by film scholars, historians, and practitioners
Together, these programs invite audiences not only to watch films, but to think with them—about history, filmmaking, desire, power, resistance, and alternative futures.
Festival Highlights by Day
Thursday, February 12: Main Cinema
The festival opens with The Garden of Eden (1928), a sparkling pre-Code silent comedy about female independence and sexual adventure, paired with the modernist short Kipho (1925), a kinetic portrait of early film culture.
Friday, February 13: Walker Art Center
A newly restored 4K presentation of Jocelyne Saab’s The Razor’s Edge (1985), a rare narrative feature set during the Lebanese Civil War, offers an intimate portrait of youth, art, and survival amid political upheaval.
Saturday, February 14: Main Cinema
Valentine’s Day brings a trio of queer classics:
Why Not! (1977), Coline Serreau’s exuberant French comedy about bisexuality and polyamory
Doña Herlinda and Her Son (1982), a Mexican romantic comedy produced by Guillermo del Toro
Winter Kept Us Warm (1965), widely considered Canada’s first gay feature
The evening also includes a festival reception, catered by Baba’s, with wine and non-alcoholic options.
Sunday, February 15: Main Cinema
The festival closes with three powerful works by women directors:
The Arch (1968), T’ang Shushuen’s haunting feminist critique of virtue and social control
The Girls (1978), Sumitra Peries’ poetic Sri Lankan debut
Floating Clouds (1955), Mikio Naruse’s devastating portrait of postwar love and despair
Join Us
As a longtime supporter of Archives on Screen, we believe deeply in the importance of archival cinema as a public resource. These films remind us that cinema history is not fixed—it is something we continually rediscover. By bringing these works to the Twin Cities, Il Cinema Ritrovato on Tour creates space for collective learning, conversation, and imagination.
Tickets and all-access passes are now on sale, with discounted rates for students and MSP Film Society members. Whether you attend a single screening or immerse yourself in the full weekend, this is a rare opportunity to experience cinema as it was meant to be seen: on the big screen, in community, with context and care.
We hope you’ll join us in celebrating this year’s Il Cinema Ritrovato on Tour—and in welcoming these rediscovered films back into circulation.
Full Schedule & Tickets