Chasing the Real: Italian Neorealism

One of the most significant post-war developments in cinema, the Italian neorealist movement rejected traditional cinematic formats in search of ‘the hidden drama in everyday life’. This season shines the spotlight on the different approaches of seven directors who helped define this style of filmmaking that continues to influence cinema today.

Running across May and June, the season presents 20 feature films including seminal works such as Vittorio De Sica’s Bicycle Thieves, Luchino Visconti’s Ossessione and Rossellini’s groundbreaking masterpiece Rome, Open City that was filmed on the streets of Rome just six months after the city was liberated from the Nazis.

* Note that the NFT 1 screen is currently undergoing renovations. Films will be screened on the NFT2, NFT3 and Studios screens at the BFI Southbank.