In “Festival e critica: ieri, oggi e domani”, Trieste, 21 January 2025

The Mostra Internazionale del Cinema Libero (1960-1986) was a landmark in the landscape of Italian film festivals, bringing together actors, directors, political figures, and critics. The extensive archival materials of the festival, currently preserved at the Biblioteca Renzo Renzi of the Cineteca di Bologna, provide an opportunity to analyze every phase — from conception to realization — of its various editions. Among the materials stored in Bologna, I also highlight the press clippings collected by the organizers, which include dozens of articles published in major Italian and international publications, showcasing the diverse voices of critics. This paper aims to analyze the critical reception of the festival’s first edition, shedding light on the key themes that emerged in various magazine and newspaper articles. It will examine the different perspectives expressed by critics and their assessments of the choices made for what Lino Micciché called the first of the “antifestivals”