Belgrade – Archaeology meets cinema, a tribute to Italian treasures

The seventeenth International Archaeological Cinema Review, organised by the National Museum of Belgrade with the Italian Institute of Culture (IIC) opened yesterday at the Yugoslav Film Library, Uzun Mirkova 1, Belgrade, and will run until 7 April. The IIC in Belgrade has been one of the event’s main sponsors since its first edition and, according to its website, the Review offers industry experts and the many enthusiasts the opportunity to view the latest productions in the field of archaeology. In particular, the Italian Institute of Culture in Belgrade is participating in the 17th Review by supporting and promoting the presentation of documentaries, in Italian with Serbian subtitles, dedicated to a variety of places and events in Italy’s rich archaeological heritage. The first documentary to be shown in Belgrade (on Saturday, 2 April) is Verona Città Aperta: alla scoperta della città romana [Verona Open City: discovering the Roman city]: a pilot video project by the Archaeological Studies Centre of Verona – sponsored by the Veneto Region and the Province of Verona, with the cooperation of the Archaeological Superintendency of Veneto – produced by Marcello Peres and Nicola Tagliabue. It is a video documentary on three dimensions (aerial, superficial and subterranean) dedicated to the Roman urban settlement of the city of Verona. Using a technical rather than a television approach, aerial shots and freehand animations, the documentary encompasses the most universally well-known Roman monuments (the Arena di Verona amphitheatre, the Roman Theatre, the Ponte Pietra, the Gavi Arch and the monumental gates) completing this comprehensive overview of the historical period with an unprecedented view of underground Verona.