“This is a xenon lamp projector. The difference between the light of the xenon projector and the arc lamp projector, is the type of light emitted: xenon lamps are slightly colder.
Xenon lamps are much less costly compared to carbon rods. This is why they were used in cinema, it was a matter of cost.
Movies shot in the era – if the light of the era was the carbon arc, the voltaic arc, philologically they should be projected with a carbon arc projector, because the whole development and film printing process was correct for carbon arc projection”.

Waiting for the 34th edition of Il Cinema Ritrovato Festival, today we present LA LUCE. The Light of the Movies, a short documentary directed by Debra McClutchy.

Shot during the 2019 edition of the festival, the movie shows the magical atmospheres of the silent cinema events at Piazzetta Pasolini: carbon arc lamp screenings and music accompaniment to live the experience of the early cinema projections.

Interviews with the longtime projectionist of Il Cinema Ritrovato, Stefano Bognar, and Mariann Lewinsky, one of the directors of the festival and curator of the Piazzetta Pasolini evenings