Orson Welles’ Portrait of Gina, recently shown at the Venice International Film Festival, will be screened at Doclisboa’23 in Portugal.
The festival will take place October 19-24 at Culturgest, Cinema São Jorge, Cinemateca Portuguesa – Museu do Cinema and Cinema Ideal in Portgual. In all, the 21st edition of Doclisboa is showing 250 films from 42 countries, including 35 world premieres and 39 Portuguese films.
Intended to be the pilot for an Orson Welles-directed European travel series, Portrait of Gina — also known as Viva Italia — is one of many seldom seen, or “lost,” projects.
In 1958, the ABC network rejected the pilot, which consisted of an interview with Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida, and it was never broadcast on U.S. television.
Welles left the only copy of Viva Italia at his hotel room at the at the Hôtel Ritz in Paris. The film cans were unmarked, and ended up in the hotel’s lost-and-found department. Eventually, they were moved to a storage facility. The film was thought to be permanently lost until it was found in 1986 and shown at the Venice International Film Festival. It was screened again this year following the actress’ passing.
Portrait of Gina aired on German television and can be found on YouTube.
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