Red Desert (Courtesy of Cinecittà)

“Monica Vitti is astonishingly mobile. Few actresses have such mobile features.
She has her own personal and original way of acting.”
– Michelangelo Antonioni

New York, NY (May 6, 2025) – Film at Lincoln Center and Cinecittà announce “Monica Vitti: La Modernista,” a special career-spanning tribute to the actress who helped define one of the greatest periods in Italian and world cinema, to be presented at FLC from June 6 through June 19. This 14-film series marks the first North American retrospective dedicated to Monica Vitti’s groundbreaking career, with new restorations of several of her essential films.

Few actors in film history have embodied modernism quite as strikingly or as comprehensively as Monica Vitti. An equally magnetic and enigmatic screen presence from the outset of her career, she began acting in films in the mid-1950s, and soon thereafter began her pivotal collaboration with Michelangelo Antonioni. Their artistic partnership produced some of the 1960s’ most indelible and iconic works of film art, beginning with her breakout turn in L’avventura (1960) through to arguably her greatest performance, as an industrialist’s wife whose alienation from her harsh, polluted environment turns all-consumingly inward, in 1964’s Red Desert. But in addition to her landmark films with Antonioni, Vitti also worked across a broad swath of Italian (and international) cinema, having memorable and fruitful collaborations with such eminent directors as Ettore Scola, Joseph Losey, Mario Monicelli, and Luis Buñuel.

“We are pleased to partner with Cinecittà to celebrate one of Italy’s most revered actresses,” said Florence Almozini, Vice President of Programming at Film at Lincoln Center. “It is a privilege to have the opportunity to present decades worth of films from Monica Vitti’s illustrious and prolific career, especially with many restored versions of her legendary work.”

“When we began discussing the idea of a retrospective dedicated to Monica Vitti—together with our Department for the Promotion of Classic Cinema and our longtime partner, Film at Lincoln Center—the first question we asked ourselves was which films to present to the American audience,” said Chiara Sbarigia, President of Cinecittà. “So we put together what I believe is a very original selection—one that will showcase the remarkable and versatile talent of Monica Vitti, who moved effortlessly between sparkling comedies and auteur cinema, such as the celebrated trilogy by Michelangelo Antonioni that established her on the international stage. In New York, we’ll also present the world premieres of three gems: the 4K digital restorations of I Married You for Fun by Luciano Salce, I Know That You Know That I Know by Alberto Sordi, and The Girl with a Pistol by Mario Monicelli,” Sbarigia concluded.

Manuela Cacciamani, CEO of Cinecittà, stated: “It is both an honor and a deeply moving moment for Cinecittà to contribute to this tribute at Film at Lincoln Center, which celebrates an extraordinary figure like Monica Vitti. The restored prints of her films, produced in our laboratories, are a passport to the greatness of Italian cinema. Actors are the voices of films—and in this case, of an entire culture. Vitti is a symbol of the style, creativity, and freedom of Italian cinema. With this tribute, we are certain that not only Cinecittà, but the image of Italian film itself, has found an unparalleled ambassador, in Monica Vitti, in America.”

Born in Rome in 1931, Monica Vitti endured an impoverished childhood and a troubled domestic life, which led her to seek out acting as a way to escape her strict household. She graduated from Rome’s National Academy of Dramatic Art in 1953 and began her film career in 1954, leading to more than 30 years in front of the camera. Over the course of her prolific career, Monica Vitti received some of European cinema’s most prestigious recognition. She won five David di Donatello Awards for Best Actress, three Nastro d’Argento awards, and eight Globi d’Oro (Italian Golden Globe), including honors for Best Actress, Most Promising Actress, and two Lifetime Achievement Awards. Her international acclaim included the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the Berlin International Film Festival for Flirt, the Concha de Plata for Best Actress at the San Sebastián Film Festival for The Girl with the Pistol, and the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Film Festival in 1995. In 1961, she also received a BAFTA nomination for her unforgettable performance in L’avventura. She made 55 films in 35 years, leaving a legacy that today is honored not only in Italy, but throughout the entire world of cinema.

Acknowledgements:
Compass Film; CSC – Cineteca Nazionale; Fondazione Alberto Sordi.

Tickets will go on sale on Friday, May 9 at 2pm, with an early access period for FLC Members starting Friday, May 9 at noon. Tickets are $17; $14 for students, seniors (62+), and persons with disabilities; and $12 for FLC Members. See more and save with a $139 All Access Pass ($99 for Students) or a 3+ Film Package ($15 for GP; $12 for students, seniors (62+), and persons with disabilities; and $10 for FLC Members).

Co-organized by Florence Almozini and Dan Sullivan of Film at Lincoln Center, and by Camilla Cormanni, Paola Ruggiero, and Marco Cicala of Cinecittà. Co-produced by Cinecittà, Rome.