François Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard: two great masters of film history, undisputed protagonists of an unrepeatable season as the French Nouvelle vague. First friends, then rivals, very different from each other, but both bound by a visceral love for cinema: at Giunti Odeon a series of documentary films recounting their contrasting relationship. 

A true crime collectible series that reconstructs the most sensational criminal cases of 20th-century Italian history. Criminal minds that marked the pages of crime news from the last century, disturbing public conscience. Deviant personalities who were pursued, unmasked, and incriminated—sometimes unjustly—before forensic science, surveillance cameras, phone records, and the internet. A noir mapping that leaves no room for escape.

On Tuesday, October 22, Gianni Biondillo, Francesca Mogavero, and Alessandro Gorza will present the first two volumes of the Nero900 collection (published by Giunti Editore) on the GO stage: La saponificatrice di Correggio. Il caso Cianciulli and Il mostro di Roma. Il caso Girolimoni.

The Books:

The story of the Soap-Maker of Correggio has become so infamous that it has entered into legend: Leonarda Cianciulli, a middle-aged housewife with a husband and four children, allegedly murdered three women and, according to her, turned them into perfumed soap and cakes, which she offered to her neighbors and family. But how much is reality, and how much is the terrible invention of Leonarda herself? The facts are clear: between December 18, 1939, and November 30, 1940, the victims disappeared from the small town of Correggio; their bodies were never found. All suspicions pointed to Cianciulli, who confessed to being solely responsible: she died in a criminal asylum. And the cakes? And the soap? How much is truth, and how much is an intricate lie woven by the protagonist of this dark tale? Who really is Leonarda Cianciulli? A criminal or a madwoman? A generous mother or a bloodthirsty murderer? Francesca Mogavero retraces the story of the Soap-Maker with a fresh perspective, blending a gripping, unsettling narrative with excerpts from the memoir written by Leonarda herself. Be careful, the cauldron is boiling. We can only look inside.

Rome, 1924. Two shadows loom over the Eternal City: on one side, the Fascist wave that swept over the capital with the victory in the April 6 elections, the last multi-party elections before the dictatorship; on the other, in the working-class neighborhoods, in the filth along the Tiber, and in the grass of the semi-rural outskirts, a faceless monster kidnaps young girls. And even when a culprit is identified, the case will be far from solved. Amid brutal murders, manipulated investigations, political pressures, and thirst for revenge, the story of Gino Girolimoni continues to raise questions, both then and now. For while monsters do exist, we should not only look for them in our nightmares: some, the most dangerous, walk freely in the streets, wearing the distinguished clothes of elegant gentlemen. Others, the innocent ones, become monsters against their will, through gossip and the pages of newspapers. With a precise and sharp narrative, Alessandro Gorza guides us from the popular alleys to the halls of power, attempting to shed light on one of Italy's most notorious criminal cases, a long nightmare where nothing is as it seems. Best keep your eyes wide open.

The splendid "European Fairy Tales" series of animated films made in the 1970s and based on folklore tales and stories from various European nations, from Italy to France, from Belgium to Hungary, from Switzerland to England. The shorts in rotation take their cue from Carnival: fifteen short animated films resulting from international co-productions, each of which tells a fairy tale belonging to the folk tradition of a European country.

An extraordinary journey through the myths, masterpieces and legends of Hollywood cinema. From Keaton to Kubrick, from Welles to Coppola and Scorsese, at Giunti Odeon a series of documentaries, rich in footage and testimonials, on a century and more of American cinema: a compelling account of the greatest and most dazzling industry of dreams.

A genre: the French polar from Fantômas to Maigret

The last meeting is dedicated to more consumer literature, the serial one, with particular reference to the genre that has always been most loved by readers and the public, still today: the detective story, in its variants. The French case is analysed, where literary and cinematographic seriality was born at the beginning of the 20th century as the heir to the 19th century feuilleton and evolved as a product of the nascent mass cultural industry, moving on to the birth of a genre, the polar, which also bears in its name the fusion of cinema and literature, ending with Georges Simenon's creation of a character such as Inspector Maigret, an inexhaustible source for books, cinema and television.

The subscription to the entire Atelier (euro 100, nominal and inclusive of five 90' meetings) can be purchased from 27 August at the bookshop's cash desk. 

A genre: the French polar from Fantômas to Maigret

The last meeting is dedicated to more consumer literature, the serial one, with particular reference to the genre that has always been most loved by readers and the public, still today: the detective story, in its variants. The French case is analysed, where literary and cinematographic seriality was born at the beginning of the 20th century as the heir to the 19th century feuilleton and evolved as a product of the nascent mass cultural industry, moving on to the birth of a genre, the polar, which also bears in its name the fusion of cinema and literature, ending with Georges Simenon's creation of a character such as Inspector Maigret, an inexhaustible source for books, cinema and television.

The subscription to the entire Atelier (euro 100, nominal and inclusive of five 90' meetings) can be purchased from 27 August at the bookshop's cash desk. 

Riccardo Staglianò, a renowned journalist for Venerdì di Repubblica, engages in a dialogue with Clara Mattei, one of the most authoritative economists on the international scene. This conversation aims to reflect on the dimensions, reasons, and responsibilities behind the growing economic and social inequalities in Italy, and how we can, and must, repoliticize the economy—or rather, democratize it again—to reclaim control over the most important decisions that shape the foundations of our lives.

The Book:

This book challenges the conventional narrative of the economy that has intoxicated us. It reveals, by retracing a long history from fascism to the present day, how much politics is hidden behind economic choices.

Clara Mattei is a young Italian economist who has been living and working in New York for years, where she teaches at the prestigious New School for Social Research. In 2022, she wrote a book in English (The Capital Order), which the Financial Times listed among the ten most influential publications of the year on economic topics. Her analysis powerfully revives and reaffirms the lessons of the great classical economists, from Smith to Ricardo to Marx, forcefully attacking the notion that economics is a pure, exact science defined by mathematical models we can do nothing about but adapt to. After all, we've been taught that our economic system represents the best of all possible worlds—the most exceptional way to produce wealth and well-being. But the time has come to expose the falsehoods inherent in this view.

This book, enriched by the contributions of three prominent international economists—Thomas Piketty, Branko Milanović, and Adam Tooze—introduces a new emancipatory perspective. It reveals the hidden web behind the central economic issues in public debate: from austerity to inflation, unemployment to growth, competition to debt, and the relationship between the state and the market, among many other topics. With the precision and incisiveness that Mattei possesses, it is eye-opening to see how political power has built a profoundly undemocratic system over time, one deliberately designed to enrich a privileged few while impoverishing the majority of the population, turning citizens into subjects. Knowledge is the first step toward imagining a different world, and toward working to make it possible.

The Author:

Clara Mattei teaches Economics at the New School for Social Research in New York and was a member of the School of Social Sciences at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton from 2018 to 2019. Her research contributes to the history of capitalism and deeply investigates the relationship between economic ideas and technocratic policies. Her recent book, The Capital Order: How Economists Invented Austerity and Paved the Way to Fascism (University of Chicago Press, 2022), has been translated into Italian by Einaudi under the title Operazione Austerità: Come gli economisti hanno aperto la strada al fascismo.

Wes Anderson is one of the masters of contemporary cinema, beloved by audiences all over the world for his unmistakable style and poetics. Giunti Odeon dedicates a tribute to the great American director with a selection of his most famous films, all in original version with Italian subtitles.

Gender inequalities in the workplace present significant challenges such as work-life balance, equal access to job opportunities, and the recognition of talent. Gender biases and stereotypes perpetuate inequalities, hindering women's ambitions and professional growth, limiting their employment opportunities, and affecting their role in social and economic spheres.

With:

• Marcella Corsi, Gender Economist
• Carolina de Castiglioni, Actress
• Vera Gheno, Italian linguist, essayist, and activist
• Maria Nella Lippi, Head of the Gender Justice Program at Oxfam Italy

Moderator: Maria Elena Viola, Editor-in-Chief of Donna Moderna

How can we move beyond prevailing narratives and fully grasp the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the Gaza Strip and the severe deterioration of the situation in the West Bank? In a context of conflict and emergency, how can we better understand the reality behind the dominant images and stories in the media?

We will hear testimony from those who are directly on the front lines of this humanitarian catastrophe, to understand the deep-rooted causes of this conflict, the reasons behind the resurgence of hostilities, and how the narrative surrounding it can either support or hinder a path to peace.

First Part

• Bushra Khalidi, Policy Lead at Oxfam in Palestine (remote)
• Sarit Michaeli, International Advocacy Lead at B’Tselem (remote)

Moderator:

• Riccardo Sansone, Head of International Programs and Humanitarian Action, Oxfam Italy

Second Part

• Micaela Frulli, Professor of International Law, University of Florence
• Carmen Lasorella, Journalist
• Paolo Pezzati, Oxfam Spokesperson for Humanitarian Crises

Moderator:

• Anna Maria Giordano, Journalist, Radio3Mondo

In 1923, Walt and Roy Disney began an adventure that would change the history of cinema forever. Since then, the films made by Disney have enchanted several generations, amazing us each time with their timeless and ageless stories. Today, a century later, Giunti Odeon continues to celebrate this great dream factory by proposing a selection of great Disney classics, with the most famous films, suitable for young and old, to be enjoyed all together and continue to dream... 

Children’s readings are back, and this time with a Halloween theme! A special event for the little ones with two books (Tea. Da cosa mi travesto per Halloween? published by Giunti Editore and Voglio entrare in una storia di paura by Edizioni Lapis) read by our wonderful booksellers in a more than suggestive location: the GO stage.

Each child who participates will receive a card where a sticker will be placed for each reading. With a total of 5 stickers, there’s a free book (chosen from a selection of series)!

Free entry and no reservation required!

At Giunti Odeon, another international author event: Jeffrey Deaver will present The Watchmaker's Hand (La mano dell'orologiaio, Rizzoli), in conversation with Massimo Fiorio (@dietnam). The translation will be handled by Seba Pezzani.

The book:

A crane, one of the many dotting Manhattan's skyline, crashes onto a construction site, causing deaths and injuries. The collapse's dynamics are unclear, but one thing is certain: it wasn't an accident. The Kommunalka Project, a terrorist cell, immediately claims responsibility for the disaster, threatening to sabotage another crane every 24 hours if the city administration doesn't convert some luxury properties into social housing. The mayor refuses to compromise: there will be no negotiations with terrorists. So who can stop a potential catastrophe if not the most brilliant duo in investigative science, Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs? Brought in to assist with the investigation, America's most famous criminologist and his wife-colleague discover that behind this looming threat is their old nemesis, the most cunning adversary who has ever evaded capture: Charles Vespasian Hale, aka the Watchmaker. Returning to the scene after many years, he is driven by economic motives and a personal vow: to kill Rhyme. Another crane crashes, New York is gripped by panic, and time is running out. The investigative pair must move quickly, or chaos will reign.

The author:

A former journalist and lawyer, Deaver left his legal career in 1990 to pursue full-time writing. As a thriller novelist, he has won the Ellery Queen Readers Award for Best Short Story of the Year three times, the British Thumping Good Read Award, and has been a multiple finalist for the Edgar Award. His first novel, a horror book titled Voodoo, was published in 1988. His next three novels, set in New York, delve into the structure of detective stories. With the protagonists of his books, Deaver creates perfect contemporary thrillers, characterized by cinematic pacing and tension. He achieved international success with The Bone Collector, the first investigation featuring Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs, which was adapted into a film.

Other titles (published by the RCS group) include: The Bone Dancer, The Empty Chair, The Stone Monkey, The Vanished Man, The Twelfth Card, The Cold Moon, The Broken Window, The Burning Wire, Edge, The Bodies Left Behind, Requiem for a Porn Star, The Sleeping Doll, The Burning Wire, The Steel Kiss, The Cutting Edge, The Burial Hour, The Midnight Lock, The Goodbye Man, and Hunting Time.

For Halloween we pay homage to Tim Burton's dark universe of Tim Burton, one of the creative geniuses of world cinema and one of the most versatile and fascinating artists of our time, thanks to his ability to shape a unique and unmistakable poetic universe. Giunti Odeon dedicates a tribute to the great American director and artist with a selection of his most famous films, all in original version with Italian subtitles.

Children’s readings are back, and this time with a Halloween theme! A special event for the little ones with two books (Tea. Da cosa mi travesto per Halloween? published by Giunti Editore and Voglio entrare in una storia di paura by Edizioni Lapis) read by our wonderful booksellers in a more than suggestive location: the GO stage.

Each child who participates will receive a card where a sticker will be placed for each reading. With a total of 5 stickers, there’s a free book (chosen from a selection of series)!

Free entry and no reservation required!

Since 1923, films made by Disney have enchanted several generations, each time surprising us with their timeless and ageless stories. Today, a century later, Giunti Odeon celebrates this great dream factory by proposing a selection of shorts and films, suitable for young and old, made in recent years by Pixar, one of the world's most famous animation studios and part of the Disney universe.

Giunti Odeon celebrates women's cinema, proposing three cult films, from the present, with women as absolute protagonists. Tenacious and passionate, torn between difficult choices and passionate loves, those told in these three films are the women who stop at nothing and who are not afraid to face the pitfalls of life, without giving up their own identity.

In 1923, Walt and Roy Disney began an adventure that would change the history of cinema forever. Since then, the films made by Disney have enchanted several generations, amazing us each time with their timeless and ageless stories. Today, a century later, Giunti Odeon continues to celebrate this great dream factory by proposing a selection of great Disney classics, with the most famous films, suitable for young and old, to be enjoyed all together and continue to dream... 

Gabriele Galasso's digital photography course is aimed at anyone interested in photography, both from a technical perspective and a linguistic one, who is taking their first steps with digital photography.

The goal of the course is to provide participants with all the knowledge needed to shoot in manual mode independently, immediately putting into practice photographic techniques through exercises that stimulate creativity, both day and night.

Through viewing images by past and contemporary photographers, the course analyzes the potential of photographic language. A camera capable of shooting in manual mode is required.

The subscription fee is €120 (€60 for under 25s) and can be purchased at the GO box office. Enrollment is limited.

PROGRAM: 1ST LESSOn

The History of Photography and Basic Digital Techniques

After a brief introductory presentation, we will take a short historical excursion to understand digital photographic language and how digital cameras function.

Gabriele Galasso

Gabriele Galasso was born in 1995 in Umbria. He graduated in Cinema from the DAMS program at Alma Mater Studiorum in Bologna. Following his passion for art, he realized that his artistic expression occurs through photography. He enrolled in a two-year photography course at Spazio Labo' and, upon completing his training, initially joined the team as an assistant for courses and masterclasses, later becoming an instructor for digital and analog photography courses.

His photographic interest is particularly directed towards personal artistic research while undertaking commissioned work for brands, companies, and events. Additionally, he designs educational programs aimed at children, using tools to raise awareness of photographic language through practical and experiential workshops and basic photography concepts.

He currently lives and works in Florence, collaborating with various organizations.

The Kaleidoscope of the young Kubrick

It is impossible to understand the birth and evolution of the cinema of a great director-author like Kubrick without an overview of the workings of the Hollywood industry and the American Studio-System. After this ‘contextualisation’, we move on to an analysis of the young Kubrick's post-war activity as a photojournalist, a passage that marks him out for his research into the possibilities of the medium and his confrontation with reality, but above all for the expressive form of ambiguity, as a questioning of the principles of classical Hollywood cinema. It was following this track that he began his career as a director, first with a few short films and then with his debut film, Fear and Desire (1953).

Registration for the atelier (nominal and valid for all five 90' encounters) can be done at the bookshop's cash desk (every day from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.), at a cost of 100 euros (50 euros for those under 25).

Gabriele Galasso's digital photography course is aimed at people who are interested in photography, both from a technical and a creative language perspective, and who are taking their first steps with digital photography.

The purpose of the course is to provide participants with all the knowledge they need to shoot in manual mode independently, immediately applying shooting techniques through photographic exercises that stimulate their creativity both day and night.

By viewing images from past and contemporary photographers, the course analyzes the potential of photographic language. A camera capable of shooting in manual mode is required.

The subscription fee (€120, €60 for those under 25) can be purchased at the GO box office. Enrollment is limited.

PROGRAM: 2° lesson

Photographic Exposure

ISO sensitivity, shutter speed, and aperture: studying light and the parameters for shooting in manual mode, while analyzing images from past and contemporary photographers.

Gabriele Galasso

Gabriele Galasso was born in 1995 in Umbria. He graduated in Cinema from the DAMS program at Alma Mater Studiorum in Bologna. Following his passion for art, he discovered that his artistic expression comes through photography. He enrolled in a two-year photography course at Spazio Labo' and, upon completing his training, initially joined the team as an assistant for courses and masterclasses, later becoming an instructor for both digital and analog photography courses.

His photographic interests are particularly focused on personal artistic research, while he also undertakes commissioned work for brands, companies, and events. He also designs educational programs for children, providing tools to raise awareness of photographic language through practical and experiential workshops and basic photography concepts.

He currently lives and works in Florence, collaborating with various organizations.

Encounter 2 - The confrontation with genres

After his debut film, Kubrick confronted one of the most important elements of American cinema, the genre system. Thanks to his desire to be independent, Kubrick made The Killer's Kiss (1955), halfway between noir and gangster-movie, in which he experimented with the symbolic use of images and the subjectivity of narration. He continued with Armed Robbery (1956), another ‘genre film’, but constructed through the fragmentation of the narrative. In the subsequent war-movie Paths of Glory Kubrick subverted the epic-militarist rhetoric of the genre, in which it is space that determines the action (and not vice versa), until the historical film Spartacus (1960), in which he accentuated the linguistic elements of modernity.

Gabriele Galasso's digital photography course is aimed at all those interested in photography, both from a technical and creative language perspective, who are taking their first steps with digital photography.

The goal of the course is to provide participants with all the knowledge necessary to shoot in manual mode independently, immediately putting shooting techniques into practice through photographic exercises, stimulating creativity both during the day and at night.

By viewing images from past and contemporary photographers, the course analyzes the potential of photographic language. A camera capable of shooting in manual mode is required.

The subscription fee (€120, €60 for those under 25) can be purchased at the GO box office. Enrollment is limited.

PROGRAM: 3° lesson

Evening Practical Session

During the evening outing, the theoretical concepts will be put into practice through photographic exercises, capturing the city during the day with natural light.

Gabriele Galasso

Gabriele Galasso was born in 1995 in Umbria. He graduated in Cinema from the DAMS program at Alma Mater Studiorum in Bologna. Following his passion for art, he discovered that his artistic expression comes through photography. He enrolled in a two-year photography course at Spazio Labo’, and after completing his studies, he initially joined the team as an assistant in courses and masterclasses, later becoming a teacher of both digital and analog photography.

His photographic interests focus particularly on personal artistic research, while he also undertakes commissioned work for brands, companies, and events. He also designs educational programs aimed at children, providing tools to raise awareness of photographic language through practical and experiential workshops and basic photography concepts.

He currently lives and works in Florence, collaborating with various organizations.

Encounter 3 - Figures of Modernity

From the beginning of the 1960s Kubrick accentuated the modernity of his cinema, thanks also to a new idea of the character. An example of this is the protagonist of Lolita (1962), a figure of a mysterious and ambiguous maiden, but this is also the first film in which Kubrick reflects on the potential of the gaze. The director amplified this dimension in Dr. Strangelove (1964), a biting satire on the atomic destruction of the world, up to the absolute masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey (1969), a world-film that invented a new type of gaze, the cognitive gaze, and a new way of making cinema.