Director of Cineteca di Bologna since 2000, Gian Luca Farinelli, together with Nicola Mazzanti, developed "Il Cinema Ritrovato" in 1986, today one of the most renowned festivals celebrating the history of cinema and the work of film libraries. Gian Luca has conceived and developed numerous exhibitions and events within the framework of Bologna’s film library, including all the editions of "Sotto le stelle del cinema", Bologna’s open-air summer film screenings in the city’s central square. He oversaw the creation of Italy’s first school of film restoration "L’Immagine Ritrovata", financed by the European Union, which led to the founding of the film library’s restoration laboratory in 1992. Today the laboratory works with the world’s major film archives and has recently opened units in Hong Kong and Paris. Internationally acknowledged as one of the world’s major film restoration experts, Gian Luca played a key role in the creation of the Association des Cinémathèques Européennes, and has sat on numerous international juries. In 1997, he was awarded the title of Chevalier des Arts et Lettres by the French state, and in 2008, its Ordre National du Mérite. In 2014, he received the Telluride Film Festival’s Silver Medallion. He is a board member of the World Cinema Foundation.