The list of A hundred Italian films to be saved () was created with the aim to report "100 films that have changed the collective memory of the country between 1942 and 1978". Film preservation, or film restoration, describes a series of ongoing efforts among film historians, archivists, museums, cinematheques, and nonprofit organization to rescue decaying film stock and preserve the images they contain. In the widest sense, preservation assures that a movie will continue to exist in as close to its original form as possible.
The project was established in 2008 by the Venice Days festival section of the 65th Venice International Film Festival, in collaboration with CinecittÃÂ Holding and with the support of the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage.
The list was edited by Fabio Ferzetti, film critic of the newspaper Il Messaggero, in collaboration with film director Gianni Amelio and the writers and film critics Gian Piero Brunetta, , Gianluca Farinelli, Giovanna Grignaffini, Paolo Mereghetti, Morando Morandini, Domenico Starnone and Sergio Toffetti.
At the end of the list are added the documentaries by Vittorio De Seta shot between 1954 and 1959.
In chronological order:
The directors whose films have been selected are listed.