In this beloved tribute to the life-changing power of cinema, the young Toto finds a second home at his small village’s theater and befriends the aging projectionist, Alfredo (Phillipe Noiret), in post-war Italy. Toto grows up in the projection booth, observes the censorious regime dictated by the local priest, and witnesses the awesome destructive potential of nitrate cellulose first-hand. An Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Language Film, CINEMA PARADISO played at some American theaters for a year straight on its initial release, so strong was its universal evocation of childhood enlivened and expanded by the movies.