Cinéma mon amour — Photographic exhibition of unpublished works by Mario Dondero

A Fermo tribute to the master of photojournalism

In the heart of Fermo, the capital of the province of the same name in the Marche region, the Mario Dondero Terminal hosts 'Cinéma mon amour', a photographic exhibition celebrating the intense and lasting bond between Mario Dondero (1928-2015) and cinema. Set up in the exhibition spaces on Via Espedito Tommasini, the exhibition features about a hundred unpublished shots from the photographer's archive, taken at various times on numerous film sets.

Cinema according to Dondero

Mario Dondero was one of the protagonists of the golden age of Italian photojournalism. A witness to his time, he used his lens to document the culture, politics, and society of the 20th century, choosing Fermo and the Marche region as his adopted home in the final years of his life. The Municipality of Fermo has dedicated a permanent exhibition space to him, the Terminal that bears his name, where the master's archive continues to be studied and valued.

Cinema through Dondero's eyes

The exhibition captures 'the life of the set and its protagonists as true forms of history in the making'. Among the filmmakers immortalized are Citto Maselli, Andrej Tarkovskij, Agnès Varda, and Marco Bellocchio; among the actors are faces like Isabelle Huppert, Gian Maria Volonté, Eva Marie Saint, Jean-Louis Trintignant, and Claudia Cardinale, portrayed away from the spotlight, in their most natural dimension. The exhibition also includes a series of color photographs, also unpublished, and two special sections: a tribute to Pier Paolo Pasolini, a close friend of Dondero, and one to the Venice Film Festival of 1966.

A widespread exhibition, between displays and events

Curated by Cristina Iacoponi and Francesco Pascali (with the supervision of Pacifico D'Ercoli and Laura Strappa), the exhibition is promoted by the Altidona Belvedere Association – Provincial Phototheque of Fermo with the support of the Municipality of Fermo, and is part of the initiatives dedicated to the tenth anniversary of the photographer's death. The experience extends beyond the rooms of the Terminal: a film screening and the presentation of an official catalogue accompany visitors throughout the entire opening period.

Why see it

'Cinéma mon amour' is not just an exhibition of star portraits: it is a journey into the gaze of a photographer who knew how to capture the humanity behind the myth. For those visiting Fermo and the Marche region, it is also an opportunity to discover the Mario Dondero Terminal and the city's rich museum heritage, gathered around the Palazzo dei Priori and Piazza del Popolo.