“Few writers have given rise to a world of stories and, above all, characters and atmospheres which are so fascinating and so inspire the imagination of directors, screenwriters and producers. In this catalogue, Serge Toubiana notes that, in order to write, Simenon used a method more typical of filmmakers. Just as a director has to inhabit his characters, so Simenon had to know them, live with them, map out in his mind the sequences which would become pages in a novel, imagining the locations, acting out every role, reciting every line.” – John Simenon and Gian Luca Farinelli
The Cineteca di Bologna dedicates a major exhibition to Georges Simenon, retracing his journeys through manuscripts, photographs, and the many films inspired by his work. From the young Georges Sim to Maigret and the “hard novels”, the exhibition follows the Belgian writer’s trajectory from Liège to the wider world, capturing his obsessions, fears, and the spirit of the twentieth century.
Curated by Gian Luca Farinelli and John Simenon with scenography by Giancarlo Basili, the exhibition is the result of more than a decade of work on the archive preserved by the author’s son. It is organised with the support of the Municipality of Bologna, the Emilia-Romagna Region, and the Ministry of Culture, in collaboration with Adelphi Edizioni.
Running in parallel at the Cinema Modernissimo is Simenon – French Noir (11–30 September 2025), a retrospective exploring the close bond between Simenon and French cinema. Beyond Maigret, it delves into the polar, the uniquely French strain of noir, through works by Melville, Clouzot, Becker, Sautet and others. With legendary performers such as Jean Gabin, Michèle Morgan, Jeanne Moreau, Alain Delon and Jean-Paul Belmondo, these films reveal an ambiguous moral universe shaped by solitude, fatalism and personal codes of justice.