Arena La Sirenetta in Mondello reopens after 12 years for Manifesta 12

The Arena La Sirenetta, an open-air cinema in Mondello, Sicily, closed since 2006, reopened on July 20, 2018, as part of Manifesta 12's Film Programme under the macro-theme 'Il Giardino Planetario'. The inaugural evening featured the video-performance 'Terra di Nessuno' by Masbedo (Nicolò Massazza, born 1973, and Iacopo Bedogni, born 1970), a film directed in Sicily in 1939 by Mario Baffico based on two novellas by Luigi Pirandello. Screenings run Thursday to Sunday until September, including films like 'In guerra per amore' (2016) by PIF on July 27, 'Terra di Mezzo' (1996) by Matteo Garrone on August 3, and 'Cityzen' (2015) by Ruggero Gabbai on September 6. The arena, opened after World War II, holds collective memories for Palermitans, who recall its iron chairs, seaside breezes, and summer evenings. Its future after Manifesta remains uncertain.