Abstract

In Italy, a film industry was born at the beginning of the twentieth century that from an early age sought to conquer the international market. Was the rise of Italian cinema possible thanks to the success achieved by historical and biblical epics such as Qvo Vadis? (E. Guazzoni, 1913), realistic dramas such as L’ Emigrante (F. Mari, 1915) and “Divas films” such as La storia di un Pierrot (1913), starring Francesca Bertini. Examples of an art that has conquered spectators all over the world, including Portugal, as attested by the 43 Italian cinema posters, gathered by Joaquim António Viegas (1874-1946), when he worked in the main cinemas of Lisbon and Porto. 
Film posters are an important extra-filmic heritage, which due to its documentary value is of great value for the research on the history of cinema. With this communication, we seek to make better known the presence of Italian cinema in Portugal during the period 1908-1919, using as sources the Museum of Faro film posters collection and the several Portuguese newspapers from this time.