‘Cinema e Donne’ Women’s Film Festival 2019

The 41st edition of “Cinema e Donne” the International Women’s Film Festival 2019 will take place from November 20 – 24. Directed by Paola Paoli and Maresa D’Arcangelo, the festival will take place at La Compagnia Cinema (Via Cavour, 50/R) and the French Institute of Florence (Piazza Ognissanti, 2). 

A rich program of films with 38 national premieres that highlight different perspectives and stories of women from various countries of the world, such as Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Argentina, Mongolia, Palestine and more.

Still, to date, there is a gender gap in cinema. “Cinema e Donne” celebrates the important role many women play in the world of film – whether they are notable actresses, writers or directors – and screen films with an emphasis on women. The aim is to make it clear to people that women can make high-quality, exciting films that are in no way inferior to men’s. 

The event will comprise five special evenings, with themed sections and in-depth focuses. All movies will be screened in the original language with Italian and English subtitles.

The theme of the International Festival of Cinema and Women 2019 is “Mothers of Tales,” showcasing on the most important woman in every individual’s life. Mothers are an universal and transversal archetype in all cultures. In many films, motherhood is presented as a state of being that unites most women and a challenge posed between childhood and old age.  

The 2019 “Cinema e Donne” Women’s Film Festival will start on Wednesday, Nov. 20 at 3 pm with a screening of award-winning “With or Without You” by Angela Prudenzi. It is just a three minute film about an unidentified man who is guilty of violence against his woman partner. Last year, it won the “Cuori al buio” competition, as part of the project promoted by the Department for Equal Opportunities at the Presidency of the Council of Ministers aimed at preventing and combating violence against women. “Folly as poetry,” by Lina Mangiacapre was shot in 1979 and features the interned women of the former Frullone Psychiatric Hospital of Naples will be presented at the same day. 

Everybody knows “Pippi Longstocking” by Astrid Lindgren but Pernille Fischer Christensen created a movie about Lindgren herself. The film shows the story of her life from childhood and first problems at a young age, when she had to rebel against religious education in order to be able to live a creative spirit in complete freedom. “Becoming Astrid” (2018) received seven nominations for the Guldbagge Awards in Sweden (Swedish Oscars), including best film and best actress.

Wednesday will end with a precious find from an Argentine archive “Yo la peor de todas,” dedicated to Juana Inés de la Cruz, a nun and poet (9 pm). In 1600 in Mexico, for the sake of knowledge, she chose to live in a convent and from there dared to challenge the Church and its Inquisition. The film is inspired by a book by Octavio Paz on the life of the South American nun, who was called the Tenth Muse of the Americas.

On Thursday, the retrospectives will be the focus at the festival. The controversial films of Agnés Varda at 6 pm will bring topics of the protest movements documented with empathy and critical sense by the great director, which present the masterpiece of the 70s feminism. The other retrospective is dedicated to the Nemesiache Neapolitan group and the director of all their films, Lina Mangiacapre. The group brought music and dance to a psychiatric hospital in their hometown, and thanks to their efforts, women were allowed to go out of the institution.

Every director wants to leave a mark and tell an important story that is often related to the culture from which it came. In a country like Finland, people often get divorced, one marriage out of two ends like this. A film “Every Other Couple” by Mia Halme reflects on the subject of separations, where two couples get divorced while maintaining a civil relationship (Friday, Nov. 22). In Spain, “Carmen y Lola” by Arantxa Echevarría the story of two teenage lesbian girls and their power of love as a feeling of liberation from the chains of a sin as perceived  by society. The film received Goya Award 2018 as Best Newcomer and the protagonist a prize of Best Supporting Actress (Saturday, Nov. 21). In Israel, work and freedom from sexual blackmail are at the center of the film “Working Women,” by Michal Aviad. It is similar to an idea of the #Metoo movement but it was designed before it exploded, which makes it timeless (Sunday, Nov. 22).

The festival will also bring with it a number of prizes to be awarded, including the Seal of Peace Award, the Gilda Award for Performer, Film and Screenplay, and Angela Caputi Award for Production and Art, Debut in the Editing and the highly coveted Grand Prize of the Critics, all on Sunday. 

Gilda Gradi has sponsored the program for 12 years and says she plans to keep doing so to support both well-known female artists as well as newcomers to the industry.  She enjoys meeting new women from all over Europe, who are transcending boundaries in film arts. Cinema e Donne selects the recipient in different categories and Gilda awards the gifts, which she personally chooses for each of the winners according to her heart. Before the award ceremony, her restaurant Bistrot Gilda offers a buffet at Cinema La Compagnia. 

Tickets cost €10 per person per day or alternatively a €30 pass is available for the five days. For more information and to see the full program of movies visit Cinema e Donne website.   (mary filatova)