Tuesday 18 October saw the presentation of the film ‘Primadonna’, directed by Marta Savina in her first feature film, an Italian-French co-production Capri Entertainment, Medset Film, in association with Tenderstories and in collaboration with Vision Distribution, Rai Cinema, Sky, distributed by Europictures. The film is set in Sicily in the 1960s and stars Claudia Gusmano, Fabrizio Ferracane, Francesco Colella, Manuela Ventura, Dario Aita, with the participation of Thony and with Gaetano Aronica, Maziar Firouzi, Francesco Giulio Cerilli, Paolo Pierobon.

The plot

Lia is 21 years old and goes to work the land with her father, even though she is a ‘girl’ and should be at home taking care of household chores with her mother. Lia is beautiful, headstrong and reserved, but she knows her stuff. Her proud and shifty look attracts the attentions of young Lorenzo Musicò, son of the village boss. When she rejects him, Lorenzo’s wrath is not long in coming and the boy takes what he considers to be his property by force. But Lia does what no one would ever expect: she refuses the reparatory marriage and drags Lorenzo and his accomplices to court.

“It is a film that tells a story of female courage and defiance of the Mafia that breaks the social mores of its era. The protagonist’s thirst for justice, aimed at breaking the wall of omertà to build a fairer and more just future, opens the door to the fight for women’s rights”. Moreno Zani, Founder Tenderstories, explains.

The Director

Marta Savina, director and screenwriter, is interested in complex contemporary women’s issues. She lived and worked in London, later moving to the United States where she graduated from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) with an MFA in directing. Her short film Viola, Franca (2017), winner of numerous awards including an Emmy for Best Drama, was nominated for a David di Donatello and premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, continuing on to important stages such as the Venice Film Festival and the Raindance Film Festival.

Read the press review