Film Forum

Italy, 2025
Directed by Valerio Ciriaci
With Elvira Notari, Flavia Amabile, Giuliana Bruno
Approx. 90 min.

A feature documentary chronicling the life and work of Elvira Notari (1875-1946), Italy’s first woman film director. Despite directing hundreds of silent films that captivated from Naples to New York, Elvira was relegated to the margins of film history for half a century. Her films, poised between realism and staged drama, were deeply rooted in Neapolitan folklore. A woman in a man’s world, her works were targeted by Fascist censorship yet found the embrace of audiences on both sides of the Atlantic. The documentary interweaves voices of those who celebrate her legacy today—from the experts who rediscovered her films to contemporary artists reimagining her vision through new works—to resurrect Elvira’s singular vision. More than a biography, ELVIRA NOTARI: BEYOND SILENCE is a prismatic portrait of an artist who continues to inspire new creative pathways.

AN AWEN FILMS RELEASE