Una femmina

Una Femmina – The Code of Silence
Having lost her mother when she was a young child, Rosa has grown up in a southern Italian village with her grandmother and her uncle’s family. Now a young woman, she is haunted by oppressive dreams and images. Is it really true that her mother took her own life? The more Rosa manages to recall her memories of the mysterious circumstances of her mother’s death, the more she begins to direct her gaze towards present-day family dynamics – particularly the stoic reserve of the women and the simmering aggression of the men. When Rosa eventually becomes aware of her family’s involvement in the mafia, she has to decide what she is willing to risk in order to break out of the ’Ndrangheta.
Hardship and beauty lie cheek by jowl in the wilds of the Calabrian landscape that provides the backdrop for Francesco Costabile’s impressive, powerfully dramatic work. This feature debut about a fearless heroine interweaves local customs and songs into a unique yet timeless story of resistance.
by Francesco Costabile
with Lina Siciliano, Fabrizio Ferracane, Anna Maria De Luca, Simona Malato, Luca Massaro, Vincenzo Di Rosa, Mario Russo, Francesca Ritrovato
Italy 2022 Italian 120’ Colour World premiere

With

  • Lina Siciliano (Rosa)
  • Fabrizio Ferracane (Salvatore)
  • Anna Maria De Luca (Berta)
  • Simona Malato (Rita)
  • Luca Massaro (Natale)
  • Vincenzo Di Rosa (Ciccio)
  • Mario Russo (Gianni)
  • Francesca Ritrovato (Cetta)

Crew

Director Francesco Costabile
Screenplay Lirio Abbate, Serena Brugnolo, Francesco Costabile, Adriano Chiarelli
Cinematography Giuseppe Maio
Editing Stefano Mariotti
Music Valerio Camporini Faggioni
Sound Design Valerio Camporini Faggioni
Sound Sandro Rossi
Production Design Gianluca Salamone, Erika Aversa
Costumes Luca Costigliolo
Make-Up Jenny Zuccaro
Casting Icaro Lorenzoni, Francesca Marchese
Assistant Director Enzo Russo
Production Manager Alessandro Gordano
Producers Attilio De Razza, Pierpaolo Verga, Nicola Picone, Edoardo De Angelis
Executive Producer Marco Fangnocchi

Francesco Costabile

Born in Cosenza, Italy in 1980, Costabile studied directing at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in Rome, making two short films which won numerous awards, including two Nastri d’Argento. Costabile made two documentaries about the costume designer Piero Tosi and a documentary about the young Pier Paolo Pasolini called In un futuro aprile. In 2017, Costabile co-initiated the queer and post-porn Hacker Porn Film Festival in Rome.

Filmography

2004 L’armadio; short film 2005 Dentro Roma; short film 2009 L’abito e il volto; documentary 2014 Piero Tosi, 1960 – L’inizio del secolo; documentary 2019 In un futuro aprile; documentary 2022 Una femmina (Una Femmina – The Code of Silence)

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2022