US tour with screenings in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Orange for Elvira Notari: Beyond Silence, a documentary by Valerio Ciriaci that revisits the extraordinary yet overlooked story of Italy’s first woman film director. A pioneer of Neapolitan silent cinema, between 1906 and 1930 Notari created more than sixty features with her family-run Dora Film, blending melodrama with raw depictions of Naples’ street life, captivating audiences from Naples to America’s Little Italies. Under strain from Fascist censorship and family turmoil, she withdrew from filmmaking in 1930. Today, Elvira returns to center stage thanks to the efforts of scholars reclaiming her place in history and artists revisiting her legacy through new forms.
The film premiered in 2025 at the Venice International Film Festival, and was produced by Parallelo 41, Awen Films, and Luce Cinecittà.
For details and updates: https://awenfilms.net/Elvira-Notari-Screenings