PODCAST | Chiara Nicoletti interviews Laura Samani, director of the film Small Body.
After winning a David di Donatello award in Italy and representing Italy in Cannes 2021, Laura Samani and her debut feature Small Body land at the Sydney Film Festival in the program stand Europe! Voices of Women in Film.
Small Body: After birthing a stillborn child, the grieving Agata is tortured by her Catholic faith – specifically the belief that her baby’s soul lies in eternal Limbo. Hope comes in the form of a mystical sanctuary in the middle of the mountains which can allow her baby to live for just one breath – just long enough to be blessed. Against the wishes of her husband and community, Agata embarks on an Orphean journey across north-east Italy, along rivers and into forests brimming with ancient power. Echoing the folkloric aura of Alice Rohrwacher’s Happy as Lazzaro, Samani’s odyssey is stunning and strange in equal measure.
The Lovers Film Festival celebrates 40 years with 70 films from 26 countries, international guests and tributes to LGBTQI+ cinema icons. Directed by Vladimir Luxuria, from 10 to 17 April at the Cinema Massimo in Turin.