Sarah Gavron – director – Suffragette
SUFFRAGETTE was the opening film of the 33rd edition of Torino Film Festival – as well as the opening film of the BFI London Film Festival earlier this year.
FRED’s Chiara Nicoletti meets director Sarah Gavron to explore the genesis if the film. It took her six years to make this film that can count on the participation of producer Faye Ward and writer Abi Morgan ( Shame, The Iron Lady) .
SUFFRAGETTE is the first film to treat this topic ( except for Mary poppins) and it focuses on the working class women , such as Carey Mulligan’s character, who took part in this movement by fighting not only this battle but so many other fights at home. The film has a stellar cast including Meryl Streep’s cameo as Emmeline Pankhurst (leader of the suffragettes) , Helena Bonham Carter, Brendan Gleeson and Ben Whishaw.
SUFFRAGETTE: London, the early 1900s. Since the age of seven, Maud has worked as a laundress in an unsafe workplace dominated by its arrogant proprietor; she is married to a man who mistreats her. She finds herself by chance in the middle of a protest organized by the Suffragettes and, after overcoming her initial reluctance, she joins the movement in hopes of obtaining that freedom which has always been denied her and many others. But the struggle is difficult and painful.