THE FIVE FINALIST FILMS OF THE SECOND EDITION
The evaluation criterion adopted was to offer, through the selection of five finalists, a multi-voiced reflection and dialogue on the representation of women. A subject and screenplay capable of capturing the multifaceted complexity of the theme, free from stereotypical standards — beyond personal preferences for a “good film” or a “great actress.”
The variety of genres and stylistic approaches, together with a preference — where possible — for lesser-known or less-awarded titles, was another key element in the final decision.
The five finalist films of the Best European Film by Women Award will be screened during the last week of September at Fabbrica del Vapore, as part of the program of “AriAnteo 2024, open-air cinema in Milan!”
The event, running from June 1 to September 29, is organized in collaboration with the Department of Culture of the Municipality of Milan, as part of the “Milano è viva” initiative.
HOURIA
Director and Screenwriter: Mounia Meddour
Cast: Lyna Koudhri, Rachida Brakni, Nadia Kaci
Country: FRANCE/ALGERIA
Distributor: I Wonder Pictures
A story of violence set in a country — Algeria — where the legacy of patriarchy remains strong and institutions fail to protect victims. When the force of life meets the support of true sisterhood, change — both individual and collective — becomes possible.
Houria is the symbol of those who no longer have a voice, of the freedom women strive to reclaim, twenty years after the end of the civil war, through the everyday spaces of their lives and actions.
Great attention is given to detail, color, and dance — as a passion capable of sparking a process of rebirth and resilience.
LA VERITÀ SECONDO MAUREEN K
Director: Jean-Paul Salomé
Screenwriters: Fadette Drouard, Jean-Paul Salomé
Cast: Isabelle Huppert, Alexandra Maria Lara, Yvan Attal
Country: FRANCE/GERMANY
Distributor: I Wonder Pictures
Inspired by a true story, this film denounces the harassment and violence faced by women in the workplace — even in positions of power or in roles traditionally dominated by men.
The protagonist is strong, a union representative, and above all, does not fit the traditional mold of a victim — one who must meet male-defined cultural standards to be believed: crying, getting hurt while defending herself, having no stains in her past.
Maureen moves with clear determination through a dull and brutal world, and turns her personal battle for justice into a fight for all women.
MISERICORDIA
Director: Emma Dante
Screenwriters: Emma Dante, Elena Stancanelli, Giorgio Vasta
Cast: Simone Zambelli, Simona Malato, Tiziana Cuticchio, Milena Catalano, Fabrizio Ferracane
Country: ITALY
Distributor: Teodora Film
A film by Emma Dante, who also co-wrote the screenplay based on her own stage play, together with Elena Stancanelli and Giorgio Vasta.
The male lead, dancer Simone Zambelli, was rightly awarded by critics as Best Actor. But what about the magnificent trio of sex workers who take on the parenting of the awkward Arturo?
As always in Dante’s works, the power of the feminine is exalted — here in a choral tale where male brutality, set against a backdrop of degradation and poverty, is met with a sense of shared motherhood, a non-traditional family, and a vision of femininity that borders on the sacred precisely because it looks to the humble — to the earth.
MON CRIME
Director and Screenwriter: François Ozon
Cast: Nadia Tereszkiewicz, Rebecca Marder, Isabelle Huppert, Fabrice Luchini
Country: BELGIUM FRANCE
Distributor: Bim Distribuzione
Halfway between mystery and comedy, delightfully sophisticated and cinephilic, the film is based on a 1930s stage play.
With this work, the director completes his trilogy of female portraits. The stroke of genius lies in having eliminated the abusive male figure right from the start, and in the subtle cynicism of portraying — without moralism but with playful intelligence — the use of femininity for personal gain, to achieve fame and wealth.
This ambiguity is softened by the value of female solidarity between the two young protagonists, who support each other in reshuffling the deck — all the way to the irresistible final cameo with Huppert as a silent film diva who has no intention of staying silent…
VERA
Directors: Tizza Covi, Rainer Frimmel
Screenwriter: Tizza Covi
Cast: Vera Gemma, Annamaria Ciancamerla, Asia Argento, Walter Saabel, Sebastian Dascalu, Daniel De Palma
Country: ITALY
Distributor: Wanted
In this docu-film, the subtle four-handed direction allows the protagonist Vera — the real-life daughter of Giuliano Gemma — to tell her own story, revealing a different side of her womanhood, the most melancholic and sincere one.
Caught between rejection and self-acceptance, between fatalistic conformity to family or societal expectations and rebellion, she searches for another way of living — one where she can love herself for who she truly is.
Her unresolved relationship with her beloved father, seen as an unattainable model, is one of the central themes Vera confronts with honesty.
