With this landmark documentary Liliana Cavani, one of the most influential directors in European cinema, paid tribute in an incredibly poetic way to the untold voices of Italian women partisans, revealing the pivotal role they played in the fight against fascism, and honoring the courage and sacrifice that made and will continue to make them unparalleled, awe inspiring, national heroes.

Part of the Honoring The Twin Cities Program

+ Q&A with Director Liliana Cavani connecting live from Italy, moderated by Richard Peña, Emeritus Professor, Columbia University and Director Emeritus, New York Film Festival, together with Tommaso Cammarano, IFF’s Artistic Director

This screening is offered free of charge. Reservation is encouraged but not required.

ABOUT THE FILM

“La donna nella Resistenza” highlights the experiences of women in the Italian Resistance during World War II. Commissioned by RAI for the 20th anniversary of the Liberation, the film blends firsthand interviews with archival material.

Cavani is the first one ever to give voice to women who actively rebelled against fascism as fighters, organizers, and political leaders. Through their testimonies, the women recount motivations for joining the Resistance, acts of bravery, imprisonment, and the personal costs of defying fascism.

Narrated by Riccardo Cucciolla, the documentary brings to life figures such as Germana Boldrini, who signaled a critical wartime attack at seventeen, and Maria Clotilde Agnoletti Fusconi, who recalls her final moments with her daughter before execution. By centering these voices, Cavani reshapes collective memory and highlights the often-overlooked contributions of women to democratic struggles.

More than an historical record, the documentary remains a compelling meditation on gender, courage, and historical upheaval, demonstrating Cavani’s enduring commitment to humanistic storytelling and her ability to illuminate the personal within the political.

DIRECTOR'S BIO:

Liliana Cavani is a greatly influential Italian director and screenwriter, and one of just two (the other being Lina Wertmuller) internationally renowned Italian women directors of her generation; her career began in the 1960s with a series of historical and political documentaries for RAI, including “La donna nella Resistenza” and “Storia del Terzo Reich”.

Trained in Ancient Literature at the University of Bologna and at Rome’s Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, Cavani first attracted attention for her incisive documentary work before transitioning to feature films. Her cinema is known for its bold engagement with history, power, identity, and human complexity. Highlights of her filmography include “Il portiere di notte" (1974, nominated for the Palme d’Or at Cannes), “Galileo” (1968), “I Cannibali” (1970), and “Francesco” (1989, awarded Best Film at the David di Donatello Awards ).

Cavani’s voice, at once provocative, empathetic, and intellectually rigorous, has made her one of Italy’s most compelling filmmakers, bridging television, documentary, and international cinema with a distinctively humanistic lens.