Women in the Director's Chair Film Series Kicks Off with Alina Marazzi's "Tutto parla di te"

Actress Charlotte Rampling with Director Alina Marazzi

Actress Charlotte Rampling with Director Alina Marazzi

On October 13, the Departments of Communications and Modern Languages and Literature, in collaboration with Istituto Luce/Cinecittà – Film Italia, kicked off a new film series titled “Women in the Director’s Chair,” which focuses on Italian women directors.

During this film series, which continues into the Spring 2015 semester, a new generation of female Italian directors will be welcomed to JCU to talk to the community and to showcase their films.

The first film to be screened was Tutto Parla di Te (All About You – 2012), by Alina Marazzi. After a brief introduction by professor Peter Sarram, the director presented her work as an inquiry inside the “dark side of motherhood.” Marazzi, in fact, pointed out the strong gender perspective of the film, highlighting the audience about the experimentalisms and genre mash-ups of the feature.

Coming from a documentary film background, Marazzi mixed together different film techniques – from animation to photography, from archive footage to documentary sequences – in order to realize her vision.

In Tutto Parla di Te, Marazzi investigates the variety of bonds that exist between mothers and their child, beyond a romanticized construction. Exploring the feelings, worries, and states of mind of women who are struggling in relating with their infants, her investigation tells the story of Emma (Elena Radonicich), a young mother who is on the edge of giving up on motherhood. Through the encounter with an older woman, Pauline – portrayed by an exceptional Charlotte Rampling – Emma learns to cope with the difficulties and the hardships of motherhood and begins to regain her life.

After the screening, the director explained the production process of the film, which in fact originated from an idea for a documentary on post-partum depression. A series of intense interviews with mothers who struggled with their role – many of which are present in the movie – brought Marazzi to construct a narrative that serves as a starting point to a more serious investigation and a greater consideration for the issue.

The next screenings will be:

November 10: Le Meraviglie/The Wonders by Alice Rohrwacher

November 17: Miele by Valeria Golino

Learn more about studying Communications in Rome at John Cabot University.

Learn more about studying Modern Languages and Literature in Rome at John Cabot University.