Piena di Grazia

Synopsis

At Palmi, in Calabria, a little girl is chosen for the Feast of the Varia to climb on a sacred cart seventeen metres high and represent the Assumption of the Virgin. The documentary follows the three little girls competing for this role, exploring the contrast between the sacred and the profane.

COMMENTARY

In her directorial debut, Andree Lucini (who is also the scriptwriter along with Désirée Manetti) tells the story of an ancient world that survives in the present day through the eyes of girls approaching adolescence, addressing universal and relevant themes: their concern with how they look, their need to appear, the fear of not being enough.

DIRECTOR＇S STATEMENT

The real challenge in filming this project was to withhold all judgment, to restrain from taking a stance or expressing my personal morality. Though very far from my own views, I was fascinated by the religious significance of the Feast of Palmi and that allowed me to be led by the protagonists and the traditions they hold dear.