ELVIRA NOTARI: BEYOND SILENCE
A documentary by Valerio Ciriaci
Docufilm, Italy/US, 2025, 89 min.
Cast: Giuliana Bruno, Cristina Vatielli, Flavia Amabile, Francesca Consonni
In Italian with English subtitles
Tuesday, December 1, 2026 | 6:30 PM (doors open at 6 PM)
Italian Cultural Institute
710 Sansome Street, San Francisco
163 minutes: three feature films, two short documentaries, and a handful of fragments are all that remain of the filmography of Elvira Notari, Italy’s first woman film director.
But while her life remains largely a mystery—she left behind no letters or diaries, and only a few photographs survive—her work has now become the focus of a renewed interest that is lifting her from obscurity. A leading figure in the golden age of Neapolitan silent cinema, Elvira created some sixty feature films that, weaving the passions of popular drama with unflinching depictions of urban life, captivated audiences from Naples to the Little Italies of America. Undermined by Fascist censorship and family strife, she withdrew from filmmaking in 1930. Her name slipped into silence, and most of her work was lost.
Today, 150 years after her birth, Elvira returns to center stage thanks to the efforts of scholars reclaiming her place in history and artists revisiting her legacy through new forms. Interlacing historical memory with contemporary rediscovery, Elvira Notari: Beyond Silence offers a living, prismatic portrait of a cinematic pioneer whose vision continues to resonate in the present.
The documentary has received several awards and honors, including its official selection for the Venice Classics section of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, where it premiered, and the 2026 Globo d’Oro for Best Documentary.
Valerio Ciriaci
Originally from Rome, in 2013 Valerio co-founded Awen Films, a New York production house with which he has directed independent documentaries, news and editorial videos, and other projects. His filmography highlights include “If Only I Were That Warrior” (Globo d’Oro 2016, aired on Rai Storia); “Mister Wonderland” (‘Il Cinemino’ prize at Festival dei Popoli, aired on Rai and PBS); and “Stonebreakers” (Honorable Mention and Audience Award at Festival dei Popoli), which has been screened over 100 times at leading cinemas and international cultural institutions.