Did you know... in the Italy of old, a girl was expected by traditional social norms to marry her attacker, if raped, in order to 'make it right'?
"PRIMADONNA" by Director Marta Savina is inspired by the true story of a young woman in 1965 who refuses to marry her attacker, and ultimately paves the way for legal change in Italy.
PRIMADONNA is showing Saturday, 1st June, 20:30 at the Casa das Histórias - Paula Rego, Av. da República, 300 Cascais, 2750-475
PRIMADONNA was written and directed by Marta Savina, and is her first feature film.
The movie was inspired by the true story of Franca Viola, a seventeen-year-old girl who in 1965 was considered to be the first Italian woman to publicly refuse to marry her attacker, and successfully prosecute the rapist.
Director Marta Savina made a short film in 2017 titled "Viola, Franca" which was shown at the Tribeca Film Festival. Ms. Savina liked her leading actress Claudia Gusmano so much that she used her again in PRIMADONNA.
Franca Viola's trial against her attacker resonated throughout Italy, as it went against traditional social norms.*
Franca Viola became a symbol of cultural progress for women in post-war Italy.*
This kind of forced marriage was called a "rehabilitating marriage." It not only cleared the woman from being considered a "shameless woman" it crucially expunged the man of his crime.*