Elvira Notari: Beyond Silence
- Directed by: Valerio Ciriaci
- Released: 2026 (educational)
- Year of Production: 2025
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.
David di Donatello 2026 - Shortlist, Best Italian Documentary
Nastri d’Argento 2026 - Finalist
26° Festival del Cinema Europeo Lecce - Official Selection, Cinema & Realtà
6° Matera Film Festival - Official Selection, International Documentaries Competition
46° Festival di Cinema e Donne di Firenze - Opening night film
Festival dei Circoli di Cinema 2025 (FICC) - Winner, Best Documentary on Cinema
43° edition of “Primo Piano sull’Autore - Festival Pianeta Donna” - Official Selection
7° Visioni Verticali 2025 Festival del cinema di Potenza
Chiayi International Art Doc Film festival - International premiere
Jeonju International Film Festival - South Korea premiere
Beijing International Film Festival - China premiere
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.
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