In a mountainous region in Albania where women have no rights at all, it’s optional to hide femininity, make the promise of remaining a virgin for life –hence the film’s title- and adopt the aspect of a male. This way, those virgins can take on “male practices” as classified by this traditional society, such as working outside the house. The first feature by Laura Bispuri tells the story of Hana/Mark (Alba Rohrwacher), her journey, her doubts, her discoveries. Without the need to become declamatory, Sworn Virgin clearly shows the differences that can be found in the European continent one border away, and cogently describes rites and customs, the peculiar ones as well as the brutal. And, above all, it has enough empathy and sensitivity to cinematically show confidence (it’s fundamental for the character of the teenager and her swimming practices) in order to relate the way out of an unbearable confinement. JPF
D: Laura Bispuri
G: Francesca Manieri, Laura Bispuri
F: Vladan Radovic
E: Carlotta Cristiani, Jacopo Quadri
DA: Ilaria Sadun, Tim Pannen
S: Marc von Stürler
M: Nando Di Cosimo
P: M. Donzelli, G. Paonessa, M. Totti, A. Usai, D. Wechsler, M. Weber
CP: Match Factory Productions
Alba Rohrwacher, Flonja Kodheli, Lars Eidinger
The Match Factory. Sergi Steegmann
T +49 30 4431 9050 E sergi.steegmann@matchfactory.de
W the-match-factory.com TW @thematchfactory
After graduating at the University of Rome, she was selected to attend the direction and production school Fandango Lab Workshop. She directed, among others, the short film Passing Time (2010), with which she won the David Donatello award. Sworn Virgin is her first feature film.
