Kutsal Gece (A Santanotte)

Director: Elvira Notari Screenplay: Elvira Notari Cast: Rosè Angione, Eduardo Notari, Alberto Danza, Elisa Cava, Antonio Palmieri Italy / 1922 / 61 minutes / Black and White / DCP / Silent (with Italian intertitles) / Subtitled in Turkish "Holy Night" is one of the rare works that have survived from Elvira Notari, the first female director in Italian cinema. Inspired by the popular song of the same name by Francesco Buongiovanni and Eduardo Scala, the film portrays poverty and violence against women in a melodramatic style. Nanninella is a young woman who works as a waitress to earn a small salary, which she is forced to use to support her father, who constantly abuses her. One day, she falls in love with a kind man named Tore, but even this love will be affected by the harsh realities of life in Naples. * We would like to thank Cineteca Nazionale, Il Cinema Ritrovato, and Cineteca Bologna for their contributions.