Elvira Notari: Beyond Silence Film Screening
Category: Event Calendar
Date and Time
- Saturday, Aug 8, 2026
Location
The 418 Project
155 S River St
Details
Ciriaci ELVIRA NOTARI: BEYOND SILENCE (2025, Awen Films, 89 min.) Dir. Valerio Ciriaci. Elvira Notari: Beyond Silence is a feature documentary chronicling the life and work of Elvira Notari (1875-1946), Italy's first woman film director. Despite directing hundreds of silent films that captivated audiences from Naples to New York, Elvira was relegated to the margins of film history for half a century. Her films, poised between realism and staged drama, were deeply rooted in Neapolitan folklore. A woman in a man’s world, her works were targeted by Fascist censorship yet found the embrace of audiences on both sides of the Atlantic. The documentary interweaves voices of those who celebrate her legacy today – from the experts who rediscovered her films to contemporary artists reimagining her vision through new works – to resurrect Elvira’s singular vision. More than a biography, Elvira Notari: Beyond Silence is a prismatic portrait of an artist who continues to inspire new creative pathways.
Discussion following with director Valerio Ciriaci.
Doors open at 7:00 PM, film at 7:30 PM at The 418 Project, 155 South River Street, downtown Santa Cruz at the Dragons Gate. $10 in advance, $15 at the door.
