From the renowned Italian writer Dacia Maraini to Emma Bonino, politician and civil rights activist; from Sussan Deyhim, an exiled Iranian composer and singer, to Tomaso Binga, a visual and verbal artist who uses her body to challenge male power, and finally to Setsuko Klossowska de Rola, a Japanese painter and sculptor, widow of the painter Balthus.
At the heart of the story lies the woman—and her body—as a catalyst for events, offering their immortal principles to their sisters and to the history of our time. Each of them, with her unique voice and hands, has affirmed her identity in the world, transcending the constraints of time and space, embodying that irrepressible force of presence that only women can truly possess.
On one side of the narrative are Tomaso, Dacia, and Emma, who lived through the powerful wave of Italian historical feminism and reflect on its legacy—sharing memories, passions, and the changes it brought to women and to themselves. On the other side of the story—and of the world—are the lives of Setsuko and Sussan. The former, as a young woman, falls for the genius Balthus. Not yet married, she quietly sparks her own revolution by following him to Italy despite their 35-year age gap and the judgment of society at the time. Sussan, an Iranian singer, dancer, and musician, recounts—through her art—not only her own struggle, but also that of many other Iranian female artists, such as Shirin Neshat and the poet Forough Farrokhzad. Then as now, they resist the daily assault on women’s bodies, vilified and erased in Iran and in many other parts of the world.
An extraordinary journey through the lives of extraordinary women—marked by passion, love, strength, and resilience.
Introduction and final Q&A with director Yvonne Sciò