An Italian drama following the story of Gelsomina, a gentle young woman sold by her mother to a brutish strongman, Zampanò. The 1954 film marks director Federico Fellini’s departure from the neorealist style which characterised his earlier works, instead embracing a poetic, bittersweet, and fable-like narrative style. Despite a tumultuous production and initially negative reception, the film won the first Academy Award for Best Foreign-Language Film and has since been widely hailed as one of Fellini’s greatest works.
This film has been selected by writer Annamaria Murphy. Anna has written extensively for Kneehigh Theatre and BBC Radio 4 and is currently Artistic Director and Lead Writer at the Writers’ Block in Redruth. You can read her introduction here.