Elisa Amoruso’s film “Amata,” exploring motherhood and its societal taboos through a lens of real-life events, will premiere at the 2025 Venice Film Festival’s Giornate degli Autori before its theatrical release on October 16. The drama centers on two women whose lives become irrevocably linked despite never crossing paths. Nunzia (Tecla Insolia), a vibrant out-of-town student, grapples with an unwanted pregnancy and the decision about her unborn child. In stark contrast, affluent Maddalena (Miriam Leone)—married to pianist Luca (Stefano Accorsi)—endures repeated fertility treatments, miscarriages, and the anguish of unfulfilled motherhood.
Though both face seemingly insurmountable fragility, the film reveals how a “cradle for life” (safe-haven baby box) and the guidance of a psychologist (Donatella Finocchiaro) offer glimmers of hope. “I wanted to express solidarity with women unprepared for motherhood,” screenwriter-director Amoruso told ANSA, emphasizing that safely relinquishing a child is “a difficult, courageous act.” She stressed widespread ignorance in Italy about such anonymous surrender options, noting: “Many don’t know these cradles exist or that anonymous birth is legal—awareness could prevent tragedies like Cogne or the Parma infanticides.”
Amoruso drew from personal experience, revealing: “I suffered a miscarriage while trying for a second child—a profound loss.” She identifies with dramatic genres rooted in real events, citing her work on true-crime series “The Good Mothers” and “Dept. Q,” adding: “Socially conscious storytelling can stir consciences. Like Truffaut, I aim to move audiences, not preach.” When asked about revisiting her documentary on influencer Chiara Ferragni, she reflected: “Today, her narrative is less about pioneering digital entrepreneurship and more about a meteoric rise and fall.”
“Amata” is produced by Memo Films, Indiana Production, and Rai Cinema.
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