“Everything that seems like fiction is reality, and what seems truest is fiction,” states Nicole Bertani, offering a lens through which to view ‘Le bambine’ (‘Mosquitoes’). This directorial debut by sisters Nicole and Valentina Bertani earned them a spot in the International Competition at the Locarno Film Festival, making them the sole Italian entry.
Set in 1997, the film follows eight-year-old Linda (Mia Ferricelli) as she leaves her wealthy grandmother’s (Cristina Donadio) Swiss villa with her mother Eva (Clara Tramontano). In Ferrara, Linda befriends Azzurra (Agnese Scazza) and Marta (Petra Scheggia), embarking on adventures in search of protection and freedom. “It’s a world very similar to the one we lived in as children,” explains Valentina Bertani. “There was the nosy neighbour, the mother who disruptively enters your life… We’ll probably be disinherited now,” she adds, laughing with her sister.
The character of Carlino (Milutin Dapčević), a queer babysitter described as “very free, dressed in total denim, wearing a scarf,” is also drawn from real life. The young protagonists, nicknamed ‘zanzarine’ (mosquitoes), are “a reworking of us and our childhood best friend,” Valentina continues. She notes the personality of screenwriter Maria Sole Limodio also deeply influenced the story.
One of the film’s potentially most surprising themes, set for Italian distribution by Adler Entertainment in 2026, is its portrayal of sexual discovery. “From the first reading I said: how courageous, how beautiful,” recalls Jessica Piccolo Valerani (playing Azzurra and Marta’s mother). “There are details about the feminine that I was seeing represented for the first time.”
Regarding cinematic influences, the Bertani sisters acknowledge bringing a distinctive first work to Locarno, yet one Valentina describes as “coherent with a certain kind of cinema we love,” citing films like Simone Bozzelli’s ‘Patagonia’, Carolina Cavalli’s ‘Amanda’, Giacomo Abbruzzese’s ‘Disco Boy’, and Alain Parroni’s ‘Una sterminata domenica’. “I think there’s a generation of free directors tired of the rules of Italian cinema,” Valentina states. “We want to create a cohesive group.”