"What an honor. What an honor."
But "male violence against women must now cease to be the unworthy social phenomenon that afflicts this country every day".
After having shattered every record at the box office, after prizes and recognitions, Paola Cortellesi and her debut film as director There's Still Tomorrow, produced by Wildside - Fremantle and Vision Distribution - Sky with Sky and Netflix, also arrives at the Chamber, with a special screening on the occasion of International Women's Day, in a very crowded Parliamentary Group Chamber.
In the audience, the vice president of the Chamber Anna Ascani had said shortly before the start, "three schools, a hundred citizens of all ages, even some grandmothers who are part of the generation that Paola Cortellesi's wonderful film tells about. It's important present it here - he explains - because this film talks about female emancipation, self-determination, freedom, but it also talks about politics, the importance of democratic institutions and how much the protagonism of citizens can do to make them strong. Give this message to young people and to girls on the eve of Women's Day is the highest the Chamber can do."
In presenting the film, Ascani recalls "that the conquests must be defended" and also cites some of the dark data of women's Italy such as "the wage gap, with women who earn 30% less for the same job", "the disparity in care work, with 80% of leaves still requested by women", "the denial of what is written in law 194 and the more less explicit attempts to cancel it" and then "gender violence, femicides , Giulia Cecchettin and all the others: already 17 since the beginning of the year. I hope - concludes the vice president - that this film reaches those who watch it as it reached me: a rediscovery of the profound meaning of the political battles that we wage, of the achievements that often seem obvious even to us, of the whole road we still have ahead of us" to "build a better future of equality and democracy. In this sense Paola Cortellesi's film also and above all talks about politics".
Then the word goes to her, the revelation director of the year.
"I am honored - begins Cortellesi amidst the applause and mimosas set up for March 8th - to be here with this film with which I wanted to talk about the rights denied but also those won, the same ones that allow you ladies and gentlemen to sit here in Parliament and to all citizens to freely express their thoughts, through speech, writing and any other means of dissemination. Accompanying me today are the producers whom I thank for having strongly wanted to make this first film of mine, which on paper by theme, setting and narrative style was certainly not the promise of a certain success".
But, he continues, "what inspired us was the desire to address a topic, that of violence against women, which is very close to our hearts and is certainly very close to the hearts of all of you who have the honor and responsibility of sitting in this room. Allow me to take advantage of the temporary privilege of speaking here today, to hope as an ordinary citizen that, regardless of the political parties you represent, you know how to proceed united to ensure that the new generations receive adequate training in affection and respect, so that from an early age they learn that loving does not mean possessing or suffering. And male violence against women ceases to be the unworthy social phenomenon that afflicts this country every day".
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