Elvira Notari, the first Italian female director is from Campania. Celebrations for 150 years since her birth, a national committee

A pioneer of cinema, a woman at that, and from the South at that. Elvira Coda Notari, born in Salerno in 1875, a director and producer whose fame has been tarnished by decades of oblivion, is at the center of initiatives in many cities that will pay homage to the first Italian director on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of her birth. Moreover, a National Committee to celebrate her figure and work was established by decree of the Minister of Culture. Chaired by Antonella Di Nocera, who was its promoter, the Committee is made up of scholars, teachers, curators and representatives of the main Italian and international cinematographic and academic institutions: Gina Annunziata, Giuliana Bruno, Steve Della Casa, Gianluca Farinelli, Titta Fiore, Simona Frasca, Cristina Iandelli, Anna Masecchia, Giuliana Muscio, Riccardo Realfonzo. The first sponsored event will be held in Bologna on June 25th at the Festival 'Il Cinema Ritrovato' with the cine-concert “A' Santanotte”. The first Italian director and one of the first women filmmakers worldwide, Elvira Notari was an absolute pioneer in the cinema panorama of the last century. After moving to Naples, she founded the production company Dora Film with her husband Nicola, active especially in the 1920s. She was an author, producer and entrepreneur, making over 60 feature films and hundreds of short films and documentaries that were widely distributed in Italy and the United States at the time. Her gaze, deeply rooted in popular culture, combined real-life shots – anticipating neorealism – with the staging and dramaturgy of the Neapolitan sceneggiata. The Committee will operate in her name on a national and international scale, in the name of memory, vision and cultural transformation, in dialogue with universities, film libraries, archives, schools, local authorities and research communities, promoting a network of exchanges and connections both through a dedicated portal, designed to preserve, consolidate and share the precious things her cinema still represents today and by activating a program of public initiatives in various Italian cities this year. A collective commitment to restore her to the place she deserves among the great protagonists of twentieth-century cinema and among the founding figures of Italian film culture. After the success of the homage in Naples in recent months with the retrospective 'Elvira 150', promoted by the Municipality and organized by Parallelo 41 produzioni in collaboration with CSC - Cineteca Nazionale and Cineteca di Bologna, Elvira's journey starts again from Bologna, where the film 'A Santanotte (1922) will be screened in the cine-concert version with music by Michele Signore, on texts by Pasquale Ziccardi and Alessio Sollo and contributions by Pasquale Fama and Ferdinando Russo. The interventions of Antonella Di Nocera, Maria Coletti (CSC - Cineteca nazionale) and Elena Correra (photographic archive Cineteca di Bologna), will introduce the viewing and listening of the work that brings together on stage an ensemble of musicians composed of Michele Signore, Umberto Maisto, Anastasia Cecere, Simona Frasca and Dolores Melodia. “We are truly honored that the prestigious Bologna festival hosts a tribute to Elvira Notari,” explains Antonella Di Nocera, “and that it does so with one of the productions born in the Neapolitan festival. We will bring, where possible, those 163 minutes of her cinema, the beating heart of this journey on the occasion of the 150th anniversary. I am happy to work with a Committee of the highest profile to give back to the community a tangible testimony of the precious work of Elvira Notari. A woman who still speaks to us today, like one of our contemporaries.” The official website of the committee www.elvitanotari.it will provide news on the program online, but will also be a container for disseminating the initiatives carried out so far, for hosting new members and for requesting sponsorships for activities and proposals. The National Committee has its registered office in Naples at the Film Commission Regione Campania and the organizational secretariat at the Consorzio Promos Ricerche.