Anna, written and directed by Marco Amenta, is part of the Venice Days programme. The film has been produced by the director’s sister, Simonetta Amenta, with EuroFilm and the support of the Sardinian local government, Fondazione Sardegna Film Commission, Eurimages, MIC Direzione Generale Cinema e Audiovisivo, Région Île-de-France.
Making films in Sardinia.
This is my second Sardinian film. It is a privilege to work here. I worked very well with Sardegna Film Commission. They have a very interesting workflow, and everything they do is based on merit. In no other region of Italy are we helped in filming so carefully as we have been here. Not only filming: all the way to theatrical distribution.
To make this film, I wanted to understand deeply these places, this isolated farm, the animals, the goats. I asked the protagonist actress– Rose Aste – to live in the farmhouse for a while, to better understand this life and play Anna the way she should be played. I love to spend some time in places, to get to know them well, deeply, and prepare myself for the filmmaking process. I want the cast to experience the same.
As beautiful, wild, and magnetic as the pristine landscapes of her native Sardinia, Anna lives and breathes in time to her own land, a land that heals her wounds and nourishes her soul. Bowed but unbroken by the hardships she has endured, today Anna is a free agent, a woman wh...
A real story, you were saying…
A story like David and Goliath. Someone rose up against urban speculation. We adapted the story to a female protagonist, it felt more universal that way. My career has been all about documentary, photo reporting, and the like, which means I feel strongly about real, raw inspiration. I do adapt this into a filmmaker’s perspective, but my style will still be a bit rough-edged, direct, rugged – ƒjust like my protagonist. Anna must not be judged, she is a victim of assault. We don’t want to pity her, though. She doesn’t want to be a victim, and she’s not a hero. What is important, for me, is to show a person that is a real woman, with all her flaws and fragilities. Anna is not a stereotype,
