Genre
Synopsis
Through magical realist animations in the style of baroque chiaroscuro, Devoti Tutti returns to the martyred Saint Agatha of Catania a voice she never had. Alongside a chorus of the citizens of Catania and the stories of real abuse survivors, Devoti Tutti shows how a community’s reverence for its saint masks misogynist realities. In her cell Agatha is kept company by her breasts, which her tormenters severed from her body—a reminder of the violence she suffered, but also of her refusal to submit to a man’s desire. Together with the flying breasts, Agatha escapes from the chamber where she has been held prisoner for two millennia and flies out over the ocean and into her own self-creation.
Bio
Bernadette Wegenstein is an Austrian-born linguist, author and critically acclaimed documentary filmmaker living in Baltimore. Her work brings together her feminist thought and her interest in human-centric storytelling. She studied semiotics with Umberto Eco at the University of Bologna, and received her phD in Linguistics from Vienna University. As a post-doc she studied Comparative Literature and Film at Stanford University. Bernadette Wegenstein is the recipient of numerous academic, film and Austrian governmental awards, and is currently also a professor of media studies at the Johns Hopkins University, where she directs the “Center of Advanced Media Study.” She’s directed four documentaries, including The Conductor, See You Soon Again, and The Good Breast, as well as the documentary short, See Me: a Global Concert. Bernadette is currently in post-production with the partly animated documentary Devoti tutti, and the feature film A Sweet Secret.
Screening History
World Premiere - Biografilm Festival 2023
Ortigia Film Festival 2023
Awards History
Ortigia Film Festival 2023 - Audience Award for Best Documentary
Credits
Actor - Donatella Finocchiaro
Lead Animator - Adriana Copete
Cinematographer - Judith Benedikt
