Disparity of gender is an ancient topic, and violence against women still represents, regrettably, an issue of global proportions. While we are at least witnessing some tentative efforts toward gender equality, in the 17th century women were not even allowed to enter an art workshop. This notion was cemented into the mentality of the times, until a young woman named Artemisia (daughter of the painter Orazio Gentileschi), being herself a victim of rape, chose to rebel. Thanks to her unquestionable talent, in 1618 a 23-year-old Artemisia Gentileschi became the first woman to be admitted to an Academy of the Arts of Drawing, thus becoming the first Italian woman to enjoy an international career.
“Artemisia Gentileschi, Warrior Painter” is the title of the docu-movie directed and produced by Jordan River with Delta Star Pictures. The film features actress Angela Curri (“Braccialetti rossi 3”; “La mafia uccide solo d’estate 2”; “Raffaello, il principe delle arti”) playing the role of Artemisia. It will be distributed on November 25, 2020. «I strongly wanted to make this movie so that I could show the inner world of an artist and, in this case, a woman», says the director. «In most art documentary the spiritual dimension is almost absent. I think when mature painters work on their masterpieces, they don’t simply put some colors together to decorate the rooms of the lords, but first and foremost to convey an inner vision of human existence. My intention in deliberately making this documentary somewhat academic (thus giving all audiences the means to comprehend it and making it accessible to everyone) was to travel through the whole life of the artist, without sticking to a merely biographical account. I believe that Artemisia’s life and work let us dive into the emotional power of the arts and make us understand what can be found in the heart and mind of an artist who was at times oppressed by the everyday hurdles that sometimes life holds for us.»
Filmed in ultra-high definition with passion and historical rigor (the film shows part of the correspondence with collectors and personalities of the time, including Galileo Galilei, with whom Artemisia became friends), the biographical tale of the famed 17th century painter offers an oneiric journey through her masterpieces, exhibited at the most important museum all over the world (including the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Columbus Museum of Art in the U.S., the Palacio Real de Madrid, the Stiftung Preußische Schlösser und Gärten Berlin-Brandenburg, and Galleria Spada in Rome) as well as in private collections, such as ‘Aurora’ (ca. 1627), shown for the first time in 4K, and ‘David and Goliath’ (1639), recently discovered in London thanks to famed British art conservator Simon Gillespie. Gillespie gave an exclusive interview in this film, in which he explains how David’s sword, after an accurate work of restoration, revealed the identity of the author, aka Artemisia. Next to his commentary, the documentary features interviews with Alessandra Masu (Art historian, specialized in the Renaissance and Italian Baroque) and Adriana Capriotti (Modern art historian and director of Galleria Spada, MiBACT). The film has already premiered at some of the most important international film festivals (Best Documentary at XXIV Terra di Siena International Film Festival 2020, Best Feature Docudrama at Global Nonviolent Film Festival 2020, USA; finalist at Los Angeles Cinematography Awards, USA; Official Selection at International Documentary Festival | Visioni dal Mondo 2020, Italy); and is a candidate to win the David di Donatello 2021. “Artemisia Gentileschi, Warrior Painter” was also scheduled to be released in theaters, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic it will be distributed directly in Italy and other 15+ countries (including the U.S., the U.K, Germany, and Japan) on Chili and Amazon Prime Video, on the symbolic date of November 25, in order to celebrate the global event established by the General Assembly of the United Nations. All updates and direct link to the platforms will be posted online at the address www.artemisiagentileschi-warriorpainter.com
Watch on Amazon Prime Video: [USA] | [UK] | CHILI: [UK]
