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Mother fortress

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Mother fortress

Mother fortress

original title:

Mother fortress

directed by:

Maria Luisa Forenza

screenplay:

Maria Luisa Forenza

cinematography:

Maria Luisa Forenza, Giulio Pietromarchi

editing:

Annalisa Forgione, Maria Luisa Forenza

production:

Damascena Film, Rai Cinema, with the support of MAECI - Directorate General for the Promotion of the Country System, under the patronage of Roma Lazio Film Commission

distribution:

Damascena Film [Italy]

country:

Italy

year:

2019

film run:

78'

format:

colour

status:

Ready (10/01/2019)

festivals & awards:

  • Top Indie Film Awards - IMDb Summer Edition 2019: Best Documentary Feature, Best Message
  • Tertio Millennio Film Festival Roma - Città del Vaticano 2018: Menzione Speciale della Giuria
  • Popoli e Religioni - Terni Film Festival 2019: In Concorso
  • Milano Movie Week - Fondazione Ente dello Spettacolo 2019
  • Parma International Music Film Festival 2019: In Concorso
  • Salento International Film Festival 2019: In Concorso
  • Festival Human Rights Nights Bologna 2019
  • Bolzano Film Festival Bozen 2019: In Concorso
  • LA Festival of Cinema 2020: Competition
  • Depth of Field International Film Festival IMDb 2021: Exceptional Merit Award
  • Religion Today Film Festival 2020: Best Documentary International Jury
  • Festival del Cinema Città di Spello e dei Borghi Umbri 2020: Miglior Documentario
  • Contropendenze Film Festival - Settima Arte 2021
  • Orvieto Human Rights International Film Festival 2021
  • Nastri d’Argento 2020: Cinema del Reale - Finalista
  • Foggia Film Festival 2019
  • Memoria Festival 2021
  • City of Peace for Children Foundation 2020
  • Casa Internazionale delle Donne 2020
  • Oltre il Visibile 2020
  • AUR-American University of Rome2020: Peace Studies
  • Racconti Italiani FICE 2020
  • Fedi in Gioco a Scuola, ACEC-SDC 2019
  • Meeting per l'amicizia fra i popoli di Rimini 2019
  • Interreligious - Centro Universitario di Padova 2019
  • Festival Human Rights Nights, Cineteca di Bologna 2019
  • The Lay Center at Foyer Unitas, Rome 2019

Mother Agnes, along with monks, nuns from France, Belgium, Portugal, Lebanon, Chile, Venezuela, Colorado-USA (some of them former journalists), faces the effects of the war in Syria on her monastery, located at the foot of the mountains on the border with Lebanon where ISIS insidiously hides.

Despite being itself the target of attacks, the monastery welcomes orphans, widows, refugees (Christians and Sunnis), victims of a fratricidal war that since 2011 has produced chaos and devastation. By organizing a convoy of ambulances and trucks, travelling along roads controlled by ISIS snipers, Mother Agnes pursues the daring mission of providing humanitarian aid (food, clothes, medicine) to the Syrians trapped in the country. An exploration of the human condition in times of war, the film is a material and spiritual journey, a 'love story' with destination Rome where the secret gets revealed ...