« Messa Partigiana »
Directed by Monika Salzbrunn and edited by Pascal Bernhardt and Monika Salzbrunn
2023
Duration: 00:11:11
The feminist “Messa Partigiana” (Partisan Mass) was held on the Italian National Day, April 25th, in the ruins of the Santa Maria in Passione church in the historical part of Genoa. Directed by artist Simona Ugolotti, the satirical performance reinvented the Catholic mass in a carnivalesque way to commemorate Italian resistance activists such as Teresa Mattei and Ada Bernardi. Their memory was invoked by the performer, who saw herself as “guardian of memory”, and encouraged the participants to follow her example.
In producing this documentary film, the research team and film crew led by Monika Salzbrunn worked closely with Simona Ugolotti and those who participated in the event to incorporate their feedback into the filmmaking process. A first edited version was screened on the anniversary of the founding of the artists’ squat where the performance took place. The film is one outcome of the research project ARTIVISM. Art and Activism. Creativity and Performance as Subversive Forms of Political Expression in Super-Diverse Cities, funded by the European Research Council.
