A woman's courage and dignity: "My Name Is Nevenka" arrives in theaters.
Screenings in Cagliari, Olbia, Tortolì, and AlgheroPer restare aggiornato entra nel nostro canale Whatsapp
A story of great courage and dignity. "My Name is Nevenka" opens in Sardinian cinemas in Cagliari, Olbia, Tortolì, and Alghero on November 25 and 26. The true story of the first Spanish woman to report a politician for sexual harassment. On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, a special screening of the new film by Spanish director Icíar Bollaín, one of the most important auteurs of contemporary European cinema, is being held.
In 2000, Nevenka Fernández, a young municipal councilor, found the courage to report her boss, the mayor of a small Spanish provincial town, for sexual harassment, thus breaking the silence that had protected those in power for years.
Nevenka's case is considered a historic precedent: she was the first woman to break her silence and publicly denounce a politician, who at the time was her boss and the mayor of the city, thus anticipating the #MeToo movement by almost twenty years and sparking a public debate on violence and the abuse of power in institutions. It is a work with a strong civic and human impact that lucidly addresses the issues of abuse of power, psychological violence, and workplace stalking, sensitively portraying the inner journey of a woman forced to defend her dignity in a hostile system.
The film will be presented on November 25th at the Cinema Odissea in Cagliari, with protagonist Urko Olazabal joining the show online; at the Cine Teatro in Olbia, in collaboration with the Prospettiva Donna association, with a presentation by its president Patrizia Desole; and at the Cinema Garibaldi in Tortolì, thanks to the support of Voltalacarta, with a presentation by its president Loredana Rosa and a presentation by journalist Federica Melis.
The following day, November 26, it will be screened at the Miramare Cinema in Alghero, in collaboration with the Società Umanitaria di Alghero. Speakers will include Speranza Piredda for the Alghero Women's Network, Annina Sardara, regional coordinator of Rete Dafne, and Eleonora Sanna, psychologist at the Progetto Aurora - Sassari Anti-Violence Center. On the same day, the film will also be screened at the Ariston Cinema in Oristano, in collaboration with the Anti-Violence Center. Francesca Marras, director of the center, will be speaking.
The Sardinian initiatives are part of the national calendar of screenings and meetings organized by Exit Media, in collaboration with Una, Nessuna Centomila, WIFT&M – Women in Film, Television & Media Italia, and Mujeres nel Cinema, with the aim of transforming the film viewing into an opportunity for discussion and collective awareness on a topic that remains pressing today.
"The biggest challenge was conveying the confusion that the harasser Ismael Álvarez causes in Nevenka: one moment he's joking, the next not; sometimes he's a colleague, other times a persecutor; today he gives you a task, tomorrow he humiliates you," the director stated. "A textbook manipulator, but incredibly effective. As she herself confides to her psychoanalyst: 'I don't know if I'm going crazy, I don't recognize myself anymore. These are dynamics we worked hard on, trying to convey them to the viewer so they can experience them firsthand." Mireia Oriol gives body and voice to Nevenka with an intense performance, alongside Urko Olazabal (winner of the Goya Award and the Feroz Award for his performance in Iciar Bollain's Maixabel) as Mayor Ismael Álvarez. The cast also includes Ricardo Gómez, Lucía Veiga, Carlos Serrano, and Font García. The film blends realism and psychological insight, avoiding didacticism and focusing on the truth of the actions and the moral force of the narrative. The work balances denunciation and empathy, conveying the complexity of trauma and the need for words as an act of liberation.
Produced by Kowalski Films, Feelgood Media, Nva Peli AIE and with the associated production Garbo Produzioni, and distributed by Exit Media in collaboration with the Una, Nessuna Centomila foundation and WIFT&M – Women in Film, Television & Media Italia.
