Lateral, and uncomfortable: stories of rebellious women

The Italian Global Series Festival's rich programme includes a section dedicated to the serial story of women: "Extraordinarie - Le donne raccontate dalla serialità" will consist of the screening of episodes taken from various series and miniseries united by the singularity of their protagonists, lateral, uncomfortable, entrepreneurial, real or invented women, successful or made invisible by history. Some are less well known, such as Cassandra Austen, older sister of the more famous Jane, played by Keeley Hawes in the British period drama Miss Austen (Rose Leslie from The Throne of Swords is also in the cast). Between historical present and past, Miss Austen takes its cue from the dense correspondence between the two close sisters, much of which was destroyed after Jane's untimely death in 1817, but which was of great importance in contextualising the writer's life. Other protagonists, on the other hand, are very famous: like Marie Antoinette, who emerged from the pen of Deborah Davis, the former scriptwriter of The Favourite, in this serial version that emphasises the difficulties and impositions to which the very young sovereign is subjected. And like Maria Callas, already the protagonist of Pablo Larraín's last film, here the subject of the Greek miniseries Maria - The unknown Callas, which promises an in-depth examination of Maria's metamorphosis from an anonymous young singer, too far removed from the aesthetic canons of the time, to an absolute and charismatic diva.Between reality and fiction, there is also room for the most radical non-conformism, for even more decisive acts of rebellion against the rigid models and gender roles imposed by patriarchal society: here then is George Sand, the male pseudonym behind which hides Aurore Dupin, a free and unscrupulous writer, brought to the screen by Nine D'Urso in the series La rebelle: les aventures de la jeune George Sand; and again a focus on Lagertha, a personality from Norse mythology made a symbol of strength and independence in the series Vikings, played by Katheryn Winnick; and finally the extraordinary creation of Modesta (Tecla Insolia), the protagonist of L'arte della gioia by Goliarda Sapienza, adapted for the screen by Valeria Golino. With such a diverse array of female characters, "Extraordinarie" highlights how the serialised story of women, present or past, inspires current and collective reflections on the paths of change, setbacks, and the dangers of societies that cage and sanction rather than welcome the plurality of bodies, minds and ways of existing.