41^ Lovers Film Festival
REAL LOVERS
BALLATA FEMMENELLA
FEMMENELLA BALLAD
by Elettra Raffaela Melucci, Giovanni Battista Origo
Before—and distinct from—trans identity, there were (and still are) the femminielli—or femmenelle, in Neapolitan. A community richly present in popular imagination, now a symbol of something that reaches far beyond its local specificity: a way of inhabiting gender that holds together marginality and the possibility of inclusion. Long used to putting themselves on display, yet more rarely given the chance to speak in their own voice, in this documentary the femmenelle finally take the floor. They share their lives, desires and expectations for the future, as well as the struggles for recognition and dignity. Faces, both familiar and less so, pass before us, including Porpora Marcasciano, La Tarantina, activist Loredana Rossi, and Italy’s first transgender couple to marry, Tommy Florek and Samantha Acierno. In the background (yet truly at the center), Naples once again becomes a stage for fertile tensions.
Biography
film director
Elettra Raffaela Melucci
Elettra Raffaela Melucci (1988) is a screenwriter and journalist. She made her screenwriting debut collaborating on the ensemble film In bici senza sella (2016). This was followed by the shorts La notte del professore (2016), La premiata compagnia Mastrosimone (2017), Condominium (2018), and Maria – A chent’annos (2019), all directed by Giovanni Battista Origo. She moved into documentary with Under 18 (2019) and writing with We Love the Danza (2021). In 2025, she made her directorial debut alongside Origo with Ballata femmenella.
Giovanni Battista Origo
Italian director and screenwriter Giovanni Battista Origo (Rome, 1988) made his directorial debut in 2016, writing and directing an episode of the anthology film In bici senza sella, presented at the Festa del Cinema di Roma. In the same year, he directed La notte del professore, followed by La Premiata Compagnia Mastrosimone (2017), Gong! (2017), Condominium (2018), and Maria – A chent’annos (2019). He later focused on documentary work, directing titles such as Under 18 – storie di sogni periferici (2019) and We Love the Danza (2021). In 2025, he co-directed Ballata femmenella together with Elettra Raffaella Melucci.
Cast
& Credits
Montaggio/Editing Giovanni Battista Origo
Fotografia/Photography Francesco Piras
Scenografia/Production Design Nino Formica, Cristian Antonio Auricchio
Suono/Sound Antonio Caspariello, Filippo Puglia, Michele Saldarella
Musica/Music Federico Odling
Interpreti/Cast Loredana Rossi, Tarantina, Sara Carbone, Samantha Acierno, Tommy Floriek, Stefania Zambrano, Jackie Ferrè, Porpora Marcasciano
Produttore/Producer Francesco Formica, Giovanni Battista Origo
Produzione/Production Amaro Produzioni srl
Distribuzione/Distribution Sayonara Film
