41^ Lovers Film Festival
FUTURE LOVERS
LE PRIME VOLTE
THE FIRST TIMES
by Giulia Cosentino, Perla Sardella
In a close interplay between past and present, Emilia and Caterina’s voices guide us through the photographs and vintage footage unfolding on the screen. The memories of their childhood in the girls’ boarding school fracture the meaning of the image: on one side what is visible, on the other what remains hidden. The footage used is in fact amateur archival material shot by men and therefore shaped by a male gaze. The voices, however, delve into the image, revealing the female desire that had long been silenced.
Biography
film director
Giulia Cosentino
Giulia Cosentino was born in Catania in 1990. Director, screenwriter and researcher, she worked as an assistant director for internationally renowned authors, such as Pietro Marcello, Francesca Archibugi, Matteo Garrone and Miguel Gomes. She directed the short film Lui e io (2019), presented at the Turin Film Festival, and co-directed Le storie che saremo (2020), Le prime volte (co-directed by Perla Sardella, 2026). She lives between Rome and Palermo, where she teaches at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia.
Perla Sardella
Perla Sardella was born in Jesi in 1991. She studied Cinema and Multimedia Arts at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan. A visual artist and documentary filmmaker, she works between experimentation and observation, ranging from linear to non-linear audiovisual formats: she made her directional debut in 2015 with the short film Comfort Zone, presented at the Turin Film Festival. She currently lives and works in Genoa: she is the co-founder of the Reframing Home Movies association, created to promote amateur archives.
Cast
& Credits
Montaggio/Editing Ainhoa Andraka, Davide Minotti, Perla Sardella
Suono/Sound Marzia Cordò
Musica/Music Sapore
Interpreti/Cast Emma Beonio Brocchieri, Sveva Romana Candelletta
Produttore/Producer Margot Mecca, Matteo Tortone, Ainhoa Andraka, Zuri Goikoetxea
Produzione/Production Malfé Film, Doxa Producciones
Distribuzione/Distribution Lights On
