Experimental Film
Artist’s Statement
This video was made during lockdown and finished on April 25, 2020. It is a reflection on domestic violence, human rights, and the woman condition in all countries. I was inspired by a personal involvement: an old friend I met by chance after a long time told me the abuse she was victim of from her husband. She thought it was painful, but she accepted it as a normal condition. I was shocked and I told her she needed to contact the police. I thought about this short talk we had for a long time. I really think the way she accepted this abuse, thinking it was normal, is a huge issue for many women.
This is something that needs to be changed. This topic is for me really important, and the work “My Name Is Sami” is a studio for a bigger project. I feel a responsibility as a woman artist to make people think about it, to confront themselves with this item.
I don’t know if it will help to resolve the problem, but this is a start to fight it.
Daniela Lucato started doing theater in Padua, Italy, parallel to her studies at the university. After earning her degree in philosophy, she moved to Rome, Wellington, and finally Berlin, where she works as an actress and filmmaker. The Birthday (2014), her first short film written and directed in Mandarin and English, has been officially selected for twenty-five international festivals (among these MICGénero, Frameline, and ShanghaiPRIDE, where the film was also nominated for best cinematography). In 2015, she founded Connecting Fingers Company. Her latest productions for theater are Connecting Fingers, The Wheel, and The Rebellious Body. Her films When I Dance (2016) and The Wheel (2017) are screening at international film festivals. For the Time Being (2018) received the award as best international short film at the Downtown Urban Arts Festival. In 2019 she wrote and directed the experimental short film Vieni and in 2020 the narrative short Mamma Dorme (Mommy’s Sleeping). During COVID-19, she wrote/performed/directed the short film My Name Is Sami.