"Coming into the world", screening in Pragelato

Coming into the world. The midwives in the twentieth century, a film by Remo Schellino

Wednesday, August 13, at 9 PM, at the headquarters of the Val Troncea Natural Park, Via della Pineta 5 - Frazione La Ruà in Pragelato

Free entry until seats are filled

Coming into the World: there are many rites and customs that revolve around the cradle, the home, the coffin. These are the places where the life of all of us arises, stirs, and falls back into nature. Everything is born, everything moves. It is the only natural law that governs beings, from the mysterious principle of "coming into the world" to the unsettling mystery of the dissolution of "going to the other world". Birth is the entry into life. The female body is like the earth sown by man and fertilized by the sun. It is the sun that gives life to the grain sown in October, which remains under the snow in the winter months to then sprout in spring and finally mature in June for harvest. A cycle of nine months like the gestation of a child. This is where the task of the midwife comes in, women capable of lifting and elevating the newborn from the body of the woman. The cyclicality given by a circle that closes and another, the maternal womb, that opens to a new path of life. The film "Coming into the World" is part of a trilogy: being born, living, and dying. The traditional female profession was that of the midwife, a product of a centuries-old culture, of the direct experience of women in peasant civilization, as she helped give life, enjoyed great prestige, and had significant authority. She was a witness to the succession of generations, guaranteed each one's identity, entered families, and was a witness to their lineage. The midwife’s profession was certainly regarded as important. For this reason, the idea is to tell, through the voices of the protagonists of the past, the profession of midwifery. The idea of creating a documentary focused on female testimonies arises from the awareness of a void. Little has been told of this feminine world, especially in the delicate transition between war and post-war when social and economic life began a slow journey.

Testimonials

• Maria Pistone from Carrù                                                      
• Aida Burchi from Perosa Argentina, class of 1931                           
• Teresa Rossio from Castelnuovo Nigra                                        
• Carla Ferreri from Alba                                                                 
• Luigina Manfrinotti from Ceppo Morelli (Verbania)     

Credits

• Subject and screenplay: Remo Schellino 
• Photography: Remo Schellino 
• Editing: Remo Schellino 
• Direction: Remo Schellino 

Duration: 52’ (April 2022)