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World premiered at Rome Film Fest – Special Screenings section

Nicole, Giada, and Mariateresa, three 11-year-old girls from Palmi in Calabria, dream of portraying the Madonna during the Assumption festival, known as the Varia—a local tradition that has thrived for 500 years. In each edition, one girl is chosen to ascend a sacred 17-meter-high carriage, which is carried on the shoulders of participants in a grand procession.

Through their eyes, this documentary delves into themes such as physical appearance and the human desire to be seen. It also weaves in the voices of Palmi’s citizens, examining the event’s contradictions as it oscillates between poetry and kitsch, courage and recklessness, and the interplay of present and past.