Experiencing Interruptions?

Alétheia

After waking up from what, apparently, seems like a dream in which she asked to change her name, the protagonist loses not only the memory of it, but also her identity. Unable to reconcile with the entity that deprived her of her essence, the only way to find comfort is by taking refuge in nature, an immutable and transcendent being, in it it’s possible to find and know the true essence of the world. The story of losing one’s name clashes with the tumoural presence of the self, the ego that wants everything, that has to be there, that needs to remember.

  • Eleonora Cutini
    Director
  • Eleonora Cutini
    Writer
  • Razvan Mihai Lacatus
    Director of Photography
  • Razvan Mihai Lacatus
    Cinematography
  • Davide Sonzini
    Musical Score
  • Eleonora Cutini
    Editor
  • Razvan Mihai Lacatus
    Color
  • Eleonora Cutini
    A film by
  • Razvan Mihai Lacatus
    A film by
  • Eleonora Cutini
    Key Cast
    "The Girl/Voice"
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Alétheia
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Short
  • Runtime:
    11 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    April 2, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    0 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Italy
  • Country of Filming:
    Italy
  • Language:
    Italian
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, Lumix
  • Aspect Ratio:
    3:2
  • Film Color:
    Black & White
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Laterale Film Festival
    Cosenza
    Italy
    September 1, 2023
    Italian Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Bracciano International Film Exhibition II Edition
    Bracciano
    Italy
    September 2, 2023
    Official Selection
  • La casa Internazionale delle donne
    Rome
    Italy
    September 6, 2023
  • Incanto Short Film Festival
    Pesaro
    Italy
    September 30, 2023
    Photography Honorable Mention
  • UFFA! Urbino Film Festival
    Urbino
    Italy
    April 12, 2024
  • International Video Poetry Festival
    Athens
    Greece
    April 20, 2024
    Greek Premiere
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Eleonora Cutini

Eleonora Cutini was born in Amandola (FM), Italy, on 23 October 1997.
She grew up in the Marche hills of Fermo (Italy), not far from the Apennine chain of the Sibillini Mountains, inherithing through family memory the love for folk tales and customs of their land of origin.
Guided by dreamlike visions, her artistic research is characterized by the construction of imaginary landscapes inhabited by familiar elements, but at the same time perturbing and steeped in historical and personal memory.

- 2020: Bachelor's degree in Graphic and Printmaking at the Academy of Fine Arts in Urbino (Italy)
- 2022: Master's degree in Contemporary Painting and Visual Arts at the Academy of Fine Arts in Urbino

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Director Statement

ENG:
Knowing the name of things means being able to grasp their essence. In Cratylus (Plato, 4th century BC), while in dialogue with Socrates, he maintains that there is an absolute identity between "named thing" and "name", because it's an indication of wonderful, divine and sacred knowledge. According to him, there's no other knowledge except the name. For the Greeks, referring to truth means referring to nature in its entirety, and the path that allows this is to experience it in its hiding. Martin Heidegger in the twentieth century, in his work Being and Time, brings attention to the term "Alétheia" (ἀλήθεια) linking it to the concept of revelation. He takes up a very ancient testimony, attributed to Heraclitus, which defines the entity as something that does not show itself. "Nature loves to hide" and, says the philosopher, the task of the wise is to bring being to light. The word Alétheia contains the word "lanthano" (λήθεια) preceded by the privative alpha, meaning "that which is discovered in the judgment". It's also the toponym of the river of oblivion in Greek culture, Lethe, according to which it was believed that drinking its water caused forgetfulness. But the water you drink is also the water that drinks you, that swallows memories and memories. In biblical culture, the ability to name things speaks to us of the unique capabilities of their kind, which God has granted to the human creature, namely to dominate creation. In ancient thought, the name has a mystical, powerful attribute, and man's ability to be able to name his surroundings brings order to the chaotic world and gives it dignity. However, when this knowledge is lacking, it's difficult if not impossible to give them a shape and a meaning.

As a source of inspiration during the entire creative process, the ancient pagan rural traditions (legacy of the Picenes), the hilly landscapes and the ancient ruins of the Marche's are not limited only to a merely scenographic task, but become co-protagonists. All the shots were filmed in the region, in the Fermo hinterland. The decision to choose a monochrome coloring with nostalgic tones was dictated by the need to give the entire story and its scenarios a dreamlike aura and temporal indefiniteness.

ITA:
Conoscere il nome delle cose significa poterne cogliere l'essenza. Nel Cratilo (Platone, IV secolo a.C) quest'ultimo mentre dialoga con Socrate sostiene che esiste un'assoluta identità tra cosa nominata e nome, perché esso è indizio di conoscenza meravigliosa, divina e sacrale. Secondo lui, non esiste altra conoscenza al di fuori del nome. Per i greci riferirsi al vero significa fare riferimento alla natura nella sua interezza e il percorso che lo permette è farne esperienza nel suo nascondersi. Martin Heidegger nel XX secolo, nell’opera Essere e tempo, riporta l’attenzione sul termine "Alétheia" (ἀλήθεια) collegandolo al concetto di rivelazione. Riprende una testimonianza antichissima, attribuita ad Eraclito, che definisce l’ente come qualcosa che non si mostra. “La natura ama nascondersi” e, afferma il filosofo, il compito dei sapienti è portare alla luce l’essere. La parola Alétheia racchiude in se la parola "lanthano" (λήθεια) preceduto dall'alfa privativo, stando a designare "ciò che si scopre nel giudizio". È anche il toponimo del fiume Lete, ossia il fiume dell'oblio nella cultura greca, secondo cui si credeva che berne l'acqua provocava dimenticanza. Ma l'acqua che si beve è anche l'acqua che beve, che inghiotte ricordi e memorie. Nella cultura biblica, la capacità di dare un nome alle cose ci parla delle capacità uniche nel loro genere che Dio ha concesso alla creatura umana, ossia quella di dominare sul creato. Nel pensiero antico, il nome ha un attributo mistico, potente, e la capacità dell'uomo di poter denominare ciò che lo circonda pone ordine nel mondo caotico e dà una dignità ad esse. Nel momento in cui, però, questa conoscenza viene a mancare risulta difficile se non impossibile dare loro una forma e un significato.

Poiché fonte di ispirazione durante l’intero processo creativo, le antiche tradizioni rurali pagane (lascito dei piceni), i paesaggi collinari e gli antichi ruderi delle Marche non si limitano soltanto ad un compito meramente scenografico, ma diventano co-protagonisti. Tutte le riprese sono state girate nella regione, nell’entroterra del fermano. La scelta di optare per una coloring monocroma dai toni nostalgici è stata dettata dalla necessità di conferire all'intera storia e ai suoi scenari un'aura onirica e un'indefinitezza temporale.