Private Project

Forbidden Transit

From her roots in Southern Italy to her landing in Bologna, the trans leader Porpora Marcasciano relives her self-discovery, from a negated identity to battles for human rights.
A brief study (in the form of an interview) on the character of Porpora.

  • Roberto Cannavò
    Director
    La prima volta
  • Vittorio Martone
    Writer
    La prima volta
  • Christian Poli
    Writer
    The passengers, Opera Mundi, Ho conosciuto Magnus, Lezioni di cioccolato
  • Marilisa Murgia
    Producer
    Saga, Siluri, Isole gemelle
  • Vittorio Martone
    Producer
    La prima volta
  • Porpora Marcasciano
    Key Cast
    "Herself"
    Una nobile rivoluzione
  • Massimiliano Bartolini
    Editing
    Opera Mundi, La prima volta, Germano Sartelli. La forma delle cose, Encourage
  • Fabio Iaci
    Audio and Music
    Ho conosciuto Magnus, MadrEmilia - Sulla via di Tondelli, Germano Sartelli. La forma delle cose
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Divieto di transito
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    Human rights, Lgbtqi, Social
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes 52 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 4, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    33,000 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Italy
  • Country of Filming:
    Italy
  • Language:
    Italian
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital 4K UHD
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.39:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Distribution Information
  • Bo Film
    Distributor
    Country: Italy
Director Biography - Roberto Cannavò

Roberto Cannavò was born in Messina in 1990. In 2016 he graduated from Dams in Bologna. During his studies he worked on the set as an assistant to Paolo “Fiore” Angelini in the films “Ho conosciuto Magnus” and “La signora Matilde”; as assistant director for the projects “E.R. Connection” and “Opera Mundi”. He collaborates in the production of journalistic videos with Unibo and Uisp Emilia-Romagna. From his experience with this association, in partnership with Vittorio Martone, his debut work was born, the documentary on the Bologna juvenile prison “La Prima Volta”, which in 2017 won three awards (The Monthly Film Festival, Matera Sport Film Festival and National Festival of Integrated Sports) and five selections in as many prestigious reviews.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Porpora Marcasciano is officially one of the most relevant figures fighting to defend the rights of transsexual people. It was therefore a must to dedicate attention to her and to recount different facets of the trans reality through her eyes.
"Forbidden Transit" focuses attention on a more intimate aspect of Porpora's life and on the discrimination suffered by transsexual people during their lives.
The archival video material provided to us by the protagonist allowed for a magical admixture between archival images and live footage. For this reason, in a way, I like to imagine Porpora as an unaware “videographer,” whose filming has waited all these years before merging into a single work.
It is a work that seeks to address the topic of trans identity from a non-sensationalistic point of view, free from exaggerations or feigned compassion or news cynicism. I dealt with the filming and more generally the creative process by believing in the simplicity and strength of Porpora's testimony and story; and she, a fabulous person, knew how to take on the responsibility of a collective story with joy and fun.