The Body And The Name (52')
THE BODY AND THE NAME (52') The Unknown of The Fosse Ardeatine
INFORMATION
IT / 2023 / 52' / 4K / Italian, English
SD Cinematografica / Venicefilm / Rai / Directed by Daniele Cini
Worldwide rights available except Italy
TAGS
Crime, WW2, Italian, foreigners, German, Polish, UK, Israel, Christians, Jews
SYNOPSIS
The story of the Fosse Ardeatine massacre is one of the most tragic and poignant chapters of World War II, especially in Italy. On March 24, 1944, 335 Italian civilians were brutally murdered by Nazi forces in retaliation for the killing of 33 German soldiers by Italian partisans. The victims were taken from prisons and the streets, many chosen at random, and executed in the Ardeatine caves near Rome.
This massacre has been commemorated yearly, yet for many decades, several of the victims remained unidentified. The collaborative efforts of the three women—a documentary filmmaker, an archivist, and a forensic biologist—brought closure to some of these unsolved mysteries.
Their investigation stretched across different regions and even continents, illustrating how wide-reaching the impact of this massacre was, and how important it was to provide closure for the victims' descendants. The film also brings history to life by intertwining archival footage and personal stories. And at the end... an unexpected discovery!