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The National Committee for the celebrations marking the 150th anniversary of the birth of Elvira Coda Notari was created to restore visibility and centrality to an extraordinary and still little-known figure: the first woman director in Italian cinema, a pioneer of silent film, an independent producer, and a powerful, visionary storyteller.

With more than 60 feature films and hundreds of short films and documentaries, Elvira Notari moved through the popular imagination of Italy in the 1920s, creating works able to portray Naples and its outskirts, women, emigrants, and the contradictions of her time. Her gaze – sensual, dramatic, documentary – was censored by the Fascist regime, yet welcomed with enthusiasm in the American Little Italies, where her films became a bridge between distant worlds.

The 150th anniversary celebrations were created to make her story known and to share, also with new generations, the artistic, civic, and cultural value of her work.

Patronage Requests

The Committee may grant its moral patronage to activities consistent with the mission and aims of the celebrations. To request authorization to use the official logo or to submit a proposal, please write to: comitato@elviranotari.it

What we aim to do

Restore

Rediscover the author of early Neapolitan cinema through her vivid, popular images drawn from real life.

Raise Awareness

Bring Elvira Notari to light as a forerunner of auteur cinema, capable of overseeing every stage of production.

Consolidate

Give continuity to the studies that have brought her work back into view through decades of academic commitment.

Understand Her Time

Explore her visionary power also through communication: press, posters, promotion.

Promote

Share her legacy through screenings, talks, educational programmes, and film series designed for every audience.

Share the Archive

Enhance films, photographs, and unpublished documents in order to bring new generations closer to cultural memory.

Celebrate the Places

Reactivate the urban map of her creative experience during the two decades of her work and activity in the city.

Reconstruct

Tell the story of the bridge between Naples and the American Little Italies, where Elvira was loved long before critical recognition.

Much more than remembrance.

Celebrating Elvira Coda Notari means far more than remembering a pioneer. It means giving voice once again to an entire season of Italian silent cinema, highlighting the contribution of women to film history, and reflecting on Neapolitan cultural identity, as well as on the dynamics of censorship, propaganda, and creative freedom.