‘Vera - Tizza Covi & Rainer Frimmel’

Vera captures the fascinating vision of Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel, to whom we dedicate a Close-up, about a woman on the brink of depression. The film revolves around a few weeks in the life of Vera Gemma. She moves in the often hostile circles of Rome's glittering film industry while carrying a heavy burden: being the daughter of Giuliano Gemma, one of Italy's most famous spaghetti western stars, in whose shadow she has always lived.

Vera, which has won several international awards, is a heartrending meditation on ageing and beauty in a cultural context dominated by youth, and offers one of the most compelling character studies of recent years. The film will be screened in the presence of the directors, who will answer questions from the audience.

​​​​​​​Vera is Tizza Covi & Rainer Frimmel's fascinating look into the life of a woman on the verge of a breakdown. The film revolves around a few weeks in the life of Vera Gemma, playing a fictionalised version of herself as she navigates the often hostile realms of Rome's glittering film business, while balancing on the burden of being the daughter of Giuliano Gemma, one of Italy's most cherished film stars and someone in whose shadow she has always lived. Vera is a heartbreaking meditation on ageing and beauty in a culture driven by youth. We are made part of her journey as she wrestles herself through various crises, both tangible ones and those in which she questions her identity, resulting in one of the most complex and compelling character studies of recent years.

Born in Bolzano in 1971, Tizza Covi lived in Paris and Berlin before studying photography in Vienna. She then moved to Rome, where she thrives as a photographer. Rainer Frimmel was born in Vienna the same year, where he also studied photography. Sharing his passion with Tizza, they combined their talents in 2002 to found Vento Films, an independent production company. Since then, their collaboration has been crowned with success, with their films winning numerous awards at prestigious festivals such as the Berlinale, Locarno, Cannes (Directors' Fortnight) and Cinéma du Réel Paris. In their work, which ranges from documentary to fiction, photography has a special place. Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel also regularly work with non-professional actors, who are invited to take part in a fictional story while playing themselves.