“I felt a great sense of responsibility, and I did a lot of studying before embarking on this wonderful journey through the gains women have made, from the first vote in 1946 to the rights we enjoy today.”

Claudia Gerini is returning to directing with Ricordati Ragazza (Remember, Girl), a documentary she will present at the Rome Film Festival. Fresh from receiving the Award for Cinematic Excellence at the Ortigia Film Festival, she will take the stage at the Intesa Sanpaolo skyscraper in Turin on October 16 with La Moderna – Lettere dall’esilio, a theatrical production about Tina Modotti.

That same day, she will appear in theaters with fiery red hair in Se ami qualcuno dillo (If You Love Someone, Tell Them), the feature directorial debut of Marco Bonini, which will premiere at Alice nella Città. Based on a true story, the film follows a man who wakes from a coma having forgotten many things, including his own machismo.

Let’s start with Ricordati Ragazza, which traces a century of women’s emancipation.

“I tell the remarkable story of women’s journey, from the suffragettes to the 21 women who helped draft Italy’s Constitution, through cinematic reenactments, footage from the Luce Archive, photographs, documents and personal testimonies.”

Three generations come together in the film.

“There’s a grandmother, a mother and an 18-year-old daughter who would rather go to the beach with her friends on election Sunday, convinced that voting doesn’t make a difference. Her grandmother and mother — played by my beloved Paola Minaccioni — remind her how hard women fought to win the right to vote. That’s where the story begins.”

What was most important for you to bring back to public attention?

“The importance of the 21 women who helped draft the Constitution, who were forgotten for far too long. We’ve always talked about the founding fathers, but these women were fundamental, too. Women’s first vote deserved to be told and celebrated. This film tries to show younger generations that the only truly consequential revolution has been feminism, which has genuinely changed things.”

What do you think of people who judge women’s credibility based on the length of their skirts?

“People who make these statements don’t understand how serious their words are, or how much patriarchal culture lies behind what might seem like an innocent remark. Men themselves are victims of that culture. Are we still commenting on women’s clothes? The documentary is also a reminder that the rights we’ve won cannot be taken for granted. We have to keep defending them.”

The documentary features a group of very young actresses, including your daughter Rosa. What was it like directing her?

“She wanted to audition just like everyone else. It was wonderful to work together on such an important project and reflect on the rights that women before us didn’t have. It felt like passing the baton to the next generation.”

Turning to Se ami qualcuno dillo, is it true you’ve known director Marco Bonini for years?

“We filmed a commercial together when I was 16, and we’ve been friends ever since. Marco is an enlightened man who believes that men, too, need to be freed from patriarchal culture. He explores that idea beautifully in his film, which is based on his novel and on something that happened to his father, played by Edoardo Leo. His father became two different men, before and after his illness. It was as if the coma had reset him: he went from being a macho man to developing an extraordinary sensitivity.”

Who is your character, Gabricel?

“She’s the man’s second partner — his first wife is played by Giovanna Mezzogiorno — a colorful, tiger-striped woman who is madly in love with him. Then she finds him transformed, and she, too, enters a new phase of life. It’s a moving film about the possibility of being reborn.”

On October 16, Gerini will bring La Moderna – Lettere dall’esilio, a theatrical production about Tina Modotti that premiered in New York, to Turin.

“It’s an intense theatrical journey devoted to a heroine: a photographer and activist who fought for freedom and against every form of dictatorship. She was among the first to use photography as a form of protest, championing the poorest members of society. I’ll read letters she wrote to Edward Weston, her mentor, partner and lifelong ally, retracing her story through projections of her photographs, accompanied by musicians and Emiliano Campagnola, who plays Weston.”

Let’s turn back the clock. Gerini made her screen debut at 15 in Sergio Corbucci’s Roba da ricchi (Rich People). What do you remember feeling at the time?

“The set seemed like one enormous toy, with cameras, lights, people — and then, suddenly, the magic of a scene. My mother would accompany me, and I’d watch Laura Antonelli getting ready. Corbucci told me, ‘Listen, little girl, remember that good movies are made where people feel good and eat well.’”

What would you tell that young girl today?

“To keep going and hang in there. I’ve had difficult periods, but I’ve never had a crisis of confidence, never thought, ‘What am I doing here?’ I’ve always pushed forward, taken risks, changed direction and experimented. I followed my instincts, trusting they would take me somewhere.

“I never imagined I’d make so many films or explore so many genres, eventually playing roles such as a mayor or a government minister. Or acting alongside Keanu Reeves, a wonderful person and a terrific actor, or being directed by Mel Gibson in The Passion of the Christ. I’ve been able to make comedies audiences have loved with Carlo Verdone, and films that have stayed with people, such as Sergio Castellitto’s Don’t Move. I’ve also had the opportunity to direct my own projects and work with some extraordinary women directors.”

Who have been your mentors?

“Lina Wertmüller and Liliana Cavani, whom I was fortunate enough to work with. And the great Sophia Loren, a monument of cinema and a very special woman. We made Francesca e Nunziata together. I played her daughter, and she was incredibly affectionate.

“I remember how lovely it was to chat with her and Lina during breaks. Lina would tell stories about how much fun they had dancing all night in the 1960s and then going straight to the set at dawn. Sophia would reply, ‘I missed out on all that fun. I always went to bed at nine.’ Watching them together was a show in itself.

“And I must also mention the extraordinary Mariangela Melato and Monica Vitti. We’ve had so many women to learn from, and today’s actresses are talented, too. They’ll know how to make their mark.”

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