Small Body

Small Body (Italian: Piccolo corpo) is a 2021 historical drama film directed by Laura Samani, in her feature film directorial debut, and written by Samani, Elisa Dondi and Marco Borromei from an original story by Samani. Set in rural early-20th century Northeast Italy, it follows a peasant mother (Celeste Cescutti) who travels to a sanctuary in the northern mountains to grant her unbaptised stillborn child access to Heaven, with the help of a rugged, new acquaintance (Ondina Quadri) as guide. An Italian-French-Slovenian co-production of Nefertiti Film, Rai Cinema, Tomsa Films, and Vision, it was shot entirely in Friulian and Venetian language for historical accuracy reasons. It had its world premiere at the Critics' Week sidebar of the 74th Cannes Film Festival on 10 July 2021, before being released on 19 January 2022 in Slovenia by Vertigo, on 10 February 2022 in Italy by Istituto Luce, and on 16 February 2022 in France by Arizona Distribution. It won various accolades, including a David di Donatello for Best New Director and the European Film Award for the Discovery of the Year.