L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2019 www.italoamericano.org 34 L'Italo-Americano SEATTLE ITALIAN COMMUNITY T hey call her the But- terfly. In 2016, 18- year-old Irma Testa made history as the first female boxer from Italy to compete in the Olympic Games, held that year in Rio de Janeiro. What happened before and after that boxing match forms the basis of a new documentary film, "Butterfly," screened in November at the 11 th annual Cinema Italian Style film festi- val, presented by SIFF. The film, co-directed by Alessandro Cassigoli and Casey Kauffman and produced by Indyca, was warmly received by Seattle audi- ences at its Northwest premiere. "Butterfly" appears initially to be a sports documentary but then develops into a more intimate coming-of-age film, providing a close-up look at a talented young woman trying to find her way in life. For four years, the film crew followed Irma, her coach, her family and friends, and the townspeople of Torre Annunziata, an economically struggling community a stone's throw from Naples. Boxing was Irma's ticket out of a life of poverty and she took to it like a woman possessed. "We met Irma when she was only 16," said Simone Catania, one of the producers from Indyca who was in Seattle to introduce the film to Northwest audiences. "We were attracted to her story. She had a very strong personality and was very self-confident, even at that young age. We knew she might qualify for the 2016 Olympics, so the idea for the film took shape around that." In 2007, Catania, who lives in Torino, co-founded Indyca, an independent production compa- ny. An honors graduate from the Academy of Fine Arts in Torino, he has worked for production companies in London, Rome and Torino as a script writer, editor, director and producer. Catania's first feature-length film as a director – a road-movie/buddy film called "Drive Me Home" — was also screened at the SIFF Italian film festival in November. Irma Testa was introduced to boxing as a girl when she fol- lowed her older sister to a dance class held in a boxing gym. Soon, she wasn't interested in dance at all. Her coach, Lucio Zurlo of Vesuviana Boxing, a beloved and well-respected member of the community, has forged a close paternal relationship with Irma. Zurlo mentors many of the boys and girls of Torre Annunziata, taking them under his wing, often at the request of their parents, to keep them out of trouble and off the streets. Irma trains hard. She gives up her friends, quits school and fore- goes many of the normal activi- ties that would occupy an adoles- cent girl. She leaves the south of Italy and moves by herself to Assisi, where she trains at Italy's national boxing team headquar- ters. Two years go by. According to Catania, it took about a year for Irma, her family and friends to get comfortable around the camera. Although the crew was shooting continuously, most of the early footage was not used. "We first had to become part of the family," said Catania. "Once we did that, it became eas- ier. We filmed almost every day. At that point, they hardly noticed us." As Irma wins one boxing match after another, she starts to attract more media attention. "The media were pushing her to step up as an Italian hero," said Catania. "It was very difficult for her. When she qualified for the 2016 Games, she was the youngest competitor, male or female, on the Italian Olympics team." At first, the producers thought the story would end with the Olympics, but they soon realized they needed to prepare for an alternate scenario – what happens to Irma after she returns home, win or lose. "It's not easy to make a documentary film like this," said Catania. "You are basically writing the script while you are filming. We had to pay attention to many things and be ready to alter the storyline at a moment's notice." "Butterfly" follows Irma to Rio and the audience sees her relaxing and exploring the beach- es before her bout. Footage of the actual boxing match is juxtaposed with the hopeful faces and anx- ious glances of her friends and family back home, who are sitting outside and watching the match being televised on large screens in Torre Annunziata. Once the competition is over, Irma has a big decision to make: what will she do next with her life? The teenager must be bru- tally honest with herself and find out who she really is. "One day she is a star, and the day after, she is a loser," said Catania. "Her life completely changes in eight min- utes." To create the 80-minute docu- mentary film, the crew spent about 150 hours editing footage captured over four years. But their hard work and attention to storytelling paid off. "Butterfly" has been well-received in Europe and the United States. In July, it won Italy's prestigious Golden Globe for best documentary. It also picked up several awards for best international film at festivals held in Korea and Turkey. During the film, one scene shows a television reporter inter- viewing Irma. The reporter asks: what do you think about as you lean against the ropes of the box- ing ring? And Irma replies: "To me, the ropes are like a prison. I am up against them, trapped and out of breath." Irma Testa is now training to compete in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Simone Catania (left) joins SIFF Italian film programmer Angelo Acerbi at Seattle's Uptown Theatre for the Northwest screening of the film documentary, "Butterfly." (Morgan Popp/SIFF) New documentar y film on Italian boxer is a knock-out RITA CIPALLA Seattle film-goers wait between screenings during Cinema Italian Style, a week-long festival of Italian films held every November (SIFF).

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