«Per non dimenticare». Qualità e sostenibilità degli Holocaust film italiani

This paper analyses a corpus of Italian films produced in the last 15 years which, in various ways, have dealt with the Holocaust theme. All of these films were recognised as 'film d'interesse culturale e nazionale' (films of cultural and national interest). Starting from this assumption, the article will trace the connections between didactical purposes, quality claims and the concept of 'impegno' (political and cultural commitment), which all come to light from these films. After a brief overview, based mainly on quantitative data, the paper focuses on a specific case study, which is also the last Italian Holocaust film to be exhibited in movie theatres: Anita B. (2014, R. Faenza). Through a deepened analysis of both the critical reception and the distributive plan of actions, the article illustrates how, on the one hand, the production of the film seems to adhere to several precise cultural and memorial paradigms; on the other, how the marketing strategy distances the film from all the preceding cases.