When the World Answered: from flood to film

When the World Answered: from flood to film

Photographer Nicholas Krazcyna wades chest deep in the swirling mire to take the 16 prize-winning frames that would immortalize Florence’s 1966 Flood in the collective imagination forever. Franco Zeffirelli flew in on an army plane to film Florence’s plight and moved the world to action.

bookmark
Thu 10 Sep 2015 12:00 AM

fromfloodtofilmPhotographer Nicholas Krazcyna wades chest deep in the swirling mire to take the 16 prize-winning frames that would immortalize Florence’s 1966 Flood in the collective imagination forever. Franco Zeffirelli flew in on an army plane to film Florence’s plight and moved the world to action. Antonina Bargellini worked locally alongside her mayor-father—their home transformed into a makeshift base to feed and clothe those in need. These and other stories are the backdrop of When the World Answered, a new PBS documentary premiering at Florence’s Odeon Cinema Hall at 6.30pm on Tuesday, October 20.

 

The makers of the Emmy-winning television program Invisible Women: Forgotten Artists of Florence follow authors Jane Fortune and Linda Falcone, as they search through Florence’s collective memory—to understand the disaster and uncover one of its little-known gifts—the artwork donated by international women artists, called ‘The Flood Ladies’. Meet decorative artist Paola Troise, a then 16-year-old mud-angel who boldly answered the city’s plea for new art to ‘replace’ the 14,000 masterpieces lost in the mire. Her gesture was mimicked by famous professional artists of the time, including Stefania Guidi, Antonietta Raphael Mafai and Carla Accardi. These women represented various schools: Magic Realism, Abstractionism, Pop Art and Futurism, and their hope was to create a modern-day Uffizi. Though their dream reached partial fulfillment with the inauguration of Florence’s Museo Novecento in 2014, many of these precious works are still languishing in storage, unseen.  When the World Answered, published by The Florentine Press (available from www.theflorentinepress.com), is an unforgettable story of artists, who donated their paintings and sculptures for love of Florence, and of the modern-day women who strive to rescue these treasures nearly 50 years later.

Save the date: join us on October 20 for the world premiere of the documentary!

Related articles

NEWS

Public transport in Florence and Tuscany becomes contactless

Visa cardholders can ride for free from April 10 to May 5, 2024.

NEWS

Sephora opens flagship store in via dei Calzaiuoli

Highlights include make-up services and just-released beauty ranges.

NEWS

Changes at the Uffizi

Paperless ticketing, evening and the occasional Monday openings

LIGHT MODE
DARK MODE