Benedetta

Benedetta

“To scandalize is a right, whereas to be scandalized is a pleasure. And those who refuse to be scandalized, are nothing else than moralists.” Tireless Paul Verhoeven has arguable sworn eternal allegiance to this famous quote by Pier Paolo Pasolini, as he has come up once again with the way to challenge society’s most sacred taboos, drawing inspiration from the life of Benedetta Carlini, a 17th-century nun who was sentenced to prison. In a monastery in Tuscany, a passionate love affair between two nuns triggers a series of dramatic events. Virgine Efira and Daphne Patakia star in a sensuous drama that permeates the depths of the human soul.

Screening Schedule

No physical screenings scheduled.
Direction: Paul Verhoeven
Script: David Birke, Paul Verhoeven
Cinematography: Jeanne Lapoirie
Editing: Job Ter Burg
Sound: Jean-Paul Mugel, Cyril Holtz
Music: Anne Dudley
Actors: Virginie Efira, Daphne Patakia, Olivier Rabourdin, Clotilde Courau, Charlotte Rampling, Lambert Wilson, Louise Chevillotte
Production: SBS Production, Pathé
Producers: Saïd Ben Saïd, Jérôme Seydoux, Michel Merkt
Co-production: France 2 Cinéma, France 3 Cinéma, Topkapi Films, Belga Productions
Co-producers: Fabrice Delville, Arnold Heslenfeld, Teun Hilte, Laurette Schillings, Christophe Toulemonde, Frans van Gestel, Patrick Vandenbosch
Costumes: Pierre-Jean Larroque
Production Design: Katia Wyszkop
Format: DCP
Color: Color
Production Country: France
Production Year: 2020
Duration: 131'
Distribution in Greece: Cinobo
Contact: Pathé

Paul Verhoeven

Paul Verhoeven (born 1938, Amsterdam) is a Dutch filmmaker whose ruthless appetite for provocation and spectacle has made him one of cinema’s most divisive and enduring voices. After studying mathematics and physics and training at the Netherlands Film Academy, he first broke out in Dutch cinema with Turks Fruit (Turkish Delight, 1973), a cultural touchstone that earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. He later reinvented blockbuster genres in Hollywood with RoboCop (1987), Total Recall (1990), Basic Instinct (1992), and Starship Troopers (1997) – films that blend extreme violence, eroticism, political satire, and moral ambiguity. His return to Europe with Black Book (2006) won him the Golden Calf Best Directing Award in the Netherlands. More recently, Elle (2016) won the César Award for Best Film. Verhoeven’s signature lies in his fearless dismantling of conventional morality, always pushing audiences to confront their deepest discomforts.

Filmography

1973 Turkish Delight
1977 Soldier of Orange
1983 The Fourth Man
1985 Flesh and Blood
1987 RoboCop
1990 Total Recall
1992 Basic Instinct
1995 Showgirls
1997 Starship Troopers
2000 Hollow Man
2006 Black Book
2016 Elle
2021 Benedetta