Monday Night Cinema

Primavera

An astounding feature debut by acclaimed opera director Damiano Michieletto, Primavera is a fictionalised account of Antonio Vivaldi's time as resident composer and violin teacher at the Ospedale della Pietà in Venice, where he composed most of his major works, told from the perspective of one of his most talented female students.

In 18th-century Venice, the Ospedale della Pietà's world-renowned orchestra gives talented orphaned women a path to financial support and marriage. Among them is 20-year-old virtuoso violinist Cecilia, who is betrothed to a wealthy soldier and awaiting marriage to gain her freedom. Her world changes with the arrival of a new music teacher, composer Antonio Vivaldi. His mentorship inspires her to imagine a different future where she can embrace her art on her own terms.

Michieletto’s film is an exceptional example of centring a woman’s story in anhistorically patriarchal society, modernising a tale never previously told.

3 Wins & 3 Nominations, David di Donatello Awards 2026