JIFF26 Elena's War

Based on true events, this Italian historical drama tells the true story of how one woman’s defiance challenged the fascist regime and saved lives during the Nazi occupation of Rome’s Jewish ghetto.  Between 1938 and 1943, Elena Di Porto—branded “the madwoman of Piazza Giudia” for her independence and scandalous rejection of social norms—repeatedly rebelled against the fascist forces occupying her community, earning her several arrests and forced psychiatric hospitalisation.   Working with the resistance as the Nazi regime tightens its grip on Rome, Elena uncovers intelligence of an impending roundup of the ghetto, threatening hundreds of lives. Faced with her greatest challenge yet, Elena must warn her neighbours of the impending horror.  Elena’s War celebrates the rebellion and resilience of a woman who dared to stand alone against a tyrannic regime, and whose extraordinary bravery became an act of heroism that history nearly forgot.