Alina Marazzi’s film on Gerda Taro debuts at Venice Film Festival

Alina Marazzi’s film, ‘La ragazza con la Leica’ (The Girl With the Leica), has opened the Horizons section of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival. The film is a biographical work inspired by Helena Janeczek’s Strega Prize-winning novel, focusing on the life of Gerda Taro, a pioneering German-born photojournalist.

Taro, portrayed by Emilia Schüle, was the first female photojournalist to be killed on the battlefield, dying in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War. The narrative follows her journey from fleeing Nazi Germany to her time in Paris, where she collaborated with Endré Friedmann. Together, they created the professional persona of Robert Capa, an alias under which much of their work was sold. For decades, many of Taro’s groundbreaking photographs were incorrectly attributed solely to Capa.

The film utilizes a blend of fiction, archival materials, and historical documentation to explore Taro’s political commitment, her relationship with Capa, and her role as a witness to history. By centering the narrative on Taro’s own perspective, the film seeks to restore her historical visibility and recognize her significant contributions to the field of photojournalism.