Feature film — 1976

Melinda strega per forza (1976)

The short film is based on an investigation by Dino Buzzati. It tells the story of Melinda, a mountain girl turned into a witch by her environment and circumstances. In September 1965, Buzzati travelled to Abruzzo (near Teramo, at the foot of the Gran Sasso) on behalf of the newspaper Corriere della Sera, seeking stories for his investigative series titled "I misteri d'Italia" (The Mysteries of Italy). There, he gathered the story of Melinda, a real-life woman (who died in 1962 at the age of 93) regarded by the local community as the last true Abruzzese witch. Buzzati described Melinda not as an evil being, but as a woman victimized by fate and superstition. While Buzzati was fascinated by the magical and mysterious aspects of her tale, Lù Leone reinterpreted the same story in 1976 through a political and feminist lens.