7 minuti (7 Minutes)

Based on a true story. The owners of an Italian textile company cede majority control to a multinational. It looks like there won’t be any people losing their jobs, so workers and office staff can breathe a sigh of relief. But there’s a little clause in the agreement that the new owner wants the work council to sign. Eleven women will have to decide, for themselves and the entire factory, whether to accept the multinational’s request. Little by little, the debate grows and before the final vote the stories of these women, their hopes and memories emerge, in a kaleidoscopic view of very different, vibrant lives of women, mothers and daughters.

DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT 7 minuti is a true story that unfolded in Yssingeaux, France, in 2012. Eleven women of different nationalities were called to the bargaining table to hear the ambiguous proposal of a multinational textile company. Although the subject is extraordinarily relevant today, what most intrigued me was the suspense mechanism Stefano Massini and I were able to set up. The other protagonist of this film, in fact, is time itself: the women have very few hours to grapple with the proposal, in the name of those emblematic 7 minutes. In a society in which inequality is growing and the unions are growing weaker, the needs, the ego and the desperation of each individual emerge. It reminds me of the film 12 Angry Men, with the one jury member holding out against the others, most likely to avoid convicting an innocent man. Here we have a female worker against her co-workers, convinced that the 7 minutes are a trap. To all those who think the confrontation with the eleven women would be difficult, I’d like to say that thanks to this marvelous team of women, in my entire career this experience stands out as utterly unique.

Regia: Michele Placido
Sceneggiatura: Michele Placido, Stefano Massini (dall'omonima opera teatrale di Stefano Massini / based on the play of the same name by Stefano Massini)
Fotografia: Arnaldo Catinari
Montaggio: Consuelo Catucci
Scenografia: Nino Formica
Costumi: Andrea Cavalletto
Musica: Paolo Buonvino
Suono: Roberto Sestito
Produttore: Federica Vincenti
Produzione: Goldenart
Co-produzione: Manny Films, Ventura Film
Distribuzione italiana: Koch Media
Cast: Clémence Poésy, Anne Consigny, Cristiana Capotondi, Violante Placido, Ambra Angiolini, Fiorella Mannoia, Maria Nazionale, Ottavia Piccolo, Balkissa Maiga, Luisa Cattaneo, Sabine Timoteo, Erika D’Ambrosio, Lee Colbert, Michele Placido