Documentary overview

About Breaking taboos in Italy - Opening an exclusively male ritual to women

Every year, the Italian town of Viterbo honors its patron saint, Santa Rosa, with a unique procession. A 30-metre-high sculpture has traditionally been carried through the town by more than 100 men. Now, women are challenging that exclusionary custom. Viterbo is an Italian town with a centuries-old tradition. Every year, on 3 September, more than a hundred men carry the huge Macchina di Santa Rosa sculpture - standing almost 30 meters tall - through the old town. For many, this ritual is a defining part of their identity. But Viterbo is changing, and a new generation is questioning why this tradition is reserved for men. At the heart of this development is 13-year-old Stella. She was the first girl to be accepted into the Mini-Macchina club - the first step for children hoping to one day become fully-fledged Macchina bearers. Now she's preparing for her most important challenge. For the first time, she's allowed to take part in what's known as the steep stage to the Santuario di Santa Rosa, a symbolic highlight of the ritual. One of the bearers

Breaking taboos in Italy - Opening an exclusively male ritual to women is presented by DW Documentary. Its listed runtime is 28 minutes. The source link and publisher attribution are provided with the embedded film.

As a society documentary, Breaking taboos in Italy - Opening an exclusively male ritual to women uses breaking, taboos, italy as its central frame. Social documentaries work best as invitations to examine systems through lived experience. Distinguish individual testimony from wider claims, and consider which institutions, incentives and inequalities shape the choices shown.

Viewing context

What to consider before watching

  1. What evidence, testimony or observation does the film use to explain breaking, taboos, italy?
  2. Which people, institutions or historical conditions most influence the story told in Breaking taboos in Italy - Opening an exclusively male ritual to women?
  3. How does DW Documentary's framing affect the documentary's emphasis, and which perspectives may deserve further research?
Subjects

Topics covered in this documentary

Societybreakingtaboositalyopeningexclusively
Film information

Documentary details and original source

Title
Breaking taboos in Italy - Opening an exclusively male ritual to women
Category
Society
Runtime
28 minutes
Language
English

Free Documentary Vault provides independent discovery, organization and editorial context. The film remains hosted by its original publisher, who controls availability and playback.

Continue exploring
India's little-known minority - The Siddi and the Olympic dream documentary thumbnailEN43 min
India's little-known minority - The Siddi and the Olympic dream

Nimeksha Siddi is 18 years old and India's sprinting hope for the 2028 Olympics. Nimeksha belongs to the Siddi ethnic group, whose daily lives are marked by racism and exclusion. The 18-year-old sprinter Nimeksha flies down the home straight like a bolt of lightning. She's a Siddi. Hardly anyone knows about her people, not even in India, where the Siddi have lived for 500 years. Her ancestors came to India from Africa as slaves or mercenaries. It's not known how many Siddi live in India. They all have the surname Siddi. They are Muslim, Christian or Hindu - and are often mistaken for tourists by many Indians. Most live in poverty, scraping by as day laborers, gathering plants, honey or rubber. In 1983, India's Minister for Sport launched a program aimed at tapping into the community's athletic potential. Children from Siddi villages were recruited and coached in running. One of the most successful was Kamala Siddi. At the age of 15, she set a national record in the pentathlon, won bronze and gold at international level, and was rewarded with

DW Documentary

India's little-known minority - The Siddi and the Olympic dream

43 minSociety
Afghanistan: Negotiating with the Taliban documentary thumbnailEN42 min
Afghanistan: Negotiating with the Taliban

Before the Taliban’s return, a brief hope was ignited. Could Afghanistan become a more just country? A group of Afghan women sat at the negotiating table. But after the Taliban took power in 2021, those dreams were dashed. Four women were part of an Afghan negotiating team that included representatives of the former government. They wrestled with the Taliban over the future of Afghanistan. Although it was life-threatening for them to raise their voices against the Taliban's misogynistic regime, they never gave up hope of preserving the women of Afghanistan’s hard-won rights. The team's intelligence, perseverance and bravery in the face of a hopeless situation are characteristic, when it comes to women around the world who fight for both peace and equality. But the Taliban were not interested in a democratic, free society in which girls and women have basic rights and can go to school, study or work. After decades of war and chaos, Afghanistan has become safer under the Taliban. But the price for women is high: they have paid with their freedom. ______ DW Documentary gives you

DW Documentary

Afghanistan: Negotiating with the Taliban

42 minSociety
Sheriffs Break In After Squatters Barricade Office Block | Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away! documentary thumbnailEN43 min
Sheriffs Break In After Squatters Barricade Office Block | Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away!

High Court enforcement agents face some of their most challenging and emotional cases in this episode of Can’t Pay? We’ll Take It Away! In central London, Paul Bohill, Steve Pinner and Ben arrive at a five-storey office block occupied by dozens of squatters. With barricaded doors, reports of antisocial behaviour and the possibility of up to 70 people inside, the team must carefully clear and secure the building while tensions run high. Meanwhile, Stuart McCracken and trainee Ian Taylor attempt to recover a £2,800 debt in Stoke-on-Trent, only to find themselves surrounded by concerned family and friends as negotiations become increasingly heated. In North London, Paul and Steve encounter a particularly difficult eviction involving a heavily pregnant mother, her husband and their five children, while questions remain over whether thousands of pounds in rent arrears have already been paid. And at a stud farm in Cambridge, Stuart and Ian pursue more than £9,000 in unpaid wages owed to a former apprentice. With vehicles — and potentially even horses — available to seize, the owner must find a way to settle

OMG Stories

Sheriffs Break In After Squatters Barricade Office Block | Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away!

43 minSociety
High-tech shark deterrence - Australia's new strategy for safe beaches documentary thumbnailEN29 min
High-tech shark deterrence - Australia's new strategy for safe beaches

After a series of fatal shark attacks, Australia is turning toward high-tech solutions. This includes drones, smart capture systems and cutting-edge research, which — unlike shark nets — don't harm the predatory fish. Marine biologist Paul Butcher heads the New South Wales shark management program, which introduced smart drumlines that allow sharks to be caught alive before being tagged and released without hurting them. The program is aided by the world's largest drone-based beach surveillance system. One of Butcher's key collaborators is Mark Atkins, who oversees the drone program. The system delivers real-time warnings for swimmers and surfers, while airborne cameras also provide researchers with valuable data on shark movements. Drone operator Gabriel Roxburgh conducts patrols of Bellina's coastline. He is taking a closer look at the new arrival of massive schools of baitfish, because he knows that, where prey gathers, large predators usually follow. But the high-tech approach also has its critics. Surfer and shark-control activist Daniel Webber says stronger measures are needed, and that the move away from traditional shark nets puts human lives at risk. In neighboring

DW Documentary

High-tech shark deterrence - Australia's new strategy for safe beaches

29 minSociety
Dismantling a Tanker Piece by Piece: The Syracuse Salvage documentary thumbnailEN44 min
Dismantling a Tanker Piece by Piece: The Syracuse Salvage

In March 2012, a violent storm threw an oil tanker against the cliffs of Syracuse, Sicily, triggering one of Italy's most dramatic helicopter rescues. For over a year, the wreck scarred the coastline of a UNESCO World Heritage site. This is the story of the international team of salvage masters who undertook the monumental task of cutting the ship apart to restore the beautiful Mediterranean coast.

Best Documentary

Dismantling a Tanker Piece by Piece: The Syracuse Salvage

44 minSociety