The Ladies of the Kind Death

The “Femina Accabadora” was a woman who performed an ancient form of euthanasia, an act of mercy for the terminally ill in order to put an end to their suffering, but carried out with ceremonial ferocity: the woman would strike the “patient” over the head with a hardwood hammer. Often it would be the sufferer himself (or herself) that requested the intervention of the “accabadora” in order to finally be free of torment. It was a ritual of Sardinian tradition with its roots going back into the mists of time, but of which traces have been found dating back to as recently as the nineteen sixties. It was a violent act, but it was necessary for the survival of many families, especially among the poorer social classes where prolonged treatments for the terminally ill could not be sustained.

With: Piero Bardanzellu, Anna Carta, Don Francesco Mariani, Gian Paolo Mele, Giuseppe Maria Saba, Dolores Turchi, Donatella Turri

Director: Fabrizio Galatea
DOP: Claudio Marceddu
Editing: Andrea Lotta
Music : Fabio Viana, Gian Paolo Mele , Coro di Nuoro
Producer manager: Marco Cabitza
DOP secon unit: Corrado Serri, Lucio Viglierchio
Sound: Biagio Gurrieri, Federico Sirocchi, Mirco Fincato
Line Producer: Francesca Portalupi
Sound post production : Stefano Guzzetti

Produced by Massimo Arvat, ZENIT ARTI AUDIOVISIVE, with the support of Regione Autonoma della Sardegna, Fondazione Sardegna Film Commission, Piemonte Doc Film Fund – Fondo Regionale per il documentario, ISRE. Recognized film of cultural interest with the contribution of MIBACT