Milan has a place that cannot be confused with any other spot on the map. Bright signs or enticing shop windows do not mark it. But women of different generations are drawn here, as if by an invisible call. We are talking about the Women’s Bookshop, a space where those who still remember the street gatherings of the 1970s sit at the same table with those who have come because something inside them tells them that this is the place to ask themselves important questions and try to answer them.
It was here that the idea for a film was born, for those who have long felt that the history of the women’s movement is not just about the struggle for equality. For those who want to understand where freedom comes from and what desire can be like when it is not directed from outside. The participants in the project are Lia Chigarini, Luisa Muraro, Manuela Vigoria, and Flaminia Cardini. Each of them has lived this story through their bodies and words. They decided to bring the movement back to those unaware of it.
The documentary film The Politics of Desire attempts to show how women who have chosen not to follow others but to create their own meanings think. This is what Luisa Muraro talks about. The camera shows this, moving from one heroine to another, from Milan to Barcelona.
Today, when even the most striking feminist actions are reduced to statistics, it is essential to hear another voice. One that speaks of inner work, endless dialogue, and desire that does not require approval. And this voice comes from the screen.
How Italian Feminists Reimagined Life
First, Laura Milani appears on screen. She speaks calmly, and her voice sounds like an invitation to talk. Next to her are Laura Colombo and Sara Gandini. They are in their forties. They were not there at the beginning of the movement, but they embraced it as part of their lives. They work with archives, run a bookshop website, and collect letters and texts. Instead of loud protests, they chose to preserve the memory. Each of them believes that words can change people.
Following them, we see Daniela Pellegrini. Her gray hair is pulled back in a bun. She speaks with confidence. In 1962, she created the first group in Milan where women began to discuss what it means to be themselves. At that time, the word “feminism” was rarely heard on television. Now Daniela has reopened a meeting place where women of different generations gather. It smells of coffee, there are photographs on the walls, and shelves of books stand in the corner.
Lia Cigarini enters the frame a little later. Her name has become a symbol. Together with others, she founded the Milan Women’s Bookshop. Lia writes, speaks, and gathers those looking for answers around her. There is a lot of silence and meaning in her words. Every step towards oneself requires strength. When a woman finds her voice, it affects society. Lia shares this strength with others.
Next to her is Luisa Muraro. Her tone is soft, but her ideas sound like a manifesto. She speaks calmly. Her books are read in Italy, Catalonia, Spain, and Latin America. Luisa believes that the difference between women and men creates the basis for a new language. For such a language to emerge, women are learning to listen to themselves, discuss what is essential, and share their experiences.
Places for Women
In Milan, on a modest street, a group gathers every week. They have no strict order, no leader, and no fixed structure. Instead, a conversation emerges among them. It is open, lively, and connected to personal experience and the present moment. The participants consider it a source of change. It influences how women structure their daily lives, with whom they engage in dialogue, and what words they choose. Here, among the bookshelves, the idea for the film was born.
At first, the idea was perceived as risky. There was little confidence that the film could convey the female experience without the usual set of characters, conflict, and final triumph. But the directors set out on their journey. They asked the women to tell them how everything happened. How did a woman feel when she first decided to say something important to herself? What happened at the moment when another woman heard these words and responded?
During filming, the team collected more than 200 hours of video footage. This became a detailed map of women’s presence. The journey, stop by stop, opened up spaces filled with meaning. Something more than just gatherings was happening in these places.
These spaces:
- Allowed people to speak on their initiative
- Kept memories alive
- Brought generations together through communication
- Created a language that came from a specific voice
Every place, from Cicip y Ciciap to the Women’s Bookshop, became a stage for action. Political practice was formed here, expressed through response. New words were born here, reflecting the experience and sound of the present.
The film grew out of these places and women. It reminded us that politics can mean presence—a way of being with others while remaining oneself.
The film Politics of Desire shows how women create space for new politics through personal experience, attention to words, and respect for difference. In these encounters, a language is born in which the most crucial thing can be heard: freedom begins where a woman speaks for herself.