Mirella

At 2025, 97 min, dir. Oliver Bruck

Born on a vast farmstead in Kenya, then a British colony, to a former Italian cavalry officer and an artist trained under Rodin, Mirella Ricciardi grew up on the shores of Lake Naivasha in a world shaped by privilege and uncertainty. She discovered her artistic passion and trained in fashion photography in Paris. In the 1960s, Ricciardi began to photograph East Africa, documenting indigenous communities in what would become the iconic book "Vanishing Africa" and became famous overnight.

A striking and unique figure, she and her late husband, Lorenzo Ricciardi, moved within Rome's artistic elite, where she was admired, photographed, nearly pursued a Hollywood career, and appeared as a fictionalised version of herself in Michelangelo Antonioni's "L'Eclisse". More comfortable behind the camera, she documented the filming of "La Dolce Vita" at the Trevi Fountain.

Now in her nineties, Ricciardi chooses not to have her face filmed. Her presence lingers only through her voice and the images she allows, guiding director Oliver Bruck with a hand both gentle and assured. Through an intimate dialogue, she reflects on her origins and life's journey with candour and, at times, revealing insight. Her work, celebrated to this day for its intimacy and craft, has also raised debates. The film situates her work within broader, ongoing conversations about power and representation, ensuring a nuanced engagement with her legacy.

MIRELLA is an unusual yet respectful portrait about power, beauty, and loss. At its core lies an adventurer, artist, and mother, who throughout her life, never stopped being a photographer, becoming one of the most renowned of her generation.

festivals

Internationale Hofer Filmtage 2025, DE

pictures

© Oliver Bruck

© Vanishing Africa Ltd / Carlo Bavagnoli / Courtesy of Mirella Ricciardi Archive

© Oliver Bruck

© Vanishing Africa Ltd / Courtesy of Mirella Ricciardi Archive

© Vanishing Africa Ltd / Mirella Ricciardi / Courtesy of Mirella Ricciardi Archive

© Vanishing Africa Ltd / Courtesy of Mirella Ricciardi Archive

© Vanishing Africa Ltd / Courtesy of Mirella Ricciardi Archive

© Vanishing Africa Ltd / Sofia Brignone / Courtesy of Mirella Ricciardi Archive