Illusion

Starring Jasmine Trinca (Diamonds IFF25), this intense drama from Francesca Archibugi dives into a murky web of power, desire and lies in the European underworld. On the outskirts of Perugia, a young, beautiful girl (Angelina Andrei) is found in a ditch dressed in haute couture. When the police are about to move her body, they discover that she is still alive. Her name is Rosa Lazar; she is Moldovan and barely sixteen years old. Deputy Prosecutor Cristina Camponeschi (Trinca) and psychologist Stefano Mangiaboschi (Michele Riondino) are immediately called to the case and together with Deputy Police Chief Pizzirò (Filippo Timi) they join forces to uncover what happened. But their investigation is more complicated than expected, because Rosa appears unaware of what she suffered and hides the truth. Appearing joyful and childlike, Rosa's outward demeanour masks her experience of a disturbing, dark underworld, and soon she becomes the key to an international investigation into a frightening prostitution ring in the heart of Europe.

Francesca Archibugi (born Rome, 1960) is a director, screenwriter and actress. She studied filmmaking at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia Cinecittà and after directing short films in the early 1980s, she made her feature film debut with Mignon Has Come to Stay (1988), which won 5 David di Donatello awards. Her works include The Great Pumpkin (1993), The Hummingbird (IFF22) and recent television series La Storia (2024).