A young woman tries to escape from war-torn Eritrea to Europe. The boat capsizes and she ends up on the shores of Libya, where, in order to survive, she gets into the refugee smuggling business and starts sendinh them to Italy by boat. With time, she becomes one of the most infamous refugee smugglers with deep ties to the Sicilian mafia, and gains the epithet Madame Luna.
However, as the political situation in Libya changes she is forced to blend in among the refugees and make the dangerous journey to Italy herself. On the way, she meets her alter ego, Eli, who reminds Madame Luna of her younger self. Compassionate and caring, Eli left a brother behind, whom she tries to bring to Italy. Through her, Luna is slowly changing. But Eli’s brother finds a wet grave in the Mediterranean sea like thousands of other immigrants. Eli blames Madame Luna for his death and as a consequence she cuts ties with the mafia, leaving the two women with no other choice but to run away together.
For the first time, Luna is forced to face herself, her history and the fact that she herself is a refugee.
Madame Luna, directed by Binyam Berhane for Momento Film has been selected for the MIA|Cinema Co-Production Market & Pitching Forum. For further information on this and all the other 2017 edition projects, click here.
