New Life (working title)
Date:
January 12, 2023
New Life (working title)
New Life (working title)
by Bernadette Weber
Albolina Film | Italy
Documentary | 2nd feature
Looking for Gap-Financing, Post-production services, Sales Agents, Festivals, Italian Distributor
Logline
When a joyful second pregnancy turns into a devastating diagnosis, Anna must choose between her baby’s suffering or letting him go. Then a hidden family history reveals that her pain is part of a generational story of women making impossible choices.
Synopsis
Anna’s second pregnancy feels so easy. She writes to her “bebè” in her diary, sings to him and shares her experiences on social media and with her family, which is scattered around the world. Then, one day in February, everything changes.
A routine examination reveals a serious deformity in her child, and Anna is faced with the painful decision of giving him a short life marked by suffering or terminating the pregnancy. Anna is convinced that her baby should not have to suffer.
But how can she deal with the grief and the gravity of this decision? How can she explain to her other little son what has happened? During this dark time, Anna finds comfort in the solidarity of other people who have gone through pregnancy loss. And she learns that her grandmother made a similar – albeit illegal at the time – decision in the 1960s. For Anna, a family search for clues begins, accompanied by the realisation that we are not alone in our grief.
Director’s Profile
A documentary professional, filmmaker and editorial contributor with Austrian roots and Italian background, Bernadette Weber works internationally both in creative and TV documentary as director, dramaturg and occasionally cameraperson. Trained at ZeLIG Film School in cinematography with a doctorate in ethics and political philosophy, Weber started out as film editor, gained experiences as film industry professional in markets and training, and has collaborated with various European partners. In 2023 she founded Visioni eU, focusing on documentary filmmaking and research.
TORINO TORINO (2025) – director
Festivals:
- Hof International Film Festival (DE),
- International Mountain Film Festival Graz (AT),
- Peloponnisos International Film Festival (GR)
THE RED HOUSE (2021) – photographer
Festivals:
- Trento Film Festival (IT)
- Montreal Independent Film Festival (CA)
- Eurasia International Film Festival (KZ)
EXILES (2018) – director
Festivals:
- Nepal Human Rights International Film Festival (NP)
- Peloponnisos International Film Festival (GR)
- International Free Thought Fim Festival (USA)
Company Profile
Albolina Film is a production company based in South Tyrol, Italy, which focuses on socially engaged arthouse films, the support of young talents and mountain films. Founded in 2012, the company has completed around 50 service productions, releasing the first own documentary production in 2018.
Our first feature film co-production, the social drama SISTERS (with Latvian Fenixfilm) was awarded as Best Debut and as Best Eastern Europe Debut by FIPRESCI at Warsaw Film Festival 2022. In 2023, our documentary co-production VISTA MARE (with Austrian Eutopiafilm) premiered at Semaine de la Critique in Locarno and was further screened and awarded at DokLeipzig, Festival dei Popoli and Viennale. The feature film 18 HOLES TO PARADISE (with Wonder Maria Films, PT) premiered in Tallinn in 2025. In 2025, Albolina Film became part of the German Studio Hamburg Production Group.