Gloria!

Gloria! is a women’s film in the best sense of the word, featuring inventive and imaginative female musicians – while the men in this playful comedy come across as somewhat caricatured and decidedly inferior, lacking both talent and resourcefulness. Gloria! is a tribute to all the talented women who composed music in past centuries but never received the recognition their male colleagues enjoyed.

The story of this feel-good film takes place in the year 1800 at the Sant’Ignazio music institute for orphaned girls outside Venice. The chapel master is preparing to receive the newly elected Pope Pius VII but is nervous about the concert. He has been tasked with performing a self-composed piece but is struggling with writer's block. Teresa, the mute maid, is overlooked by everyone, but she has more to offer than anyone could imagine. She has a gift for creating new rhythms from the everyday sounds around her. In addition to harboring several secrets, she also discovers that the institute has been gifted a newfangled instrument, hidden away in the basement. She secretly plays on it, immersing herself in music. The film’s plot builds toward Pope Pius VII’s visit, which leads to a big surprise – for the chapel master, the audience, and even the pope himself!