Since February of 2017, at least 100 women have been killed in Italy by men who once loved them. The numbers are chilling. One woman is murdered every two days. Femicide in Italy has been increasing by around 10 percent a year for the past three years. Nearly 70 percent of the women were killed by men they lived with; most of the rest were killed by former boyfriends and ex-husbands.

The phenomenon has no borders and it extends from the North of Italy to the South, where the presence of the mafia reinforces these attitudes towards women. Italy remains the country with the highest number of femicides in Europe. For years Italian men have treated women in Italy as objects. Mass Media has played a very important role in reinforcing negative stereotypes for women. TV shows have treated women as means to please men, and female nudity is something used extensively with no purpose other but to diminish the role of women.

The film will look into femicides in Italy in the past years, and by focusing at certain cases that rocked the country closely and its women victims it will look into the reasons behind this rising phenomenon that has its roots in an increasing violence against women. It will also examine the Italian law and its implementation, which in many cases has failed to protect these women from the fatal attacks.

From the Northern villages of Trentino, to the village of Cava De’ Tirreni in Campagna, “Stiletto Murders” will dive into the misogynous culture of Italy and try to understand the macho mentality that arms the hands of husbands, ex-partners, boyfriends, and leads them to murder.