(Credit: La Biennale di Venezia)

On Sept. 7, Anna Caterina Antonacci made her film debut in “Il Signore delle Formiche” at the Venice Film Festival.

The film, which is directed by Gianni Amelio, tells the story of an Italian poet, playwright and director Aldo Braibanti who was jailed in 1968 due to a fascist-era anti-gay law.

During the press conference, Antonacci said, “It’s my first experience after 40 years as a singer, and Gianni and Edoardo proposed the role to me unexpectedly. I said yes without knowing what I was getting into. It was an experience that changed my life and was very different from my work in the theater and opera. I will see tonight if it was a good idea. I’m joking. I was very scared but they told me that I was watchable. This was a great experience to work with all involved.”