Sworn Virgins

A film by Elvira Dones
Co-production: RTSI Radiotelevisione svizzera di lingua italiana/ Dones Media LLC

Why would a girl swear to stay a virgin? What kind of tradition sanctions this form of self-denial? In a mountainous area of Albania, an ancestral code of laws -- observed to this day -- placed women in the bottom rank of society. It dictates that "a woman is a sack, made to endure." A woman cannot choose her husband, buy or sell property or express herself politically. For centuries, on a bride's wedding day, her father gave the groom two bullets, to be used to kill his daughter in case she misbehaved and dishonored the clan.

But there is a loophole. The ancient laws allowed certain women known as "Sworn Virgins" to take an oath in front of their clan, announcing their intention to remain virgins. This fascinating film reports on several unusual Albanian women who dress, act, talk, drink, shoot and are respected as real men. It's not a matter of sexual orientation, and there's no surgery involved. The villagers in this area simply accept the fact that some women want to live like men because they like their freedom. They prefer to manage their own lives; they do not want to marry and have children. One such virgin, the oldest of six daughters, took over the running of the family when their parents died. Another became an accountant, saying: "I am neither wife nor mother. I loved working, I did everything for myself."

Best Documentary, Baltimore Women's Film Festival 2007

51 min. Video or DVD. Sale $295. Rental $85.