CATERINA (2023)
The Wild Girl from the Caucasus

In 2023, art historian Carlo Vecce revealed a discovery that would shake the world: he had succeeded in identifying Leonardo da Vinci’s previously unknown mother. A native of Circassia (in the Caucasus Mountains), she is believed to have been captured and then sold into slavery. Carlo Vecce travels to Istanbul, to the heart of the Byzantine quarter, following in the footsteps of the mother of the greatest artistic genius of all time.

Film screened as part of the exclusive exhibition “Leonardo da Vinci and the Scents of the Renaissance” (June–September 2024).

Direction, cinematography, and editing: Antonin Mechler
Production: The Farm Paris