In the words of Marco Bertozzi, a specialist in the history of Italian documentary cinema, “every film by Cecilia Mangini is a prototype, a fight against the naïve portrayal of the world”. Based on her films, but also taking into account her photographs, we wish to reflect upon the main features of her work: traditions, the fate of both youngsters and outcasts, the struggles of the proletariat, and the illusion of progress. Filmmaker Paolo Pisanelli, with whom Mangini directed her last films, and Luciana Fina, co-curator of the retrospective, also take part in the discussion.