When Mussolini was deposed in 1943 and the country occupied by the Germans, Cinecittà was closed down and all the cinematic activity was transfered to Venice under the patronage of the new fascist Republic of Salò. The majority of movie personnel found a pretext not to go and work there. Actress Milena Penovich, along with her husband, director
Piero Ballerini confirmed their long-time allegiance to fascism and worked in Venice until the spring of 1945 when the city was liberated by the Allied force. Penovich was then banned from acting and never appeared on film ever again.