Terraferma

Filippo, whose own father was lost at sea years ago, lives with his mother and grandfather on a small island off the coast of Sicily. Still untouched by tourism, the island faces a challenge from the dozens of clandestine immigrants who each week try to make the island their launch pad for getting to Italy. One day, when Filippo and his grandfather, Ernesto, are off fishing, they see a woman and her son about to drown; they save them and bring them to their house—but will they now report them to the authorities, as has been strictly ordered? A lyrical moral tale for our times, this fourth feature by Emanuele Crialese (Respiro, The Golden Door) combines the dreamy, magical-realist quality that runs through the director’s work with a hard-hitting social critique. Winner of a Special Jury Prize at the 2011 Venice Film Festival.

This screening will be preceded by an Olympic clip from the Instituto Luce Archive:
Stadio Del Nuoto – 09/1960
The water polo Italian national team wins the gold medal
(Settimana Incom 1968)