Country: Italy
Year: 2002
Duration: 54'
This is a journey with Luigi Ciotti and the Libera society in those towns where the Mafia has build luxurious villas, hotels, buildings, apartments, and factory-farmsó Castelvetrano, Corleone and San Giuseppe Jato. These are places where the reign of the Mafia is marked visually and flaunted. These symbols of power reinforce the Mafia through their visibility over the territory. This trip through Italy with many legs from Piedmont to Sicily is meant as an attempt to understand law number 109/96. What were its results, expectations, dangers, and problems in enforcement? This law called for the state confiscation of the property of organized crime groups and its re-use for the common good. This property thus can forever distance itself from its past, made up of violence, deceit, death and abuse. Instead, it can be transformed into an opportunity for salvation, work, and solidarity
"I had been shooting for weeks in order to collect hours of film material and statements in that tough turf where arrogance, fear and resignation still prevails. Then, in a moment of defeat, I decided to change the title of the film to Amaraterra (Bitter Land). In the end I chose to leave the original title as a symbol of hope for all the men, women and children ñ both famous and not ñ to whom the film is dedicated. They are the people who struggle every day courageously to have better lives." (A. Ceste).
Biography
film director
Armando Ceste
Armando Ceste (Turin, 1942), after several experiences in underground cinema (his first short film, La lezione, was screened at the Festival del Cinema Indipendente Italiano in 1969 in Turin), in the beginning of the 70's he is one of the founders of Collettivo Cinema Militante in Turin. In the last years he has made several works, some of them in collaboration with the Archivio Audiovisivo del movimento Operaio e Demovratico in Rome. He has been artistic director at Valsusa FilmFest, film festival on the themes of historic memory and environment defense.
FILMOGRAFIA
La lezione (1969), I migliori anni della nostra vita (1987), Donato (1987), Nosferatu, ogni notte di fronte a me (1988), Das Rastel einer Strasse (1988), Morire d'amore (1988), Recita (1990), L'ultimo nastro (1991), Lontano dal golfo (1991), Jean-Marie Straub, la resistenza del cinema (1991), Finale di partita (1992), Marzo 1973 - I giorni della Fiat (1993), Due o tre cose (1994), Aria di golpe (1994), Milano 25 aprile (1994), Mai tardi (1996), Anna Karina. Il volto della Nouvelle Vague (1996), Le parole sono importanti (1996), Jean-Marie Straub. Lezione di cinema (1998), Viaggio alla fine del mondo (dove le storie vanno a finire) (1998), Rosso/Askatasuna (a proposito di un primo maggio di guerra) (1999), Romeo & Giulietta. Il gioco del film (2000), Abdellah e i suoi fratelli (2000), Erri De Luca. Dopo Genova (filastrocche sgangherate) (2001), Libera terra (2002), Fiatamlet (2003) Variazioni (doc, 2004).
Cast
& Credits
Regia, soggetto, sceneggiatura: Armando Ceste.
Director of photography: Elisa Bolognini, Armando Ceste, Cristina Mazza.
Sound: Arno Wagner.
Editor: Armando Ceste, Roberto Allegro.
Cast: don Luigi Ciotti.
Production company: AC/Cinema&Video, via Accademia Albertina 10, 10123 Torino, Italia, tel. e fax +39-011-8170250, e-mail arceste@tin.it.< br>
Director of photography: Elisa Bolognini, Armando Ceste, Cristina Mazza.
Sound: Arno Wagner.
Editor: Armando Ceste, Roberto Allegro.
Cast: don Luigi Ciotti.
Production company: AC/Cinema&Video, via Accademia Albertina 10, 10123 Torino, Italia, tel. e fax +39-011-8170250, e-mail arceste@tin.it.< br>