Synopsis:
A journey through the life of the extraordinary Sicilian
photographer and anti-Mafia activist Letizia Battaglia. A story of
passion, pain and the struggle for freedom. At 37 Letizia, together
with her 3 daughters, left a husband whom she had been married to
since the age of 16 and became a journalist. She picked up a camera
when she found that she could better sell her articles if they were
accompanied by photographs and slowly discovered a burning passion
for photography. After years of racing on her vespa to the crime
scenes with her camera, Letizia found she had accumulated an
archive of death and decay of Palermo and its citizens. She knew
she had to do something about what she was witnessing and, using
her photographs, became one of the first to denounce the activities
of the Mafia. She then went on to be a local environmental
politician, a publisher and an activist for justice. Even though
Letizia has documented so much pain, decay and death, she retains
an incredible passion for life.
Battaglia paints a uniquely intimate portrait of this warrior of a
woman. The contrasts of the city of Palermo provide the background,
Letizia the foreground. The style of the film matches her
inexhaustible energy, and creates a story made of a collage of
memory, thoughts and her award-winning black & white
photographs.
Festivals
Sheffield International Documentary Festival
Full Frame Documentary Festival
Brooklyn International Film Festival
Ecofilm Festival (Greece)
Biografilm Festival (Italy)
Synopsis:
A journey through the life of the extraordinary Sicilian
photographer and anti-Mafia activist Letizia Battaglia. A story of
passion, pain and the struggle for freedom. At 37 Letizia, together
with her 3 daughters, left a husband whom she had been married to
since the age of 16 and became a journalist. She picked up a camera
when she found that she could better sell her articles if they were
accompanied by photographs and slowly discovered a burning passion
for photography. After years of racing on her vespa to the crime
scenes with her camera, Letizia found she had accumulated an
archive of death and decay of Palermo and its citizens. She knew
she had to do something about what she was witnessing and, using
her photographs, became one of the first to denounce the activities
of the Mafia. She then went on to be a local environmental
politician, a publisher and an activist for justice. Even though
Letizia has documented so much pain, decay and death, she retains
an incredible passion for life.
Battaglia paints a uniquely intimate portrait of this warrior of a
woman. The contrasts of the city of Palermo provide the background,
Letizia the foreground. The style of the film matches her
inexhaustible energy, and creates a story made of a collage of
memory, thoughts and her award-winning black & white
photographs.