L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2016 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano 2 NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS was treated for bronchitis, I met Doctor Bartolo. While he was telling me about his work help- ing refugees, once he learned I a filmmaker, he showed me photos of the operations. That was how Fuocoammare began. Then what happened? A f t e r I l e f t t h e i s l a n d , I looked into those photos again and decided to put some ideas t o g e t h e r f o r a d o c u m e n t a r y . After a few months, I moved to Lampedusa for 18 months. After I finished the editing, I realized that a crucial part was missing: Bartolo's story. I asked him to share his story on camera. He did it so well at the point that, without his contribution, the whole feature would have been very different. The young Samuele and his family are also relevant to the story. How did they become part of it? Since the beginning, I wanted a kid as part of the story. I met Samuele while filming some parts of the documentary. He introduced himself as a hunter who does not like fishing or being in the water, as others in t h e i s l a n d . H e i m m e d i a t e l y seemed to fit with my documen- tary. I followed him for one year to show this boy and his fami- ly's lives. To me, they represent all people in Lampedusa. W h a t ' s t h e f i n a l g o a l behind this documentary? For many years, the news coverage has been about the r e f u g e e s ' t r a g e d y , w i t h a methodical approach. My mis- sion was to change that point of view, adding something extra: the life of people in Lampedusa. W h o a r e t h e s e p e o p l e ? W h y don't we hear anything about them? Why don't we hear their voice? I learned who these peo- p l e a r e b y e x p l o r i n g s m a l l details of their lives. I closed the doors of information and gave space to their intimacy. I never lost that focus during the film- making. Ho w d id t h e f ilm m a k in g develop? I filmed everything solo. I spent forty days on board of the Italian Naval vessel. During the first twenty days, I could learn more about the job and build a relationship with the crew. Then, I spent another twenty days and witnessed how the refugees' res- cue really occurs, as well as death happens. One day, what it seemed to be a regular operation turned into a dramatic experi- ence: I saw bodies coming to my feet one after the other. "Did you see what happened?" The cap- tain said pointing the lower level of a rescued boat. It was full of dead people. "I believe it is your duty to go there and film what you see", he stated. That's what I did. "Rescuing is not enough" you said many times. What Gianfranco Rosi on "Fire at Sea", and the migrant crisis Continued to page 3 Continued from page 2 Gianfranco Rosi's documentary "Fire at Sea" focuses on 12-year old Samuele Pucillo who lives on the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa

• Cover