Sub tuum praesidium

In respectful silence, Carlo Manzo and Francesco Romano observe and immortalise a period of time marked by the slow, patient rhythm of nature and the small actions of a rural reality that’s gradually disappearing. The camera becomes the spokesperson for a peasant lifestyle, taking in the wrinkled hands peeling walnuts, the prayers recited in the twilight and the hesitant little steps pushing heavy wheelbarrows. In a society where slowness and fragility no longer have a place, the bodies of Carmela, Concetta, Francesco and Graziella bear witness to an inner strength that’s renewed day after day through the rituals that make up their small, daily activities.

Claudia Maci
Managing Director of Festival dei Popoli