A journalist, played by Natascja Marrano, who reluctantly returns to her Calabria. They asked her to write a story about Corrado Alvaro, “a dead writer”, she comments annoyed on her cell phone. Then, however, on the trail of the author from San Luchese, she finds herself having to deal with herself and with a reality that is profoundly different from how she had imagined it. The short film shot by Angelica Artemesia Pedatella brings together reality and fiction to give back, as the title of the work says, “A new face in Polsi”. The docufiction, presented for the first time on September 18 in the halls of the sanctuary dear to the Calabrians, is the result of a project strongly desired by Professor Francesca Moricca and supported by the director Domenico Pirrotta, of the Pentimalli comprehensive institute in Gioia Tauro. The students of the Gioia school worked together with those of San Luca to rediscover the roots of a place that, over the years, the ‘ndrangheta has tried to get its hands on and that today, instead, opens up to the world and to the deep spirituality of good people.
“A magical place for believers, but also for non-believers”, as Clara Vaccaro, prefect of Reggio Calabria, defined it. A place in the middle of the mountains where it is possible, after hours of walking, to get here on foot. “This also helps us understand the faith of those who, overcoming a thousand difficulties and defying fatigue, manage to get here”. The prefect promises a technical table to make the roads safer and to give refreshment to pilgrims after the closure of the communication arteries last September 2nd had made thousands of pilgrims turn up their noses, forced to walk and without water and food. “In all mountain sanctuaries, it is possible to ensure safe routes and we will do it here too”, he promises while thanking the kids “for having shown us these places with their eyes”. Finally, protagonists, boys and girls, show the beauty of traditions, of those tarantella steps that, as Angelica Artemisia also explains, “are a true prayer”. “We have many projects,” adds Don Tonino Saraco, rector of the sanctuary, “that start from listening to people and wanting to restore their dignity. We are tired of a story of these lands that does not take into account the steps forward we are making, the work of many who are finding redemption here also thanks to job opportunities. We want to commit ourselves more and more in this area so that even those who may have made mistakes in the past can find new opportunities to lead a dignified life in the light of the sun.”
The full story will be available in the issue of Famiglia Cristiana on newsstands Thursday, September 26.