Battaglia
- Description
- Reviews
- Citation
- Cataloging
- Transcript
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At almost 40 years old, Sicilian photographer Letizia Battaglia decided that being a mother and wife, the thing that she was meant to do according to the society she lived in, just wasn’t enough anymore. With great inner strength, she changed her life and became a photojournalist, through which she discovered she had a burning passion for photography and justice. During the height of the Mafia killings in Sicily, in the 70’s and 80’s, Letizia Battaglia photographed and documented Sicilian society, and became a leading member of the campaign against the Mafia. Letizia has helped to change a way of life that has destroyed so much.
A warrior of a woman, who is as kind as she is brusque in her manner, she speaks her mind at all times and defies all stereotypes of an older Sicilian woman. The contrasts of the city of Palermo provides the background, Letizia the foreground. The style of the film matches her inexhaustible energy, and will create a story made of a collage of memory, thoughts and her award-winning black & white photographs. The film reflects and underscores elements of Letizia’s persona as well as Palermo’s decayed beauty and vivacity. Letizia’s resistance to being pinned down is reflected in the framing where she is often on the edges and spilling out of frame. As a counterpoise to the dynamic camera movement is the stillness of the black and white photographs. The viewer is given the time to immerse themselves in their beauty and power. They are not used in an illustrative way (i.e. Letizia describing the contents), but rather as a parallel to the words we hear and images we see.
Ultimately, the film is about being confronted with yourself, asking yourself, did you make the right choices in life, are you content with where you are?
Citation
Main credits
Zanzotto, Daniela (film director)
Zanzotto, Daniela (film producer)
Zanzotto, Daniela (director of photography)
Other credits
Editor, Dominique Lutier; composer, Graham Massier.
Distributor subjects
No distributor subjects provided.Keywords
BATTAGLIA - English subtitles
10:00:06:05-10:00:08:14
Shall we wait for the bride?
10:00:10:19-10:00:13:16
-When is she arriving?
-She's in the car
10:00:13:21-10:00:16:06
In the car? Over there?
10:00:16:11-10:00:18:19
-Are you the wedding photographer?
-No
10:00:21:04-10:00:22:12
Letizia Battaglia?
10:00:22:17-10:00:24:07
Who are you?
10:01:19:18-10:01:23:21
Hello, can I take a photo of you
when you get out?
10:01:24:01-10:01:28:17
-When are you getting out?
-In a little while
10:01:28:22-10:01:32:08
You look lovely
10:01:32:23-10:01:34:23
In a little while when?
10:01:52:16-10:01:54:19
Look at me
10:02:04:18-10:02:10:06
“Battle”
10:02:16:21-10:02:21:23
For 19 years I was very busy
working for the newspaper 'L'Ora'
10:02:22:03-10:02:25:03
We'd race on the Vespa
to crime scenes
10:02:26:07-10:02:29:05
We were sent to photograph
scenes of arson...
10:02:29:10-10:02:30:24
...blown-up cars...
10:02:32:16-10:02:35:12
...casualties and arrests
10:02:35:17-10:02:40:22
Often our cameras were thrown
to the ground. We were spat at
10:02:43:12-10:02:48:24
We were scared and the police
would send us away
10:02:50:10-10:02:52:22
It wasn't easy
10:02:53:08-10:02:55:09
We weren't like war photographers...
10:02:55:14-10:03:00:11
...who can come home if they survive
10:03:00:16-10:03:05:00
We took photos in our own backyard
10:03:05:05-10:03:09:00
We walked the same streets
as the murder victims...
10:03:09:05-10:03:11:19
...or their relatives,
brothers or fathers
10:03:20:05-10:03:24:09
I saw so many young people killed...
10:03:25:05-10:03:30:07
...for no reason.
They were just punished
10:03:37:20-10:03:42:06
When I started working as a photographer
I wasn't aware...
10:03:42:11-10:03:46:08
...of a Mafia presence in the city
10:03:46:13-10:03:49:14
I remember there was...
10:03:49:19-10:03:53:08
...a massacre where seven people
were killed
10:03:53:13-10:03:57:12
I thought that was just a rare episode
10:03:57:17-10:04:01:05
But day after day I worked...
10:04:01:11-10:04:06:17
...during a time when the Mafia became
insolent and arrogant
10:04:11:17-10:04:14:06
Day after day...
10:04:14:11-10:04:19:18
...I saw that the Mafia and political
corruption caused a lot of poverty
10:04:19:23-10:04:23:23
Seeing what was happening
I slowly gained awareness
10:04:24:03-10:04:27:08
Through work I was in daily contact
with this reality
10:04:50:15-10:04:55:06
I like to walk around Palermo
and find somewhere to sit
10:04:56:07-10:05:00:07
I'm like a drunk
10:05:00:23-10:05:04:22
I go to every café and have a glass
of wine
10:05:05:02-10:05:09:12
I like to sit down and drink a glass
of reality...
10:05:09:17-10:05:14:09
...of the things that are happening.
Nothing in particular
10:05:18:21-10:05:21:20
Let's sit down, my dear
10:05:22:00-10:05:24:24
In that church...
10:05:25:04-10:05:29:00
...on the piazza, there have been
lots of funerals...
10:05:29:19-10:05:31:13
...of Mafia victims
10:05:34:00-10:05:36:05
Lots of funerals
10:05:36:10-10:05:42:10
It reminds me of... There's someone
passing with meat on their head
10:05:47:23-10:05:51:07
This piazza reminds me of those things
10:05:51:12-10:05:54:11
It reminds me of pain, tears...
10:05:54:16-10:05:58:12
...people yelling against
the political system
10:05:58:17-10:06:01:22
But now people don't yell any more
10:06:02:23-10:06:05:02
I'm looking for a lighter
10:06:14:18-10:06:18:11
Today I don't think I'd have
the strength
10:06:21:03-10:06:25:12
I wouldn't have the emotional strength
or will...
10:06:25:17-10:06:30:16
...or even the political clout
to photograph...
10:06:30:21-10:06:35:00
...that terrible act of violence
that takes a life
10:06:35:05-10:06:40:04
I don't think I could do it any more
10:06:45:10-10:06:49:11
I've seen too much
and I've been scarred
10:06:49:16-10:06:53:02
I couldn't stand the pain
10:06:54:15-10:06:59:03
I dislike this about myself.
I wish I were stronger
10:06:59:08-10:07:04:01
Maybe it's because I'm old
or I've suffered too much
10:07:04:06-10:07:06:05
I can't do it any more
10:07:20:08-10:07:21:10
Enough
10:07:38:22-10:07:41:10
I know this city inside out
10:07:41:15-10:07:45:21
Both the rich and poor parts.
I chose to live...
10:07:46:01-10:07:49:15
...in the poor part
10:07:50:24-10:07:52:24
So that's what I know best
10:08:05:10-10:08:08:13
These buildings are historic
and precious
10:08:09:20-10:08:12:24
They want to build large new buildings
10:08:13:04-10:08:16:09
But they can't because of the law
we passed
10:08:16:14-10:08:19:11
They prefer not to renovate them
10:08:19:16-10:08:21:21
They're waiting...
10:08:22:01-10:08:25:16
...for the law to be changed...
10:08:26:17-10:08:29:17
...so that they can build
tall new buildings...
10:08:29:22-10:08:32:22
...that would be completely
out of place here
10:08:38:12-10:08:42:04
This historic area should be preserved
and restored...
10:08:42:09-10:08:44:22
...to what it once was
10:09:07:10-10:09:11:10
Lettuce and courgettes
10:09:12:02-10:09:17:09
-Did you put the spinach in?
-There's no spinach, is there?
10:09:17:14-10:09:20:05
I think there's some left
10:09:20:10-10:09:25:01
Oh, yes. It will only take a minute
to cook
10:09:26:24-10:09:30:12
OK... let's put it in here
10:09:41:02-10:09:45:11
It's the first time the
have commissioned photographers...
10:09:45:16-10:09:49:11
...to do an exhibition about them
10:09:49:16-10:09:54:00
We have to take photos of them
and their presence...
10:09:54:05-10:09:56:24
...in the Sicilian landscape
10:09:58:14-10:10:01:16
It's a bit difficult...
10:10:01:21-10:10:07:01
...because they're always so rigid
and have to be coaxed
10:10:07:06-10:10:10:15
But I'm slowly getting to know them
10:10:10:23-10:10:13:07
I thought they were like all coppers
10:10:13:12-10:10:19:01
But now I can see that they're better
10:10:19:06-10:10:23:21
They're more professional and kind
10:10:24:04-10:10:26:14
It's the first time...
10:10:27:14-10:10:32:18
...I've been commissioned
to do something like this
10:10:42:11-10:10:47:14
It's women that I photograph
more and more
10:10:47:19-10:10:51:10
I don't really like photographing men
10:10:51:15-10:10:55:11
But because of their hats...
10:10:55:16-10:10:59:21
...carabinieri are a bit different.
They're not really men any more
10:11:02:17-10:11:08:21
I have lots of photographs of girls
aged about 10
10:11:15:10-10:11:20:20
That's the age that moves me. Maybe
they speak to the little girl inside me
10:11:21:24-10:11:24:05
There's a world of dreams...
10:11:24:10-10:11:26:07
...inside these girls
10:11:37:24-10:11:41:18
Marta needs silence now...
10:11:41:23-10:11:44:14
...because she has to concentrate
10:11:44:19-10:11:46:09
Who is this?
10:11:46:14-10:11:48:12
Your granddaughter
10:11:48:17-10:11:51:20
Marta? I didn't recognize you
10:11:59:03-10:12:01:03
Pretty blond hair
10:12:03:07-10:12:05:17
-Do you use conditioner?
-Yes, Mum
10:12:16:12-10:12:20:12
(TEXT) “The most beautiful granny in the world”
10:12:20:24-10:12:23:19
Marta energises me...
10:12:23:24-10:12:27:14
...because she's a little girl.
She's nearly 10
10:12:27:19-10:12:32:14
She'll be beautiful when she's 10.
She'll dream
10:12:32:19-10:12:36:18
I love girls' dreams
10:12:37:11-10:12:40:00
They're different from boys' dreams
10:12:40:05-10:12:45:04
Boys dream of glory
10:12:45:09-10:12:48:24
Girls dream about little things
10:12:52:16-10:12:55:16
Maybe they dream about love
10:12:57:05-10:12:59:14
What did you dream of?
10:12:59:19-10:13:02:11
I dreamt of becoming a writer...
10:13:02:16-10:13:07:15
...when I was little
10:13:07:20-10:13:10:17
Then when I was 14
I always dreamt of love
10:13:10:22-10:13:16:13
I even had boyfriends. I never stopped
10:13:17:18-10:13:23:22
As soon as I became a young woman
I started having boyfriends
10:13:29:00-10:13:30:22
Love was really important
10:13:32:08-10:13:35:22
I'd fall in love and my father
would punish me
10:13:39:13-10:13:43:14
So to be free...
10:13:43:19-10:13:47:02
...I married at 16
10:13:50:03-10:13:55:20
And all the dreams I'd had before
just crumbled
10:14:21:22-10:14:25:03
I feel strongly about Sicily...
10:14:25:08-10:14:31:01
...about my land and the earth
in general
10:14:35:15-10:14:37:24
I feel as if it were a person...
10:14:38:04-10:14:39:19
...or a lover
10:14:39:24-10:14:42:24
Not just the earth, but nature
in general
10:14:43:12-10:14:48:03
It's such a pleasure to feel alive...
10:14:48:08-10:14:51:15
...surrounded by something living
10:14:51:20-10:14:56:11
It upsets me more and more
that people don't care...
10:14:56:16-10:15:00:14
...about the rights of the earth
10:15:00:19-10:15:05:16
It's not for aesthetic reasons. I don't
want people to respect the earth...
10:15:05:21-10:15:10:19
...because of some kind of beauty
and harmony...
10:15:10:24-10:15:14:12
...in the landscape
10:15:15:13-10:15:19:02
I just don't want the earth to be hurt.
Or the sea
10:15:20:06-10:15:23:10
Or trees. It's all life
10:15:27:14-10:15:32:06
It's life and it's so important because
we're surrounded by death
10:15:32:11-10:15:36:20
Real death with the smell of blood...
10:15:37:00-10:15:39:15
...but also inner death
10:16:04:09-10:16:08:14
We met in the street. I'd gone out...
10:16:08:19-10:16:11:19
...for milk or something
10:16:11:24-10:16:16:21
He was rich, handsome and eight years
older than me
10:16:17:01-10:16:19:12
He seemed perfect
10:16:19:17-10:16:25:01
I thought: I'll get married, be happy,
have lots of children and be free
10:16:25:13-10:16:28:04
But the marriage didn't work out
10:16:28:09-10:16:30:24
I had children, which was wonderful
10:16:31:04-10:16:34:03
But my marriage wasn't happy...
10:16:34:15-10:16:40:08
...except for the first few years. But
I was only 16 and didn't know much
10:16:40:13-10:16:46:04
I wanted to go to school and continue my
studies, but my husband didn't let me
10:16:48:06-10:16:50:18
I grew restless...
10:16:50:23-10:16:53:12
...because I wanted to do things
10:16:53:17-10:16:55:24
I didn't just want to be a mother...
10:16:56:04-10:17:01:11
...and wife. If only he'd let me
continue my studies
10:17:01:16-10:17:05:09
Or just do languages or art
10:17:05:14-10:17:09:21
But he didn't think that was right...
0167 : 10:17:10:01-10:17:11:13
...for a young woman
10:17:11:18-10:17:14:03
Maybe he felt threatened...
10:17:14:08-10:17:17:09
...by how young I was. I was even pretty
10:17:18:01-10:17:23:21
I started to become ill, mentally unwell
10:17:24:01-10:17:26:04
And I had a kind...
10:17:26:09-10:17:27:19
...of heart attack
10:17:27:24-10:17:34:00
I was really ill because my life force
was being suffocated
10:17:34:18-10:17:40:20
I lost my will to live, my will to be
and to participate in the world
10:17:41:16-10:17:43:20
Then I went into therapy
10:17:44:00-10:17:48:09
But I was already 30
10:17:48:14-10:17:50:07
Or 35
10:17:50:12-10:17:54:06
And I started to look around me
10:17:55:00-10:18:00:04
I didn't want to be imprisoned
in my marriage any more
10:18:00:09-10:18:06:11
I started to feel free.
I mean free inside
10:18:06:16-10:18:10:14
And I began to decide
on a different future
10:18:12:03-10:18:16:24
A lot of very violent and distressing
things happened
10:18:17:04-10:18:20:00
Because when a man sees...
10:18:20:05-10:18:24:11
...that the woman he loves...
10:18:24:16-10:18:27:23
...wants to leave him,
he reacts very badly
10:18:28:03-10:18:31:03
I tried to leave him several times...
10:18:31:08-10:18:35:05
...and finally did in 1972
10:18:35:16-10:18:40:17
At the age of 37, I left my husband
10:18:40:22-10:18:45:02
I took my children and went to Milan
without a penny
10:18:45:07-10:18:47:24
How old were the children?
10:18:48:04-10:18:54:04
Let's see. Cinzia was already grown up.
She was 18 or 19
10:18:54:20-10:18:57:12
Shobha was 16
10:18:57:17-10:19:01:04
And Patrizia was six or seven
10:19:05:20-10:19:10:20
I don't know. I can't remember.
I've had such a long life
10:19:11:19-10:19:14:18
So at nearly 40...
10:19:16:01-10:19:21:08
...I took control of my life and did
everything I'd wanted to do before
10:19:21:13-10:19:23:21
I mean I started working
10:19:27:17-10:19:29:19
I wanted to work...
10:19:29:24-10:19:34:12
...in journalism.
That's what interested me
10:19:34:17-10:19:40:09
I could have sold potatoes or been
a journalist. What mattered...
10:19:40:14-10:19:45:00
...was gaining my economic freedom.
Excuse me
10:19:47:13-10:19:50:12
Don't move. You look beautiful
10:19:54:15-10:19:59:20
Little girl, can you take the flowers
to the carabinieri please?
10:20:00:00-10:20:01:14
Where's her mother?
10:20:03:22-10:20:07:20
Do you understand? Take the flowers
over there
10:20:14:02-10:20:18:04
Raise the flowers like this
10:20:18:23-10:20:20:13
The flowers!
10:20:24:16-10:20:26:04
Just a minute
10:20:26:09-10:20:30:22
Sorry, I'm coming over.
Can someone help me up?
10:20:31:14-10:20:32:22
Thank you
10:20:38:23-10:20:42:22
Raise the flowers, my love
10:20:46:05-10:20:48:08
You all look beautiful
10:20:55:01-10:20:59:00
Goodbye, my dear
10:21:02:03-10:21:07:00
Did you see that? How sweet.
What next?
10:21:08:09-10:21:14:02
I started writing articles
as a freelance journalist
10:21:14:07-10:21:17:20
I was an unknown writer...
10:21:18:00-10:21:22:09
...but I found someone
to buy my articles
10:21:22:14-10:21:28:18
I could have sold them more easily
if they'd been accompanied by photos
10:21:28:23-10:21:31:10
That's why I started taking photos
10:21:31:15-10:21:37:06
To sell my work more easily
10:21:37:14-10:21:42:17
So I started taking photos out of
necessity, without passion or knowledge
10:21:45:10-10:21:49:19
After three years I left Milan
to go back to Palermo
10:21:49:24-10:21:54:15
I didn't know what the years ahead
would bring
10:22:19:11-10:22:23:14
My passion for photography came
as I learnt the job
10:22:23:19-10:22:28:19
At first I focused on technical issues.
I really didn't know anything
10:22:28:24-10:22:33:17
Then the passion slowly came.
I don't know how, but it really came
10:22:33:22-10:22:36:19
Maybe I was waiting for something
like it
10:22:36:24-10:22:41:01
And when it came I held on to it tightly
10:22:41:06-10:22:47:04
It gave me the opportunity
to express myself, to exist...
10:22:47:09-10:22:50:21
...to be valued and to leave a mark
10:22:51:01-10:22:56:24
Because when I die,
my photos will remain
10:22:57:04-10:23:02:17
Just like a piece of music or writing,
or a painting
10:23:36:21-10:23:39:01
Colour doesn't convince me
10:23:39:06-10:23:42:00
And I don't know how to do it
10:23:42:05-10:23:46:23
It doesn't convince me because
I don't think it reflects...
10:23:47:03-10:23:48:23
...my inner thoughts
10:23:49:02-10:23:54:01
I'm sure it's effective to illustrate
landscapes, people and colours
10:23:54:06-10:23:56:13
Life is made of colours
10:23:56:18-10:24:01:24
But I also want to be in these photos
and black and white...
10:24:02:04-10:24:05:05
...brings everything down to essentials
10:24:10:11-10:24:16:06
So by not using colour I can be in these
photos and better express what I want
10:24:16:11-10:24:21:06
Sometimes I'm successful,
but more often I'm not
10:24:21:11-10:24:25:14
Black and white is more reflective...
10:24:25:19-10:24:31:24
...of my inner sadness and drama
10:24:33:12-10:24:35:24
I don't know whether it depends...
10:24:37:12-10:24:40:12
...on life experiences
10:25:02:24-10:25:06:01
When Franco Zecchin and I got
together...
10:25:06:06-10:25:11:16
...I was 40 and he was 22
10:25:11:21-10:25:17:09
I met him in Venice in a drama workshop
we did...
10:25:17:14-10:25:19:08
...with Grotowski
10:25:20:03-10:25:24:09
And after a year Franco came to Palermo
10:25:24:14-10:25:28:06
I thought it would be
a short-lived affair
10:25:28:11-10:25:32:19
But we stayed together for 19 years.
He started taking photos...
10:25:32:24-10:25:36:08
...with me for the newspaper “L'Ora”
10:25:36:13-10:25:40:02
And he became an enormous support
10:25:44:02-10:25:49:09
I have to say Franco Zecchin
was my greatest love...
10:25:49:14-10:25:52:04
...because we were together for so long
10:25:52:08-10:25:58:12
And because we worked together
on a subject of vital importance
10:26:00:10-10:26:06:11
Fighting Mafia oppression with the means
available to us
10:26:06:16-10:26:08:16
Photography and politics
10:26:13:01-10:26:16:10
The work was intense
10:26:16:15-10:26:21:16
We were on call 24 hours a day
including Sundays and holidays
10:26:21:21-10:26:25:15
Every time the phone rang at home...
10:26:26:20-10:26:29:18
...Franco and I looked at each other
10:26:31:02-10:26:35:11
We were anxious about that race
on the Vespa
10:26:48:18-10:26:53:01
There was a lot of fear.
We were often afraid...
10:26:53:06-10:26:55:07
...when we took a photo
10:26:55:12-10:27:00:04
Going home or leaving home,
we didn't know...
10:27:01:06-10:27:04:19
...what might happen
10:27:05:04-10:27:10:08
We never became cynical professionals
who get used to things
10:27:10:13-10:27:13:20
We weren't just photographers.
We were also human
10:27:14:09-10:27:19:07
It was difficult to be with each other
as lovers
10:27:27:20-10:27:30:24
We were wrecked
10:27:33:13-10:27:37:03
We would often just hug and fall asleep
10:27:38:13-10:27:42:16
Very sad and disillusioned
10:27:45:09-10:27:50:18
I would go from taking a photo
of a murder to a trial
10:27:50:23-10:27:53:17
Trials are always very emotional
10:27:55:00-10:27:58:02
Then three times a week...
10:27:58:07-10:28:01:10
...we volunteered
at a psychiatric hospital...
10:28:01:15-10:28:05:13
...where we did theatre and film
10:28:05:18-10:28:08:04
We'd go to the cinema
10:28:08:09-10:28:12:03
Yes, of course, we wanted to live
10:28:13:06-10:28:19:10
That's where our will to fight and live
came from
10:28:19:15-10:28:22:19
The will to fight for the right...
10:28:22:24-10:28:25:15
...to a life that was more just
10:28:45:04-10:28:48:21
You can't imagine what those years
were like
10:28:49:01-10:28:51:02
So, as we were recording...
10:28:51:07-10:28:55:01
...everything that happened
with our cameras...
10:28:55:06-10:28:57:11
...we thought that by showing...
10:28:57:16-10:29:02:14
...all the photographs together
we could raise people's awareness
10:29:02:19-10:29:04:20
We asked others in Palermo...
10:29:05:00-10:29:10:11
...to take part in our anti-Mafia
exhibitions
10:29:10:16-10:29:15:05
They said: "No, Letizia, we only take
photos for the papers
10:29:15:10-10:29:19:08
"We don't do exhibitions...
0295 : 10:29:19:13-10:29:22:13
"...to accuse or denounce"
10:29:23:20-10:29:29:00
We started in the centre of Palermo,
on the Piazza Politeama...
10:29:29:05-10:29:33:12
...without permits.
We placed our big photos there
10:29:34:16-10:29:38:20
If the police came we said
we were protesting
10:29:39:00-10:29:41:03
So they left us alone
10:29:41:08-10:29:44:08
The people in Palermo would crowd
around
10:29:44:18-10:29:49:15
It helped them to better understand
the horrors we were experiencing
10:29:49:20-10:29:54:03
If you see a photo of a murder victim
or an arrest or a bomb...
10:29:54:08-10:29:58:12
...you don't react in the same way
as if you see them all together
10:30:10:21-10:30:13:04
It wasn't just about photography
10:30:13:09-10:30:19:10
We held debates about the Mafia,
virtually secret meetings...
10:30:19:15-10:30:25:10
...to get organised, to try and publish
an anti-Mafia newspaper
10:30:26:08-10:30:30:15
To try to re-establish
some kind of order
10:30:31:02-10:30:36:23
We wanted to tell the world
what was happening here
10:30:37:03-10:30:41:14
We didn't want it just to stay
amongst us
10:30:41:19-10:30:47:02
We wanted the photos to be used
as a cry for help
10:30:56:10-10:31:01:12
I did exhibitions abroad in lots
of places, but they weren't artistic
10:31:01:17-10:31:07:11
We wanted to say that we were suffering
and we weren't all Mafiosi
10:31:07:16-10:31:11:20
We were publicising this thing...
10:31:12:00-10:31:14:10
...and we wanted to be helped
10:31:14:15-10:31:18:03
I think it was useful to show...
10:31:18:08-10:31:21:03
...the photos
10:31:21:08-10:31:27:05
It was useful because we communicated...
10:31:27:10-10:31:32:06
...with the other parts of Italy
and the world
10:31:44:23-10:31:49:21
-Nice to see you
-Still eating?
10:32:03:13-10:32:06:20
With the little tree, all of you
10:32:07:10-10:32:09:16
Go on, hold it
10:32:09:21-10:32:12:04
Yes, hold it
10:32:12:24-10:32:15:14
-Thank you
-You're welcome
10:32:16:02-10:32:19:06
Don't they ever come and clean here?
10:32:21:11-10:32:22:22
No street sweepers?
10:32:23:10-10:32:25:13
No, the owner's not around
10:32:26:04-10:32:29:22
It's mad. It's criminal
10:32:34:02-10:32:35:12
Look at these
10:32:41:11-10:32:45:19
I received an award in New York
10:32:46:14-10:32:52:03
Perhaps one of the most important social
photography awards in the world
10:32:52:08-10:32:54:22
The Eugene Smith award
10:32:55:15-10:33:01:07
When I received the award, I thought:
‘They've understood my message’
10:33:01:12-10:33:05:00
My message had reached New York...
10:33:05:05-10:33:08:09
...and made people aware of our battle
10:33:09:05-10:33:15:05
So I felt I'd accomplished my mission
as a photographer...
10:33:15:10-10:33:17:16
...and I needed to do something else
10:33:18:11-10:33:24:15
It wasn't enough for me to denounce
things using photos
10:33:26:06-10:33:31:00
So I went into politics
for the Green Party
10:33:31:05-10:33:34:12
I was elected as a city councillor,
then regional MP
10:33:34:17-10:33:37:01
Franco was always there with me
10:33:39:15-10:33:41:07
I put aside photography...
10:33:41:12-10:33:43:21
...during those years
10:33:44:01-10:33:45:13
It was a time...
10:33:45:18-10:33:49:12
...when people were becoming motivated
10:33:49:17-10:33:54:22
Even the new mayor Orlando
was strong, brave...
10:33:55:02-10:33:58:04
...young and anti-Mafioso
10:34:00:14-10:34:06:18
But in the meantime the Mafia was
killing all the city's positive forces
10:34:08:13-10:34:12:10
Judges needed to be escorted, protected
10:34:12:15-10:34:16:11
Orlando, the mayor of Palermo...
10:34:16:16-10:34:20:01
...constantly received threats
10:34:20:06-10:34:24:06
I was also receiving threats
10:34:24:11-10:34:30:01
The chief of police called me and said:
‘Letizia, we fear for your safety’
10:34:30:06-10:34:34:16
And I told him I'd rather be killed...
10:34:34:21-10:34:37:04
...than be escorted...
10:34:37:09-10:34:42:09
...and show that I was scared
and needed protection
10:34:42:14-10:34:46:24
(TEXT) “Councillor for the Environment,
Palermo City Council”
10:34:48:13-10:34:51:17
I had 600 workers...
10:34:51:22-10:34:57:02
...who weren't used to doing much.
The small parks were neglected
10:34:57:07-10:35:01:10
Many spaces were abandoned
and full of rubbish
10:35:04:22-10:35:10:16
All these abandoned spaces were
transformed by trees, flowers...
10:35:11:20-10:35:13:09
...and plants
10:35:39:07-10:35:44:19
At night I would dream about
the 5000 trees I'd planted
10:35:44:24-10:35:48:03
I wanted to plant more. I didn't want...
10:35:48:16-10:35:53:00
...time to pass because I knew
we'd be voted out eventually...
10:35:53:05-10:35:56:18
...and I couldn't be a councillor
for ever
10:35:59:18-10:36:02:15
School children would write to me...
10:36:02:20-10:36:07:04
..."There's a tree missing"
in such and such a street
10:36:07:09-10:36:11:19
So I would reply and give them
a date and time...
10:36:11:24-10:36:15:01
...to meet me with the tree
10:36:15:06-10:36:20:16
They'd come with the teacher. It became
a fantastic ritual and I loved it
10:36:22:05-10:36:26:13
"Councillor Battaglia Letizia...
10:36:26:18-10:36:30:14
"...will you be our fairy godmother?"
10:36:31:11-10:36:35:10
It wasn't a direct fight
against the Mafia
10:36:35:15-10:36:39:18
It was about building a society...
10:36:39:23-10:36:43:02
...on kinder, more natural foundations
10:36:43:07-10:36:46:10
Fighting the Mafia also needs to be done
through education
10:36:57:22-10:36:59:07
The urban plan...
10:36:59:12-10:37:02:13
...of Palermo included
the destruction...
10:37:02:18-10:37:05:08
...of Baroque churches
10:37:06:08-10:37:07:20
It planned...
10:37:08:00-10:37:10:12
...new roads that destroyed...
10:37:10:17-10:37:14:24
...many of the neighbourhoods
of the historic centre
10:37:15:04-10:37:18:20
Lively neighbourhoods
where many people lived
10:37:21:04-10:37:26:14
Now these people have been moved
to the outskirts
10:37:26:23-10:37:32:19
They live in horrible flats...
10:37:32:24-10:37:35:11
...where they've lost their history
10:37:43:05-10:37:47:06
In many cities around the world
the outskirts are like this
10:37:47:11-10:37:51:06
But in Palermo the situation
is even worse
10:37:51:11-10:37:57:00
Because the outskirts are run
by Mafiosi...
10:37:57:05-10:38:00:02
...who lay down their own laws
10:38:00:08-10:38:03:24
And this flies in the face
of the justice...
10:38:04:04-10:38:08:20
...for which we fought
and continue to fight
10:38:16:19-10:38:21:02
We changed the urban planning...
10:38:21:07-10:38:23:11
...of the historic centre
10:38:23:16-10:38:27:06
We did that to prevent
even a single house...
10:38:27:11-10:38:29:24
...from being demolished...
10:38:30:04-10:38:33:20
...and to restore instead of demolish
10:38:52:12-10:38:54:13
Many of the politicians...
10:38:54:18-10:39:00:22
...who ended up in prison had bought
lots of houses for next to nothing...
10:39:01:02-10:39:04:01
...to replace them
with their new high-rises
10:39:04:06-10:39:08:16
So at five in the morning
some councillors left
10:39:08:21-10:39:13:06
Others said they felt ill and got up
10:39:13:11-10:39:18:14
But we were able to pass this law
with the minimum vote requirement
10:39:18:19-10:39:22:00
And when we passed it...
10:39:22:05-10:39:26:01
...it was like receiving a huge gift
10:39:26:06-10:39:32:01
We knew that with this law no house,
however small, could be destroyed
10:39:32:06-10:39:34:07
Our past...
10:39:34:12-10:39:37:20
...the places where we had grown up...
10:39:38:00-10:39:42:06
...and our parents had been born
couldn't be erased...
10:39:42:11-10:39:44:01
...by high-rises
010:39:44:06-10:39:49:05
In a city like Palermo...
10:39:49:10-10:39:53:09
...this would have been unbelievable
10:39:57:17-10:40:03:20
The few brave judges who tried to fight
the Mafia...
10:40:04:17-10:40:06:04
...were killed
10:40:06:17-10:40:11:05
Police officers and journalists
were killed
10:40:11:10-10:40:14:23
They also killed judges Falcone
and Borsellino
10:40:15:03-10:40:19:05
The two brave and wonderful judges
who were our pride...
10:40:19:10-10:40:23:20
...because they were really trying
to do justice...
10:40:24:17-10:40:26:02
...for us all
10:40:35:22-10:40:37:11
It was too much
10:40:38:03-10:40:41:17
It was then that the Mafia realised...
10:40:43:11-10:40:45:11
...they had to change...
10:40:46:22-10:40:48:04
...strategies
10:40:48:09-10:40:51:18
If they had continued to kill
as much as before...
10:40:51:23-10:40:56:12
...the government would have dismantled
them
10:41:06:21-10:41:10:16
For the last 10 years they haven't
killed any of us
10:41:10:21-10:41:13:17
And things are much more complicated
than before
10:41:13:22-10:41:18:22
They don't kill, but they're extremely
powerful
10:41:19:02-10:41:23:23
They've gone into politics.
They govern us
10:41:59:20-10:42:03:00
(TEXT) “MAFIA? CALL BERLUSCONI”
10:42:03:05-10:42:06:10
(TEXT) “WAKE UP, PEOPLE”
10:42:20:20-10:42:22:17
Can we eat here?
10:42:29:07-10:42:31:18
Can you help us with the street closure?
10:42:31:23-10:42:37:24
No, I'm out of the picture. You all
voted for Berlusconi so you can keep him
10:42:49:16-10:42:52:00
They've closed the street
10:42:52:05-10:42:54:16
I've just heard
10:42:54:21-10:42:57:00
Our sales have dropped by 80%
10:42:57:16-10:43:02:06
Organise a petition. Tell them
you don't want this
10:43:02:11-10:43:06:02
-It's the people who should be in charge
-I know
10:43:07:09-10:43:12:00
We're not in power any more.
The others are
10:43:15:05-10:43:17:22
I can't help anyone
10:43:19:02-10:43:23:00
The right is in power and
I'm on the left
10:43:23:05-10:43:26:23
I have no power.
There's nothing I can do
10:43:32:01-10:43:33:21
It's not easy...
10:43:34:01-10:43:35:16
...to fight...
10:43:35:21-10:43:38:21
...in such a corrupt city
10:43:41:01-10:43:44:22
These are difficult times
10:43:45:02-10:43:49:02
We need to find a way to fight
because it's harder now
10:43:49:07-10:43:53:11
We used to take to the streets
and protest
10:43:53:16-10:43:58:00
We discussed things. There was fear,
but at least we fought
10:44:01:01-10:44:03:16
Now we don't know what to do any more
10:44:03:21-10:44:09:12
Those who want to fight do it with
whatever small means they have
10:44:10:16-10:44:16:18
Excuse me. I just need a minute
under this beautiful tree
10:44:18:24-10:44:22:14
Those in uniforms, go ahead
10:44:23:20-10:44:27:18
One on that side and one on the other
10:44:29:17-10:44:35:22
I take photographs and I use the money
I earn from that for my publishing house
10:44:36:02-10:44:41:23
I've had it for 12 years, since Falcone
and Borsellino were killed
10:44:42:03-10:44:46:03
It's called “Edizione della Battaglia”
10:44:46:08-10:44:47:24
It mainly publishes...
10:44:49:04-10:44:52:00
...work about or against the Mafia
10:44:52:20-10:44:57:18
We also publish poetry by young writers
10:44:57:23-10:45:01:14
I'm very interested in poetry
10:45:01:19-10:45:06:12
I also publish a magazine called
“Mezzocielo”..
10:45:06:17-10:45:10:17
...entirely run, designed and written
by women
10:45:11:07-10:45:16:13
We don't ask people for anything. We
write what we want, sometimes harshly
10:45:17:23-10:45:23:23
I don't have much money, so I only
produce a small number of copies
10:45:25:08-10:45:28:20
But it's important for me and I do it
10:45:40:22-10:45:46:19
I'm almost 70, so I always think
time is running out
10:45:46:24-10:45:53:00
I'm not aware of my wrinkles. It's only
when I see photos of myself...
10:45:53:05-10:45:55:20
...that I see I'm full of wrinkles
10:45:56:00-10:45:58:08
And I say: ‘Oh, well, I'm like this now’
0472 : 10:45:58:22-10:46:01:00
But deep inside there are no wrinkles
0473 : 10:46:02:22-10:46:06:17
It might sound trivial,
but there's still that little girl...
0474 : 10:46:06:22-10:46:10:05
...who dreamt of being loved
and wanting to love
0475 : 10:46:11:04-10:46:13:22
But now I look at myself and I know...
10:46:14:02-10:46:18:09
...I can't love and I don't want to look
for love any more
10:46:22:07-10:46:26:09
Because that's how our society is
10:46:26:14-10:46:29:20
Because you're not desirable any more
10:46:30:00-10:46:34:22
I'm not desirable any more
even though I've so much to offer
10:46:44:09-10:46:48:02
My last relationship was
with Franco Zecchin
10:46:48:07-10:46:51:06
And that ended 10 years ago
10:46:51:11-10:46:54:16
I was already 58
10:46:54:21-10:46:59:09
And even though it had been
a wonderful relationship...
10:46:59:14-10:47:01:21
...I didn't feel adequate any more
10:47:02:01-10:47:05:17
I knew it was time to let him go
10:47:09:23-10:47:13:24
He needed to experience...
10:47:14:04-10:47:16:19
...other relationships
10:47:16:24-10:47:21:18
After that I closed my...
10:47:25:16-10:47:31:16
I stopped making myself available
sexually
10:47:32:03-10:47:36:01
I closed myself down
10:47:50:05-10:47:55:02
I'm a passionate woman so I've lived
all my working years...
10:47:55:07-10:47:56:22
...passionately
10:47:57:02-10:48:01:10
All those years when I was
face to face...
10:48:02:08-10:48:03:13
...with death...
10:48:04:06-10:48:06:01
...with pain and blood...
10:48:07:07-10:48:10:03
...and my feet in puddles of blood
10:48:12:14-10:48:17:17
I lived all those years with intensity
and they've remained inside me
10:48:21:12-10:48:25:02
I'm scarred and I'd like to free myself
of it all
10:48:27:15-10:48:31:00
It's a bit as if I wanted to erase...
10:48:31:05-10:48:32:20
...the past
10:48:33:18-10:48:37:21
Even the present.
No, that's another issue
10:48:38:06-10:48:41:21
Erase a past that's shameful and heavy
10:48:46:07-10:48:49:17
So what I'm trying to do...
10:48:49:22-10:48:52:24
...is to take one of these photos
from the past...
10:48:53:24-10:48:57:20
...and superimpose it with something
living
10:48:58:00-10:49:01:20
For me that usually means a woman
10:49:02:00-10:49:05:13
But also children and flowers.
So I take...
10:49:05:18-10:49:09:21
...a large old photo showing
a murder or poverty
10:49:10:14-10:49:14:09
Or a Mafioso. And on top of it...
10:49:14:14-10:49:18:20
...I place something else. Another life,
another offer of life
10:49:22:13-10:49:26:20
I don't know if they're any good,
but I do it
10:49:37:11-10:49:42:08
I'm trying this.
I'm always trying things
10:49:42:19-10:49:44:09
Always trying
10:49:47:03-10:49:51:03
Nothing is ever definite with me.
I don't follow rules
10:49:51:08-10:49:55:14
I don't have a master plan. I just live
10:50:00:07-10:50:03:04
I don't want to talk about it any more
10:50:11:11-10:50:14:17
It stinks. There's shit everywhere
10:50:22:10-10:50:24:20
Go, go!
10:50:32:20-10:50:34:12
Go away
10:50:35:04-10:50:37:04
Far away
10:50:40:21-10:50:42:21
It's not going
10:50:45:14-10:50:47:09
It's not going
10:50:48:16-10:50:54:10
I want it to go, otherwise
what's the point?
10:50:55:23-10:50:58:12
It's coming back
10:50:59:18-10:51:04:08
It's symbolic of how we can't ever
get rid of certain things
10:51:21:17-10:51:26:11
“Happy birthday, dear Marta”
10:51:35:15-10:51:40:05
Children are very important to me
and I know...
10:51:41:16-10:51:46:14
...they won't have a free Sicily
10:51:48:20-10:51:52:23
Do you understand? A civilised Sicily.
They won't find it
10:51:58:13-10:52:02:13
I'd like to say something to Marta
and Matteo
10:52:03:11-10:52:06:02
Because their lives...
10:52:06:07-10:52:08:23
...aren't going to be easy
10:52:12:05-10:52:14:18
Not any easier than mine
10:52:15:16-10:52:20:08
I want to tell them that I tried
10:52:23:08-10:52:25:09
I really tried
10:52:25:14-10:52:30:04
Many of us tried...
10:52:31:17-10:52:35:08
...to get rid of the filth...
10:52:36:22-10:52:39:01
...in our land
10:52:40:19-10:52:42:11
I failed
10:52:42:16-10:52:45:24
But I want to tell them I really tried
10:53:02:13-10:53:06:04
For now there's nothing left for me
to do here
10:53:06:09-10:53:11:00
I mean there are things I could do
like eat, drink...
10:53:11:05-10:53:16:10
...go to the cinema or the theatre,
listen to music or enjoy the open sky
10:53:16:15-10:53:21:16
But that's not what interests me in
life, eating drinking and having fun
10:53:21:21-10:53:27:06
I just want things to change here,
but since nothing changes...
10:53:27:11-10:53:32:11
Unfortunately nothing has changed.
People have died: heroes, martyrs
10:53:32:16-10:53:35:08
That's what they say nowadays, martyrs
10:53:35:13-10:53:40:18
It's terrible to think it was all
for nothing
10:53:41:09-10:53:46:19
I don't want to die amongst
all this waste
10:53:46:24-10:53:48:13
So I'm leaving
10:54:23:03-10:54:26:14
Look at the flowers. How am I going
to take them with me?
10:54:26:19-10:54:32:19
My dear, it's so you can take
a Sicilian flower with you
10:54:37:10-10:54:39:17
A radio for the train
10:54:39:22-10:54:42:21
But it's your radio
10:54:43:01-10:54:46:22
I even put some batteries in here
10:54:47:03-10:54:50:02
-But it's your radio
-I want you to have it
10:54:51:20-10:54:53:10
Can you hear?
10:54:53:23-10:54:57:00
Mum, over here
10:55:06:11-10:55:08:01
Surname: Battaglia
10:55:08:06-10:55:12:22
First name: Letizia. Age: 68.
Profession: photographer
10:55:13:01-10:55:14:11
A great talent
10:55:16:11-10:55:19:16
Letizia is leaving Palermo slowly,
she tells us
10:55:19:21-10:55:23:02
She wants to leave her city
and Sicily...
10:55:23:07-10:55:25:19
...where the Mafia is still strong
10:55:51:20-10:55:57:16
Welcome on board this train
to Paris Gare de Lyon
10:56:09:08-10:56:13:05
I hope I can still do something
for Palermo. I'm not sure how
10:56:15:10-10:56:21:02
Maybe from Paris I can organise
an international group of women...
10:56:21:07-10:56:26:10
...against all the mafias because
the problem isn't just in Sicily...
10:56:26:15-10:56:29:02
...or in Italy
10:56:30:21-10:56:36:21
Maybe it will be possible for me
to do something and feel useful
10:57:03:04-10:57:06:13
Do you know how to regrow papyri?
You cut them here
10:57:16:06-10:57:17:23
Then you cut here
10:57:27:01-10:57:29:03
Then you cut it like this
10:57:39:19-10:57:43:05
You put it in water in a jar
10:57:43:10-10:57:47:01
Then the roots grow and it's a plant
again
10:57:49:22-10:57:51:22
Then you plant it in the earth
10:57:52:02-10:57:54:09
Yes, always in the earth