The film is set on the small rocky italian island of lampedusa, whose proximity to the african coast has made it. Oct 21, 2016 fire at sea is not the documentary youd expect about the migrant crisis. Deepwater horizon is a 2016 american disaster film based on the deepwater horizon explosion and oil spill in the gulf of mexico. No wonder the italian prime minister in 2016 gave a copy of. Gianfranco rosis beautiful, mysterious and moving film is a documentary that looks like a neorealist classic. Fire at sea is not the documentary youd expect about the. It won the golden bear at the 66th berlin international film. Fire at sea follows a succession of prizewinning documentaries, several of them with oceanic themes. Fire at sea 2016 114 minutes director gianfranco rosi.
Director gianfranco rosi sheds light on the subject of african migration to europe by training his camera on lampedusa, a picturesque island located halfway between libya and sicily, where more than 100,000 africans first set foot on european soil every year. This documentary film is not in detail like any normal documentary does, to highlight the rights and wrongs. Awardwinning filmmaker gianfranco rosi masterfully juxtaposes these realities, jolting the audience into a new. Pietro bartolo appears in a scene from the documentary film fire at sea. Fuocoammare is a 2016 italian documentary film directed by gianfranco rosi. A dramatization of the disaster in april 2010, when the offshore drilling rig called the deepwater horizon exploded, resulting in the worst oil spill in american history.
Fire at sea 2016 is available on netflix united states. Fire at sea is a powerful, and beautifully shot, look at the migrant crisisone that manages to subvert viewer expectations of what has become for many a familiar news subject. There are no voice overs by elderly hollywood actors, or dry commentary by hardcore journalists. Tune into our june film podcast for our take on the. Screen international lee marshall a powerful, at times shocking but also intensely human documentary. Winner of the top prize at the berlin film festival, rosis latest is a stunning, upclose view of the international migrant crisis. The filmmakers left that part empty for you the viewers to decide. Although the islands inhabitants are exposed to the raw reality of the humanitarian crisis on a daily basis, the two worlds only rarely come into contact. His film is an impressionistic tour of an italian island turned upside down. Opinions expressed in our articles are those of the authors and not of the film inquiry magazine. It then juxtaposes these alarming numbers with beautiful. Official submission of italy for the best foreign language film category of the 89th academy awards in 2017.
Fire at sea is not the documentary youd expect about the migrant. Fire at sea opened at various festivals throughout 2016 and is currently available in limited theatrical release world. An academy award nominee for best documentary feature and the first nonfiction film to ever win the top prize at the berlin international film festival, fire at sea takes place in lampedusa, a remote mediterranean island that has become a major entry point for refugees into europe. The winner of the berlin film festivals silver bear award, gianfranco rosis powerful documentary deals with the present migrant crisis with a mix of poetry and resignation.
In 20, sacro gra, won the golden lion at the 2016 venice film festival, becoming the first documentary to ever land the prize. Capturing life on the italian island of lampedusa, a frontline in the european migrant crisis. Its an unorthodox but effective approach that cuts through the noise to provide compelling and sympathetic impressions of the films characters. Yet fire at sea does see such events, and implicitly asks whats to be gained from preserving samueles relative innocence to such matters. Gianfranco rosi fire at sea official trailer 1 2016. The process behind the first and only documentary to ever win berlinales top prize is as captivating as the film itself. Peter berg directed it from a screenplay by matthew michael carnahan and matthew sand. Gianfranco rosi enlarges the frame around this data in his brilliant, difficult documentary, fuocoammare 2016.
A film that will set your heart on fire film inquiry. Rent fire at sea 2016 on dvd and bluray dvd netflix. Winner of the golden bear for best film at the berlin film festival 2016, gianfranco rosis incisive, poignant and deeply moving portrait of the mediterranean. Samuele pucillo in fire at sea, a documentary by gianfranco rosi.
His most recent documentary, fire at sea 2016, won the golden bear at the berlin international film festival, as well as the european film award for best documentary. Fire at sea, gianfranco rosis film about lampedusa, an island south of sicily where african refugees arrive on their way to europe, is both an enormously powerful piece of cinema and, in. An italian failure that is, arguably, shared by the rest of the western world. A kino lorber releaseincludes a post film conversation with director gianfranco rosi hosted by anne thompson, editor at large at indiewire. Fire at sea moves just like the waters of the mediterranean one hour its calm and the next its an impatient school of slashing waves but still beautiful to look at. An academy award nominee for best documentary feature and the first nonfiction film to ever win the top prize at the berlin international film festival, fire at sea takes place in lampedusa, a. This documentary is a simple but captivating portrait of rural life in lampedusa juxtaposed with realities of trying to escape the hardships in africa through an overloaded. The reaction to this from certain italian fiction filmmakers has been not unlike the consternation certain novelists have expressed about bob dylan being awarded the nobel prize for literature. Its a stunning work of art, but an even more laudatory work of journalism. Fire at sea is not the documentary youd expect about. A gorgeous cinematic experience, fire at sea captures life on the italian island of lampedusa during the refugee crisis. Oct 23, 2016 in fire at sea, glimpse the migrant crisis from the heart of mediterranean filmmaker gianfranco rosi talks about his documentary fire at sea.
Its closeness to libya makes it a relatively desirable landing point for african and north african refugees fleeing from wars, unrest, and starvation on that continent. Oct 08, 2016 paris for a film that makes use of long silences, gianfranco rosis documentary fire at sea, about the tiny italian island of lampedusa for years the european point of arrival for. Many action movies, romcoms, scifi movies, and documentaries are formulaic. An interesting book, but not a very happy one at all. It won the golden bear at the 66th berlin international f. Recently, it has become the landing spot for boatloads of refugees and other migrants from africa, asia and the middle east. Twelveyearold samuel lives on lampedusa, which has become the destination of thousands of africans trying to reach europe. Rent fire at sea 2016 starring samuele puccilo and mattias cucina on dvd and bluray. It is artful and conscientious filmmaking that captures the lives in and around an island, simply to say these lives exist alongside each other, mostly without any of them knowing of each other. For fire at sea, in a sense, chronicles an italian failure. Feb 20, 2016 fire at sea, gianfranco rosis italian documentary about the refugee crisis on the island of lampedusa, won the 66th berlin film festivals golden bear for best film on saturday.
Capturing life on the italian island of lampedusa, a frontline in. How gianfranco rosi made an antidocumentary shares. Mar 25, 2017 fire at sea is a 2016 italian documentary film that recently debuted on netflix. Fire at sea to get capri fests european movie of the year award the golden bearwinning documentary on the refugee crisis, italys official. The film was nominated for the academy award for best documentary feature at the 89th academy awards. For this reason fire at sea is the better film and should be able to find larger. The first documentary to ever win the top award at the berlin international film festival, fire at sea takes place in lampedusa, a once peaceful mediterranean island that has become a major entry point for african refugees into europe. This fascinating, remarkable film has an innate artistry not usually associated with many documentaries. The characters and areas presented in this book are key elements for the entire series.
Eschewing commentary, the film lets the situation speak eloquently for itself. Fire at sea is the fruit of an extended sojourn on lampedusa, an island that, while part of italy, is closer to tunisia than to sicily. Fire at sea opens with a sequence that might come out of. It won the golden bear at the 66th berlin international film festival. This italian documentary is the official submission from that country for the next academy awards. In the films most direct access to trauma, a nigerian refugee sings, surrounded by fellow africans, about perseverance through struggle as the defining characteristic of his life. Samuele is 12 years old and lives on an island in the middle of the sea. His 2016 film fire at sea, a documentary focused on european migrant crisis on the sicilian island of lampedusa, won the golden bear at the 66th berlin international film festival. There, we meet samuele, a 12yearold boy who lives simply, climbing rocks by the shore and playing with his slingshot. The title alludes to a sicilian song about a 1943 bombing of an italian warship in lampedusa, and how the flames lit up the sea at night. In fire at sea, glimpse the migrant crisis from the heart. But, paolo sorrentinos soreness notwithstanding, this is a pertinent gesture, one of selfcriticism.
Rosi also served as cinematographer for this documentary, which won the golden bear at the 2016 berlin international film festival. There is currently one video available for the film, of which one and only one is a trailer, as listed below. Fire at sea opened at various festivals throughout 2016 and is currently available in limited theatrical release world wide. The film won the golden bear for best film at berlinale 2016.
It stars mark wahlberg, kurt russell, john malkovich, gina rodriguez, dylan obrien, and kate hudson. Winner of berlin international film festivals golden bear this year, gianfranco rosis powerful portrait of lampedusa, an italian island south of sicily that has become a center of the global migrant crisis, juxtaposes traumatic refugee experiences with the quiet daily life. Fire at sea is a documentary directed by gianfranco rosi. I have seen the much better documentaries than this on. Fire at sea view trailer get tickets winner of the golden bear at this years berlin film festival, gianfranco rosis documentary observes europes migrant crisis from the vantage point of a mediterranean island where hundreds of thousands of refugees, fleeing war and poverty, have landed in.
Fire at sea was submitted to the academy for best foreign language film as well as for best documentary it was nominated for the latter. In fire at sea, rosi does two things very well, establishing a sense of place while presenting a group of people who are in need of a place. Rosi might be the best documentarian in the world, and thats not just because he shot the profound, metaphorical, utterly breathtaking fire at sea essentially by himself. Fire at sea provokes questions about directors choices. Samuele is twelve and lives on an island in the fire at sea international documentary association. Heartbreak, hope and nostalgia collide in this complex portrait of lampedusa, a mediterranean island where thousands of migrants land each year. Part documentary, part docudrama, it was filmed on the italian island of lampedusa, which lies roughly midway between libya and sicily and has become the first port of call for more than 100,000 migrants from africa and the middle east. Official facebook page of fire at sea, 2016 italian documentary film directed by gianfranco rosi. Fire at sea is a harrowing look at the everyday horrors of the. Each year, thousands of refugees risk their lives to reach lampedusa, the tiny mediterranean island thats become a prime gateway to europe. Fire at sea the 2016 movie, trailers, videos and more at yidio. It was also selected as the italian entry for the best foreign language film at the awards but it was not nominated in that. He still believes in a cinema of contradictions, irresolvabilities, poetic recombinations, art from reality, human understanding from observation and montage.
Fire at sea fuocoammare critics consensus fire at sea offers a cleareyed yet empathetic look at a corner of the world whose terrain may be unfamiliar to many, but whose peoples story remains. Trailer for fire at sea fuocoammare situated some 200km off italys southern coast, lampedusa has hit world headlines in recent years as the first port of call for hundreds of thousands of african and middle eastern migrants hoping to make a new life in europe. Actually, it speaks less and reveals more through its pictures. I think every person should see this film and then refect on it. No wonder the italian prime minister in 2016 gave a copy of the dvd to every head of state at a european. Oct 21, 2016 lampedusa is, per wikipedia, the largest island of the pelagie islands in the mediterranean sea. A documentary shot on the sicilian island of lampedusa during the european migrant crisis, and sets the migrants dangerous mediterranean crossing against a. Fire at sea is not the documentary youd expect about the migrant crisis. Fuocoammare directed by gianfranco rosi fire at sea won the golden bear at the 66th berlin. Fire at sea won the golden bear best picture award at the berlin film festival in february. Gianfranco rosi fire at sea official trailer 1 2016 documentary capturing life on the italian island of lampedusa, a frontline in the european migrant crisis. The film opens with a reporting of the number of stranded refugees along with casualties. Oct 21, 2016 video archive for the film fire at sea, which has a domestic theatrical release in the year of 2016. Under fire 2016 a widowed police officer goes under cover to solve the same case that got her husband killed.
Oct 28, 2016 fire at sea provokes questions about directors choices. Top uk films 2016 the 50 best films of 2016 in the uk. Fire at sea is a 2016 italian documentary film directed by gianfranco rosi. Fire at sea migrant documentary is weeks most powerful film. Understanding it would require complete and prolonged immersion, it wouldnt be eas. The film does not say all this, but you will get the clear picture. Thats the major issue here, but were after temporary solution. Fire at sea in his quest to illuminate lives on the margins, gianfranco rosi visits the island of lampedusa, where an ancient community plays witness to africas. Nov 18, 2016 fire at sea, gianfranco rosis documentary about the ongoing european migrant crisis, has been progressively gaining critical and widespread appeal since its debut at the berlin film. Gianfranco rosis latest documentary winner of the golden bear at berlin, to add to the golden lion he won at venice for sacro gra a few years before might have been an unbearable chronicle of misery. A documentary shot on the sicilian island of lampedusa during the european migrant crisis, and sets the migrants dangerous mediterranean crossing against a background of the ordinary life of the. Fire at sea official trailer 1 2016 documentary youtube.