Land of Joy

In between the Alps and the Venice Lagoon, Veneto is one of the wealthiest industrial areas in Europe, but it hasn't always been this way. Forty years ago the locals were poor farm workers. They had to emigrate to Germany, Switzerland, and Belgium to earn their living. Through their hard work they made Veneto what it is today, despite the last global downturn: one of the most affluent Italian regions. The focus of the film is deliberately on the native inhabitants of Veneto, on their history, their point of view, and on their distrust for foreigners. The Northern League, the strongest political party in Veneto is claiming for independence from Italy. It expresses obsessive fear and rage against foreigners and, on this basis, would want to recreate the sense of community in a globalized world. The camera captures the distinctive features of people’s faces, the tension in their words and moments of silence and reflection. Through amusing and grotesque encounters with a motley bunch of characters: from a Pakistani man who is hopelessly looking for a job, to an over-excited rat poison manufacturer; from an old man growing onions between warehouses to a housewife who loves new gadgets, a diverse vision emerges and the atmosphere of the places comes alive in its true spirit. Among factories, gardens and party meetings, empty rituals and grossness, the film takes us on a ride along a landscape which is also an inner landscape; of both comic and tragic characters, who are struggling through the mechanism of work and money, or just lingering in a withered past.

Credits

Script:

Laura Lazzarin

Camera:

Kai Miedendorp

Editing:

Marco Fantacuzzi

Producer:

Gregor Hutz

Sound:

Sylvia Grabe

Joanna Piechotta

Film info

Direction:

Laura Lazzarin

Genre:

documentary

Country of production:

Germany

Production Company:

Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin

Production:

2011

Shooting format:

S 16mm

Screening format:

1:1,66

Frame rate:

25 fps

Aspect ratio:

1:1,66

Sound format:

stereo

Language:

Italian

Version:

OV

Runtime:

78