Film on the wounds and restorative future of Sardinia

An unique film by Viviana Sanna (Italy)

Viviana Sanna, in cooperation with the theatre group Volpe Bianca (Sassari), produced the film "Clouds", tailor-made to the themes of the REstART Festival, particularly on the need to repair some of the old historical wounds of their land, Sardinia, and the sufferings of its inhabitants, reflecting on ideas for healing and reparation. This is a unique piece presented for our festival: only registered participants receive the password to watch the film.

The video is dedicated to some of the wounds of Sardinia, for centuries a land of conquest, exploited and robbed, humiliated and abandoned, now ready to a future of restoration and renovation. It follows the stories of two women, the sad and suffering Rosa and the young and hopeful Milena, in relation to the community they live in.

Clouds (On the wounds and restorative future of Sardinia) from Euforumrj on Vimeo.

The video was shot in Rebeccu, a medieval ghost village surrounded by a forest, about 50km from Sassari, which is rather unique in its energy and history.

The legend says that around 1400, the daughter of the king of Rebeccu, princess Donoria, was accused of witchcraft by the villagers, who forced the king, her father, to repudiate her and send her out of the village. Donoria left the village by horse, angry and in pain, and launched a curse, which condemned Rebeccu to never build more than 30 houses. In fact, the village did not grow anymore, victim of terrible famines and pestilences, which drastically reduced the number of its inhabitants and its houses, until it was completely abandoned.

The theatre group chose Rebeccu as the symbol of the wounds of Sardinia, to redeem this land from the dynamics of revenge and to repair the soul of Donoria, humiliated, rejected, betrayed by her father.

The encounter with restorative justice was love at first sight, because it touched some “strings” at a very intimate level, questioning parts of myself, of my island and of human beings in general.

(Viviana Sanna)

The film "Clouds" includes few words in the Sardinian language (with English subtitles). The theatre group made use of the sounds of nature, especially the wind and the water of the nearby river and forest, symbols of flexibility, adaptability and strength, values which are near to restorative justice principles and crucial to give a sense of healing and repair to the historical wounds of Sardinia.

Sardinia is the island that will host the European Forum for Restorative Justice international conference in June 2021. Viviana Sanna and the theatre group Volpe Bianca are active in one of the field trips we organise for our upcoming conference in Sassari.

Viviana Sanna became interested in restorative justice some years ago, thanks to its cooperation with the Team delle pratiche di giustizia riparativa in Sassari University, coordinated by our board member Patrizia Patrizi. Viviana cooperates on different projects with the Team: she is involved in the educational training for the high school students of restorative city of Tempio Pausania and in the psychological counselling desk for the students of Sassari University. Viviana has a degree in Political Science and a master in Human Resources Management. She has completed a three-year course of counselling and she is currently studying to obtain her degree in Clinical Psychology. Viviana is also a member of the theatre group Volpe Bianca, acting and teaching theater to children on a voluntary basis.

Volpe Bianca (white fox) is a cultural association and school of creative arts, founded in Sassari in 2001. Few years later, in 2005, Volpe Bianca founded also a theater company proposing performances for adults and children. The company's research is directed towards an artistic path that privileges the person, with theater as a vehicle for self-knowledge. Following an interdisciplinary path (e.g. dance theater and creative arts in general), each discipline contributes to the training of actors in a complementary and complete way. By expanding the knowledge of oneself and the experiences on stage, actors can explore territories for a cultural and personal enrichment confirmed in the body and emotional work of its performances. Among others, Volpe Bianca created the show “I misteri della notte” where the night with its secrets and mysteries is told and experienced in natural contexts where nature has an evocative and representative value. In 2016 Volpe Bianca was invited in a primary school in Kenya to deliver a series of theater workshops with children; this is performed in the bilingual (Swahili and English) show "playing with the dust".

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Film on the wounds and restorative future of Sardinia

The encounter with restorative justice was love at first sight, because it touched some “strings” at a very intimate level, questioning parts of myself, of my island and of human beings in general.

​​​​​​​(Viviana Sanna)

(Viviana Sanna)