short version broadcast on Austrian TV

Austrian television "ORF" will broadcast my report on Salemi (a short version of it) sometime mid-October as part of the show "Weltjournal".

come drink in Salemi

While Milan imposes stricter rules on teenagers drinking / abusing alcohol, Sgarbi (who likes to rhetorically strike out against Milan's mayor Letizia Moratti ever since she fired him as the city's culture spokesman) invites all young people to come and drink in Salemi. "We have to teach young people to drink Italian wine," Sgarbi declared to the AGI news agency, as cited on Time.com: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1913176,00.html

interview... about the documentary

The tables turned... after days of interviews in Salemi, Katia from LoveSicily.com contacted me and asked me for an interview. So if you're interested in how I first found out about the events in Salemi and some personal thoughts on what I saw and filmed there, have a look at http://www.lovesicily.com/blog/interview-filmmaker-philipp-kaindl

Interview with Sgarbi

Some stills from the interview with Vittorio Sgarbi in Salemi. He says: "Some people don't fucking understand anything" and gets increasingly exasperated, as you can see in these photos...

interview with sgarbi!

On our last chance we finally got a hold of Sgarbi. And he gave us an interview as expected - with swearwords in abundance. I will withhold my opinion on what he said for now. After all I'm just happy that it all worked out - cause we're on our way back home tonight. But more posts will be following as I start with the editing of everything we've filmed...

Sgarbi - Il terremoto

time lapse Salemi sunset

the enigma keeps escaping

We were back in Salemi today... but Sgarbi left to Palermo... and nobody seems to know when and where he'll be next. He keeps changing appointments and schedules... furthermore, nobody dares to call him to see what's next. So we're hoping for Monday... last chance before we leave...

not salemi, but nearby: Poggioreale

The ruins of Poggioreale, about 10 km distance from Salemi. The village, destroyed by the earthquake of '68, has remained exactly the same for the last 41 years. I even found a newspaper from 1968 - in surprisingly good condition - amidst broken stones and burgeoning green.

So what are we doing in Salemi?

We found some people who can explain it to you:

mixed feelings

Tired and happy, even though we didn't manage to meet Sgarbi today. We got some great footage and ran into the business man from the first day, who allowed us to use some things he said if we change his voice and don't show his face...
All in all, Salemi was very busy today. Sgarbi's presence seems to make the streets bustle and in the evening there was a party and DJ on Piazza Dittatura (with a bronze sign in commemoration of Garibaldi). People from CRESM (Centro Ricerche Economiche e Sociale per il Meridione) association joked that soon there would be a sign for Sgarbi there too.

Sgarbi in town

Waiting for a call to confirm our interview appointment with the mayor.... waiting....

back in palermo...

... and another one off topic:



according to this Palermitan store, He will be back soon.

empty houses and great plans

As we learned today, the houses for 1 Euro each are yet to be sold. So far, people wanting to buy them have only signed declarations of intent. To 2.000 houses in Salemi, there are 8.000 people interested. So all should be sold, even if some lose interest along the way.
But, it's not even clear if the council is entitled to sell the houses, after all, some still have their rightful owners from 1968. It seems that a long bureaucratic battle lies ahead.
Talking about the council... one man in the administration welcomed the positive publicity Salemi received ever since Sgarbi is mayor. For years, Salemi was famous for being Italy's capital for a day as Garibaldi started his quest for reunification. For years after, Salemi was famous as a Mafia stronghold. Now, Salemi is famous for Sgarbi (and vice versa).
And yes, people from the council did not want to be filmed. But don't worry, we did several interviews and also filmed them, but I haven't gotten around to editing and subtitling yet... still busy shooting (here on the walls of the Castello)...

and capturing the footage (in the church which collapsed in 68 and has been kept as an open piazza with only a few pillars standing and the former altar (on which we are sitting)).

view of Salemi from

so this is what it looks like... from a distance... houses destroyed (by the earthquake of '68) and new ones side by side