A closed world, surrounded by water, whose inhabitants earn a living harvesting clams. This is Goro, in the depths of the Delta del Po area, which is home to teenagers enrolled in a professional institution which was founded in order to combat early school leaving. These youngsters are trying to find their place in a world where their lives already seem mapped out. It’s through the eyes of these teens that we observe the adult community around them, the fathers who wait for them on the lagoon, the school which tries to keep hold of them and the future which seems to have been mapped out for them forever.

This is the synopsis of Fortuna granda [+lee también:
tráiler
ficha de la película], Alberto Gottardo and Francesca Sironi’s documentary which is competing in Bologna’s Biografilm Festival (running 10 - 20 June) and which won the Solinas Prize for Best Cinematic Documentary in 2020. Discussing the film’s development, the two directors explained: “Fortuna granda originated in 2017. We happened to be in the Delta del Po area for a report on teenagers in the province of Ferrara, and we ended up in Goro where we caught a glimpse of the confines of a unique community, closed off both geographically speaking (you can only get there via one road) and economically (on account of the wealth of clams inhabiting the region since the 1980s). Shortly afterwards we learned about the region’s school dropout rate. We looked into the matter in greater depth and came across the course initiated by Giovanni Lolli, and the Professional Institution’s Pesca class. Straight away, from when we first met Alessandro, Gioele, Matteo and Samuel, they became the film’s protagonists. We started shooting with the sole aim of listening to them. We weren’t interested in analysing these boys or studying them. It was more about hearing these protagonists’ voices, their point of view, and for this to lend shape to the film.”

Fortuna granda is a feature film produced by Somewhere Studio with support from the Emilia Romagna Region Audiovisual Fund, the Emilia Romagna Film Commission, Clara spa and Giga Publishing.

Check out the trailer below: