Niscemi, Sicily. A landscape shaped by intensive farming, wildfires, and MUOS: imposing military antennae that disfigure the territory. At almost 30 years old, Valentina still lives with her parents. When her father’s health deteriorates, she is forced to take her fate into her own hands. A delicate tale of emancipation rooted in a ravaged yet beloved land.

Dir. Francesca Scalisi | 80min | 2024 | Switzerland, Italy

"Politically engaged yet intimate, Scalisi’s film captures two parallel struggles for autonomy: the local people’s protests against the MUOS base, and Valentina’s determination to lead an independent life... moves towards a point of solidarity and understanding" - Guardian

"a deeply relatable coming-of-age story and an invitation into another world" - True/False

"recounts a seemingly ordinary life, capturing Valentina's actions with tenderness, blurring the lines between reality and fiction, the visible and the invisible, the prosaic and the wondrous" - Visions du Reel. Special Jury Award in the National Competition

" blessed with powerful storytelling, stunning cinematography, and sensitive portrayal of a community facing adversity" - DOK Leipzig, Winner of the Fipresci Prize

"The film refuses to consign an all-is-lost wretchedness in its gaze on the people, investing them with agency, resolve, and grit that expresses itself as much as it can within contained frameworks of existence....a quietly, solemnly reflective work” - High on Films

"The family portrait that emerges is a tender andtouching one” - Modern Times Review

"This sensitive documentary zeroes in on one Sicilian woman under threat from American expansionism. Finely threading the needle between critique and poetry, realism and lyricism, Scalisi’s nuanced documentary feature counts the human cost of life under the shadow of military might" - Journey into Cinema