Mohamed and the Fisherman / Mohamed e il Pescatore

country, year

Italy, 2012

genre

documentary

running time

52′

directed by

Marco Leopardi

language

Italian

subtitles

English

synopsis

Mohamed is the only survivor among the 47 people who tried to reach Italy on a boat departing from North Africa that sank in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. After having been clinging to a floating piece of wood for almost a week he was saved by Vito, a fisherman, who rescued him from the brink of death. There is a huge and unique energy between them, and despite the brief encounter a strong bond is formed.
Four years have passed and now Mohamed is struggling again so Vito, who couldn’t forget him, offers to save him once more by inviting him into his home in Sicily and helping him finding a job.

about the author

Marco Leopardi was born in Rome in 1961. He studied photography at European Institute of Design in Rome, and during the 90’s worked on documentaries, specifically dealing with directing and photography. Although at first he mainly dedicated himself to natural themes, he later developed a profound interest in addressing the corresponding social problems. In recent years his documentaries have been broadcast by RAI, RTSI, NDR, Arte, YLE, National Geographic channel and Al Jazeera, both participating and winning numerous national and international festivals. In 2008, together with Raffaele Brunetti, he directed the documentary Hair India, exploring the cult of beauty in an era of globalisation. Other important works are The Little Dancer of Shiva, Beyond the Barrier and Back to Chernobyl.