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Documentary Explores Ecosystem of Lagoon in Orbetello



Taking a look back at one of my favorite films of 2014, a documentary presented at the 64th Berlin Film Festival...


“We like it hot… but don’t let it burn” was the motto of the Berlin Film Festival's 2014's Culinary Cinema section, which featured three very diverse Italian films. What did they have in common? Food and wine, of course. 

I caught up with Walter Bencini, director of the documentary film, I Cavaliere della Laguna (The Knights of the Lagoon). The film explores the delicate ecosystem of a lagoon in the Tuscan village of Orbetello. Bencini's cameras follow a group of fishermen as they talk about their camaraderie, challenges and the respect they have for the art of fishing. The film highlights how the environment has changed through the years and how the technique of fishing has evolved to keep up with those changes. 


An Italian translation of each answer is included with each question.

What was your personal inspiration to tell this story? 
With this unprecedented economic crisis in which the Western industrial system has utterly failed, it is fundamental for me to highlight and promote alternative production models. The logic of small communities like this, in a globalized world made of astronomical figures, may seem insignificant, but according to my point of view is the only way forward if you want to find a harmonious relationship with our mother earth. This community needs to address the issues that are common to many other cultures in the world. In some ways, the lagoon environments are examples of anticipating what may happen in the larger territories.

Con questa crisi economica senza precedenti, in cui il sistema industriale occidentale ha fallito in pieno, per me diventa fondamentale mettere in luce e promuovere dei modelli produttivi alternativi. La logica delle piccole realtà locali come questa, in un mondo globalizzato fatto di cifre astronomiche, può sembrare insignificante, anacronistica, eppure secondo il mio punto di vista è l'unica via percorribile, se si vuole ritrovare un rapporto armonico con la nostra madre terra. Questa comunità deve affrontare delle problematiche che sono comuni a tante altre realtà del mondo. Per certi versi, gli ambienti lagunari sono degli esempi anticipatori di quello che può succedere in territori più ampi. Come si dice dalle nostre parti "tutto il mondo è paese"

The cinematography is poetic in the way that it connects the landscape with the ecosystem and fishermen. What are the concerns of the fishermen for the environment?
This community operates in a way that is very nice and charming but at the same time very complex and delicate, always on the verge of collapse. Consider that until the 80's, there was no environmental awareness that there is today, so all the overflow in the region from the industrial activities ended up in the lagoon. Therefore, all these organic substances accumulated over time and have fostered the growth of algae, which in turn resulted in large fish kills. Everything the community has done in recent years aimed at combating this problem has only led to changes in the ecosystem, and therefore new problems to deal with, such as the increase of migratory birds. The fish have changed their habits and there are fewer of them in the lagoon. There is more salt in the water, and the tides have changed. 

Questa comunità, opera in un contesto molto bello e suggestivo ma allo stesso tempo molto complesso e delicato, sempre al limite del collasso. Considera che fino agli anni 80 non c'era quella sensibilità ambientale che c'è oggi, quindi tutti gli scarichi del paese e delle poche attività industriali finivano dentro la laguna. Di conseguenza tutte queste sostanze organiche accumulate nel tempo, hanno favorito la crescita delle alghe, che a sua volta hanno provocato grandi morie di pesci. Tutte le azioni della comunità negli ultimi anni atte a contrastare questo fenomeno hanno portato solo a cambiamenti nell'ecosistema, e quindi nuove problematiche da affrontare: gli uccelli migratori aumentano sempre di più, i pesci hanno cambiato le loro abitudini e sono sempre meno, l'acqua è sempre piu salata, le maree non sono piu quelle naturali...

How has the business of fishing evolved for these fishermen? For example.. how will the process be different for future generations?
Unfortunately, there has been a decline over time. For the last century, the job of a fisherman was coveted by many young people as they worked a half day and earned as much as a bank clerk. In the past, the fishing cooperative was thriving and was based solely on fishing. Then it started to decline. The number of fish decreased, and the global market gave the coup de grace. The result was that the cooperative had to invent new jobs to try to survive, borrowing from banks and threatening to leave future generations a debt that will never be paid.

Purtroppo c'è stato un involuzione nel tempo, perchè fino agli anni 90 fare il pescatore nella laguna di Orbetello era un lavoro ambito da molti giovani, in quanto si lavorava mezza giornata e si guadagnava quanto un impiegato di banca. All' epoca la cooperativa era florida e si basava solamente sulla pesca, poi è iniziato il declino, le morie sono aumentate, i pesci sono diminuiti, e il mercato globale ha dato il colpo di grazia. Il risultato è stato che la cooperativa ha dovuto inventarsi dei nuovi lavori per cercare di sopravvivere, indebitandosi con le banche e rischiando di lasciare alle generazioni future un debito che non riusciranno mai ad estinguere.


In the trailer, the fishermen speak about a huge investment that scares them. Can you tell me about this investment and its purpose?
Seven years ago the cooperative invested nearly three million dollars in a new plant for the processing of fish, an expensive investment that would be repaid in part by the sale of bottarga (dried mullet eggs) in a period in which this fish was abundant. Then suddenly there was a decline in the fish, and the flagship product that had to bear the investment failed. 

Sette anni fa la cooperativa ha investito 4 milioni di euro in un nuovo stabilimento per la trasformazione del pesce, un investimento oneroso ma che avrebbe ripagato in parte con la vendita della bottarga, (uova essiccate di muggine) in un periodo in cui questo pesce abbondava, poi all'improvviso c'è stato un calo, quindi il prodotto di punta che doveva sostenere l'investimento è venuto a mancare, e nonostante che abbiano ripiegato su altri trasformati, fanno fatica ad andare avanti.

Tell me about your experience making this film. What did you enjoy the most, and what were your challenges?
Being able to finish a film is always an exciting venture, especially when you're talking about issues that deal with human stories. In this case, the emotional involvement was so strong, that in order to finish, you are willing to spend more than it should cost. The first challenge was that of writing.
It took three years to complete, 30 hours of footage, and months of post production. The whole thing was built on a script of dialogue and situations that were very open and flexible. It had to be rewritten three times, because the situations that I predicted in pre-production changed. Some characters retired, others didn't work out as I expected and others just vanished. Luckily, I met people who led me in new directions, so it was constantly a screenplay that was changing and adapting to what was happening at the time. The second challenge was human. Making this film has given me the opportunity to have a human experience. It was amazing to know these wonderful men with their constant banter, as they talked about the pride of their no-frills job. At first, the people were a little grumpy. But over time, being with them, becoming one of them, they opened up because they understood that I was doing a different job from others who had preceded me. I was more interested in them and their stories. I went into this relationship with them on the heels of respect and admiration. They did not expect that, and I used that approach to build the narrative line of the film.

Riuscire terminare un film è sempre un'impresa emozionante, specialmente quando si toccano queste tematiche e si ha a che fare con storie umane. In questi casi l'implicazione emotiva è talmente forte che pur di finirlo, sei disposto ad esporti economicamente più del dovuto, rischiando anche la banca rotta.
La prima sfida è stata quella della scrittura.
Ci sono voluti 3 anni per portarlo a termine, 30 ore di girato, e mesi di post produzione. Il tutto è stato costruito su una sceneggiatura di massima, molto aperta, flessibile che è stata riscritta 3 volte, proprio perché le situazioni che avevo previsto in fase di pre-produzione sono cambiate, alcuni personaggi sono andati in pensione, altri non hanno funzionato come mi aspettavo, altri ancora si sono dileguati. Per fortuna ho conosciuto altri soggetti che però mi hanno portato in altre direzioni. Insomma una sceneggiatura in divenire, che si è adattata a quello che successo al momento.
La seconda sfida è stata quella umana.
Realizzare questo film mi ha dato la possibilità avere un esperienza umana incredibile, conoscere questi uomini meravigliosi con quel loro costante prendersi in giro, il raccontarsi senza fronzoli, quella fierezza, quell'orgoglio del proprio mestiere, mi hanno letteralmente affascinato.Certo non è stato facile entrare in relazione con questa comunità, sono persone burbere, ma con il tempo, stando con loro, diventando uno di loro, si sono aperti senza problemi, perchè hanno capito che stavo facendo un lavoro diverso dagli altri che mi avevano preceduto, ero più interessato a loro e alle loro storie, che al prodotto finito. Sono entrato in relazione con quel rispetto e ammirazione che non si aspettavano, che è lo stesso approccio che ho utilizzato per costruire la linea narrativa del film.

For more information about the film, visit its website and view the film's trailer.

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