Tara (2022)

The Tara is a small river on the outskirts of Taranto, a town founded 3000 years ago on the Italian shores of the Mediterranean Sea. It takes its name from Taras, the mythical son of the sea god Poseidon. The river's waters are much appreciated by the locals, who credit them with magical healing powers. Starting from these idyllic images, the film takes us to a city and land that have been sacrificed in the name of progress. The steel plant just a few kilometres away has claimed many lives and created deep fractures within Taranto's social fabric. Despite this dark presence, several of the city's inhabitants are fighting to keep up the hopes of a city that used to be known as "the Pearl of the Mediterranean". Directors Volker Sattel and Francesca Bettin reject the dynamics of the investigation, instead adopting for their film the form of an open conversation with the people who are struggling daily for the well-being of this territory and its people. In this improvised journey, the camera captures moments in which traditions and myth clash with economic development, mistaken for progress. With attention and empathy, TARA thus captures the contrasts and the subtle hues of a betrayed yet defiant place.