VIVI

Italy | 2024 | 48 min | col.

The sturgeon, a migratory fish that travels upriver to lay its eggs, has inhabited the Po River for more than two hundred million years. Currently, its survival is at risk as a consequence of pollution and the dams throughout the Po Plain that have interrupted the river’s natural flow. Therefore, the few specimens are kept alive in large artificial ponds nestled in the forest, where they are made to breed away from danger – a stone's throw from Italy's largest hydroelectric power plant. Jacopo Marzi’s film demonstrates how short-sighted, short-term policies can bring about the extinction of an ancient species through the many-voiced account of young researchers and volunteers who are committed to defend the life, habitat, and culture that make up their territory. The point of view of the sturgeon is represented as well, describing the difficulties it must cope with to survive in a corrupted habitat. A symphony of water, nature, and small gestures that can change the world. (a.s.)