Mediterranea

Putting a personal face on the plethora of stories about African immigrants trying to make it to European shores, Mediterranea details the perilous journey of a young man named Ayiva from Burkina Faso to the southwestern Italian town of Rosarno. Robbed by bandits in Algeria and rescued by the Coast Guard off the shores of Italy, he is given three months to get a work contract in a country facing its own share of employment woes. In his debut feature, Jonas Carpignano favors a vérité style of storytelling, placing the viewer directly into Ayiva’s environment and circumstance whether it be his makeshift home in a shantytown, the orange grove where he works for half wages trying to please the boss, or a house party where he comes across other refugees choosing less reputable ways to make money. Based partly on the real-life experiences of Koudous Seihon, who brings a heartfelt gravity to the lead role, the film offers a profoundly humanist reality to counteract the political rhetoric that tends to disregard people such as Ayiva and the millions of others trying to make better lives for themselves.

Mediterranea is a two-time SFFS / KRF Filmmaking Grant recipient. Bay Area-based SFFS Board member Chris Columbus (Mrs. Doubtfire) is one of the film’s producers.