Sicilia, Come Sta?

In 2016, while working on a feature film as Director of Photography, I met my wonderful girlfriend, Val. She had come from Sicily, a place most British people would assume is an Italian island paradise in the Mediterranean. When she took me to meet her family for the first time, the reality honestly shocked me. Having recently travelled much of the world, the sights are saw reminded me more of the favelas of Brazil or the crumbling ruins of Northern Mexico. Sicily is an ancient culture, with wonderful food and a typically Italian perspective on life. But when you leave the tourist hotspots, the true nature of this beautiful island reveals itself. There is an oppressive nature to the cities of Palermo and Catania and a sense of longing for a better time long ago. The island has been forgotten. There is pain, resentment but also a willingness to survive which creates a sort of peace. Sicilia, Come Sta? attempts to show the juxtaposition of poverty existing in a beautiful world.