The Earth holds me
DIRECTOR Sara Manisera
MOVIE TYPING Documentary
Italia Green Film Festival
The Earth holds me
★★★★★
Green Short Film TIME | 1h, 4′
Ivan Di Palma is a farmer, with a degree in philosophy, who chose to return to his village in Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park, to devote himself to the wheat sowing. Teresa Vallone is an elderly woman, a peasant, who chose to emigrate to Germany when she was young, abandoning the land to improve the living conditions of her children.
Their stories intertwine following the cycle of the seasons and the life of a grain of wheat, from sowing to harvesting, questioning the past, the present but above all the planet’s future that will be left to the next generations.
Sara Manisera
I’m an independent reporter, author and director.
I’m a member of Fada Collective
My work focuses on women, civil society, the environment, human rights and conflicts and I realized several stories and documentaries in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Tunisia, Kosovo, Bosnia, Turkey and Italy which have been published and broadcasted on: Al Jazeera, Arte, Rai, RSI, Libération, Internazionale, Vicenews, Middle East Eye, Al Monitor, CNN Antony Bourdain, Slate, Roads&Kingdoms, The National, Lookout News, Open migration, The New Arab, The Nation, CSmonitor, Deutsche Welle, La Stampa, International, Panorama, il Venerdì, D La Repubblica, Altreconomia, Syria Deeply, RSI news, Zenith, Millennium FQ, Diari Journada, Jesus, Confronti, Lifegate.
I graduated in International Relations, with a thesis on the exploitation of foreign workers in agriculture and the ‘ndrangheta in Rosarno, Calabria. I have a Master’s Degree in Arab World and Mediterranean Relations in Beirut, where I lived from 2014 to 2017.
In 2018 I won the Ivan Bonfanti Prize with an article on women, wives of Islamic State fighters, and the Golden Dove for Peace with the web documentary “Women out of darkness”, produced with Arianna Pagani in Iraq.
I received a special mention at the True Story Award for the investigation on the desaparecidos in Syria. In 2019, I published my first book “Racconti di schiavitù e lotta nelle campagne”.
I wrote and directed the short documentary “Iraq: youth on the frontline” (ARTE, 2019), “Fight or flight:human rights defenders in Iraq” (2021) and “The Earth holds me” (2021-2022).
In 2021, I won the Albert II of Monaco Prize (UNCA Award) for the web-documentary “Iraq without water: a journey on the water from Mosul to Basra.”
Sara Manisera Director, writer
Arianna Pagani Photography Cinematographer, DOP
Arianna Pagani Producer
Sara Manisera Producer
Ivan Di Palma Key Cast “Ivan Di Palma”
Teresa Vallone Key Cast “Teresa Vallone”
Giuseppe Pellegrino Key Cast “Giuseppe Pellegrino”
Mattia Biancucci Video Editor Video Editor
Alessio Festuccia Sound Design Mix & Sound Design
Paolo Spaccamonti Music & Soundtrack Music
