Stefano Boeri has released a short movie, directed by Stefano Santamato and produced by Paolo Soravia, highlighting the journey of 400 fir logs, from being downed by the storm Vaia to being part of the scenography of the Greek Theater in Syracuse. The film, dedicated to the second life of fir trees has won the Venice Architecture Short Film Festival 2020.
In October 2018, 14 million trees were torn by the Vaia storm, “transforming a lush mountain landscape in northern Italy into an apocalyptic ground”. 400 of those trunks were retrieved to be used part of the scenography designed by Stefano Boeri for Euripides’ Trojan Women, in the Greek Theater in Syracuse, during the summer of 2019. The short film "Troiane" tells the story of their journey, traveling over 1,500 km, and highlighting the role of these trunks, as “mute witnesses of both tragedies”.
Selected as the best cinematographic works dedicated to architecture, during the Venice Film Festival, the movie, directed by Stefano Santamato and produced by Paolo Soravia, "Troiane" tells the story from the point of view of the trees. It follows the trunks on their voyage while showcasing an alternation of landscapes, colors, and sounds. Retracing the main steps of the realization of the scenography of Euripides’ Trojan Women, for the 2019 season dedicated to the theme “Women and war”, it also underlines the envisioned scenography by Stefano Boeri, who was inspired by the images of the Vaia storm, and evoked extreme weather event linked to climate change.
The Venice Architecture Short Film Festival was “created to offer a new cultural proposal for the city of Venice, reacting to the difficult period of these recent months and showing a strong civic vocation in order to generate initiatives aimed at creating new bridges and connections, involving the local fabric and keeping the horizons open to international collaborations”. This edition, entitled “Living Together Again”, which evokes the question “How will we live together?” launched by Hashim Sarkis for the 17th International Architecture Exhibition, is also composed of a film review of author films, curated by Beka & Lemoine.
Credits - “Troiane” film:
The shooting of the film directed by Stefano Santamato and produced by Paolo Soravia - The Blink Fish for Stefano Boeri Architetti was made by Stefano Santamato, Stefano Etter, and Paolo Formenti of The Blink Fish, with editing by Benedetta Marchiori, music by Vasiliki Anastasiou, sound design by Opera Music and Vittorio Giampietro, color grading by Giulio Rosso Chioso, production coordination by Audrey Gouband and Camilla Pusateri and translations by Elena Dal Pra.
- Le Troiane scenic project (Greek Theater of Syracuse, May/July 2019): Stefano Boeri Architetti.
- Assistance for the scenic project: Anastasia Kucherova
- Lighting consultancy: Angelo Linzalata
