Il Tesoro Perduto

What would you do if you discovered that a lost treasure was hidden in your city? A group of young explorers retraces the course of the ancient rivers that once flowed through Palermo, interviews the city's residents, and, through their stories, redraws the boundaries between reality and imagination.

The Lost Treasure is a collective film born from a participatory filmmaking workshop involving students from two lower secondary schools in Palermo, located in the Danisinni and Albergheria neighborhoods. These areas were built above two ancient rivers that are now buried underground, invisible yet enduring traces of the city's Arab-Norman history. Hidden beneath asphalt and buildings, these waterways preserve a nearly forgotten collective imagination, made up of stories, legends, and orally transmitted memories. Starting from this submerged heritage, the workshop proposes a path of territorial exploration and community listening, using cinema as a tool for investigation, storytelling, and imagination. Through a collective creative process, students are involved in every stage of the work: from idea development to field research, from interviews to the construction of images and narrative. The result is a choral documentary that weaves together young perspectives and neighborhood memories, redrawing the boundaries between reality, history, and imagination.

The workshop was carried out with the support and collaboration of ZaLab and the association Insieme per Danisinni.

Festivals and screenings

29/06/2023 - Cinema Rouge et Noir, Palermo