In the winter of 1944, uprisings erupted in various Sicilian villages due to the mismanagement of agricultural crops by an alliance of large landowners and fascist elites still in power, leaving the population starving. On December 31st, in Piana Degli Albanesi, Italy—a town founded in the 15th century by the Arbëreshë people and known for its strong cultural and linguistic identity—a group of rebels led by Giacomo Petrotta proclaimed the Peasant People's Republic. Nearly 80 years later, Sicilian visual artist Genny Petrotta, the great-niece of the leader from that time, delves into her hometown’s past to uncover the traces of that brief yet significant period of autonomy, which lasted only 50 days before being crushed by police forces. The film, titled "Mamma Perdonami," is a poetic reenactment of the events and aspirations of the Peasant People's Republic of Piana Degli Albanesi, involving the town's youth in the process. Presented in Arbëreshë, the ancient Albanian language of this community still spoken today, the film pays homage to the language and culture of the era. It recreates a lost theatrical piece that, in 1944, narrated the story of the autonomous republic. This reenactment is inspired by the book "Testimonianze da una Repubblica Contadina: Giacomo Petrotta e i giovani di Piana Degli Albanesi," written in 1977 by Angela Lanza, which meticulously documented the events through the testimonies of the last surviving witnesses of the rebellion.
Running time: 00:20:00