Franco, the mayor of the small village of Viganella, tired of having his people saddened and forced indoors during the 3 winter months because of the total lack of sunshine, has long been thinking how he could help the few inhabitants of the valley to feel happier. He is a train driver of the National Railways: in between his travels he has the great and bizarre idea of illuminating his village that is always in the shadow, using a giant mirror. Until that moment the sun never shined over the square of the small village in wintertime. Life quickly changes in the small village when the sun shines. Franco is aware of the importance of this initiative and gives the news to the mass media which broadcasts it worldwide: major international TV arrive at Viganella from all over the world: CNN- BBC- RAI- TSI-AL JAZEERA take to the fore a village that is in the middle of nowhere which not so long ago only a few people knew of.
Director
GIANNI PADLINA
Gianni Padlina
Gianni Padlina graduated at the Kunstgewerbeschule (Art school) in Zurich, and then studied at the Centro sperimentale di cinematografia (Experimental Centre of Cinematography) in Rome, under the direction of Roberto Rossellini. He has been awarded the following prizes: “Premio della Confindustria” for the best institutional Italian film (1987); “Premio delle Due Torri - Città di Bologna” OMSA TV spot (1988); first prize for the documentary 4 e mezzo at the Ekotopfilmfestival in Bratislava (2006). His main productions: 9 episodes of "Jeux sans frontières" for RTSI, planning & production of 4 yearly series of «ATLANTE» documentary films, film-making & production of the documentary film 4 e mezzo.