Activists from Ultima Generazione tell us why they target valuable artworks to highlight the effects of climate change.
“We have two to three years to turn things around” adds Martina, a 23-year-old activist who has been detained on several occasions for traffic obstruction and damaging public infrastructure. The consequences of her decisions have led her to lose certain privileges and even sever her relationship with her family. “We used to be very close, and now, we hardly talk to each other (…) This is primarily because I am a part of this movement and they don’t agree with the life choices I’ve made.”
For Ultima Generazione, this form of protest qualifies as non-violent civil disobedience, and Martina confirms this is a basic right available to all citizens if their government isn’t complying with the law, which she assures is the case for Italy. “The country is bringing us all basically to mass genocide”.
In this Close Up episode, we follow Martina as she and her team target one of Milan’s most treasured public sculptures in plain sight, altering it with washable paint. Neither the outrage of the spectators nor the immediate detention of these protesters by the hands of the police seems to change their minds: “We know that what we are doing is right (…) and we are absolutely ready to accept the consequences.”
CREDITS:
Executive Producer: Tierney Bonini
Senior Producer: Donald Cameron
This film was supported by The Pulitzer Center
Production Company: Eye Rise Films
Director/Producer: Ana Gonzalez
Producer: Antonia Perello
Original Music: Francisco Sokolowicz
Featuring: Martina Maldifassi
Director of Photography: Marton Kis
Editor: Andrea Yoko / Antonia Perello
Sound Designer: Alex Marais
Colourist: Marton Kis
Italian Transcriber: Cristina Capoccetti
Special Thanks: Ultima Generazione
Tom Hundley
Leo Lovati