16 April 2014Battaglia is a journey through the life of the extraordinary Sicilian photographer & anti-Mafia activist Letizia Battaglia. Letizia picked up a camera when she found that she could better sell her articles if they were accompanied by images. After years of racing to the crime scenes with her camera, Letizia found she had accumulated an archive of death & decay of Palermo and its citizens. She became one of the first to denounce the activities of the Mafia & then went on to be a local environmental politician, a publisher & an activist for justice. Even though she has documented so much pain, decay and death, she retains an incredible passion for life. Battaglia paints a uniquely intimate portrait of this warrior of a woman. The contrasts of the city of Palermo provide the background, Letizia the foreground. The style of the film matches her inexhaustible energy & creates a story made of a collage of memory thoughts and her award-winning black & white photographs.
LETIZIA BATTAGLIA: BREAKING THE CODE OF SILENCE runs from 22 February – 4 May at Open Eye Gallery