The film

Logline

In the Alps between Italy and France, dozens of people try every day to cross an imaginary line called a border. Amid snow, ski slopes and tourism, this is a story in which nobody saves himself on his own.

Synopsis

The Western Alps have been both a natural border and a place of passage and encounter for centuries. Italians once crossed these mountains clandestinely to look for work in France; today the same route is also used by migrants from Africa.

Between Clavière and Montgenèvre, the slopes are a holiday destination by day and a place of danger and rights violations by night. Border closures push people onto remote paths, often in darkness and snow.

“The Milky Way” is a choral film about activists, mountain residents and people on the move. Documentary stories and an animated graphic novel about Italian emigration in the 1950s reveal the solidarity that resurfaces when danger becomes immediate.

The context

The Alpine border has always been crossed in both directions. It was used by refugees from the Balkan wars and, since at least 2015, by people arriving from the African continent. There is nothing truly new about this so-called new route.

Closing the border between Ventimiglia and Menton did not stop crossings: it made them harder and more dangerous. Some valley residents chose not to look away, reviving long traditions of mutual aid.

Technical credits

Title

The Milky Way

Duration

84 minutes

Format

Full HD

Aspect ratio

2.39:1

Year

2020

Director

Luigi D’Alife

Cinematography

Nicola Zambelli

Original soundtrack

Claudio Cadei with Luigi De Gasperi

Editing

Angelica Gentilini, Luigi D’Alife

Illustrator

Emanuele Giacopetti

Animation director

Andrea Zanoli

Animation

Isabella Urru

Camera

Nicola Zambelli, Luigi D’Alife

Drone

Fabio Ferrero

Assistant director and production

Angelica Gentilini, Marta Melina

Sound recording and post-production

Claudio Cadei

Color correction

Salvo Lucchese

Editing supervisor

Corrado Iuvara (A.M.C.)

Narrator

Mirco Menna

Production team

Elisa Russo, Isabella Urru, Roberto Zinzi, Vasco Fondra, Giuliano Vento, Sara Barbuti, Carla Falzone, Michele Lapini

Crowdfunding and distribution

Marta Melina, Silvia Veronesi, Andrea Paco Mariani

Press and communication

Arianna Monteverdi, Andrea Paco Mariani, Calogero Greco

Translation and subtitles

Roberto Zinzi, Marta Melina, Claudio Cadei, Giulia Delfini, Lina Abdel Samie, Emanuele Bergamaschi

Musicians

Carmen Lina Ferrante, Silvia Chiarini, Luigi De Gasperi, Pippi Di Monte, Daniele Cangini, Claudio Cadei

Cast

Angelo Bonnet, Walter Re, Renata Bompard, Silvia Massara, Davide Rostan, Micaillou, Solange Lefol, Michel Rosseau, Pierre-Yves Dorè, Matheus, Seedy Ceesay, Amadu, Riad

Director’s notes

The story began in the waiting room at Bardonecchia railway station, close to Christmas, where a group of young people were waiting to continue their journey towards France.

News coverage often presents migration as both a humanitarian and a security emergency. The film questions that representation by starting from the territory, its history and its relationship with the border.

The Alps are not only a physical barrier: they are also a hinge between communities and cultures. “The Milky Way” starts from the people who believe nobody should be left behind.