SCREENINGS

AWARDS & SELECTIONS

The Tales of the Black Saint
2012, 76 mins

The eyes of two women managing an ex voto shop in a Sicilian remote village, reveal the burning desires and unusual events surrounding the cult of the black saint

Angelina and Aida have been managing a life-size "ex votos" shop in a small village in Sicily for 50 years. People from the whole province gather for three days at the end of August to celebrate the cult of a black saint, Saint Calogero, famous worldwide for his ability to heal physical and spiritual wounds and perform wonderous miracles. The migrant Saint, who came from Turkey through the Mediterranean sea in poverty and learnt his healing power while travelling, is respected by atheists and believers in the whole of Sicily for his ability to perform hopeless healings and bring people together. People gather in San Salvatore di Fitalia to place a demand in the form of a vow. One year on, they walk all night in the darkness to bring life-size "ex votos"* to the saint in exchange for the miracle received. They join a three-days long procession, which keeps the village awake day and night, giving life to a sense of collective spiritual fever which affects everyone, from children to old people.In a world suspended between the real and the surreal, the pagan and the sacred, the timeless and the impermanent, Angelina and Aida hold secrets of vows and miracles, stories of intimate, burning desires and mysterious and unusual events that constellated their lives and those of the pilgrims. Through their undying attachment to the black saint, they reveal the power of the metaphor of a migrant man, whose resilience and courage still serve as an example and inspiration to those who migrate from one to the other side of the sea.