TALES OF A RITUAL

visual ethnography | 40 minutes | italy | 2013


A small village in Southern Italy is the scenario of an ancient and controversial flagellation ritual which draws believers and many curious visitors. Thousands crowd the old streets to see the Vattienti, characters who run around the town while beating their legs with splinters of glass attached to disks of cork. What is behind this ritual? What pushes these people to perform such an act? Tales of a Ritual is a hybrid of anthropological research and journalism that analyzes this phenomenon and explores the blood relation between faith and identity.


directed by RUBEN SALVADORI & YUVAL SHAPIRA edited by YUVAL SHAPIRA cinematography by RUBEN SALVADORI



screened at_
Religion Today Film Festival, Trento, Italy
Ecologico International Film Festival, Lecce, Italy