Il Santo nero

Francis and Mirelle, two young Africans who escaped from persecution and injustices caused by the dictatorship in Congo, crossed a water border of the Mediterranean Sea to reach the Sicilian coastal city of Agrigento, where they now live. During the days of festivities dedicated to Saint Calogero, something irrational happens in the small city. The locals, who live with indifference to the presence of the immigrants, venerate the saint from Carthage, a man who once disembarked a clandestine vessel like the thousands of illegal immigrants that reach the Sicilian coasts. We follow the two protagonists through a dramatic and sensual story based on personal experience, which emphasizes the universal themes of integration and human rights… It all coalesces metaphorically in the pagan/religious catharsis that celebrates Saint Calogero, “the black saint”, who has been venerated for centuries by the people of Agrigento. The two protagonists, Mirelle and Francis, personify the parable of the Saint.