All'aria stu gioia - L'uomo vivo

Directed by Francesco Di Martino

Scicli, a small Baroque gem in southern Sicily. With 33 days to go until Easter Sunday, the inhabitants are preparing to celebrate the holiday. "L'Uomo Vivo, il Gioia" (The Living Man, the Joy): words used by the people of Scicli to invoke the Risen Christ, a symbol that is part of the community's identity. An 18th-century statue created by Benedetto Civiletto. Peppe, Franco, Angelo, and Claudio are four bearers of the Gioia, whose friendship was born right under the "Vara." They can be considered the emblem of the bearers, that is, ordinary and simple lives that come together for a common passion, the Gioia, which is the main topic of their discussions every day. Peppe works with marble, Franco is a sales representative, Angelo is a farmer on the family farm, and Claudio is a truck driver who travels all over Italy. The film follows their daily lives about a month before the Easter holidays, showing the preparations for the festival and the meetings that precede the big day.