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The Stars have no masters

After the Second World War, in Sicily, the peasant law movement for the application of the Gullo laws involved land workers, led by syndicates, leftist parties and Federterra association, towards the assertion of rights and the improvement of living conditions .
A key role in the Madonie territory is played by the students and graduates of the secondary school Institute of Petralia Sottana who restore a democratic and active participation in politics and reconfirm the role of the union in defending the working class.
The two protagonists of the film, entitled "The stars have no masters", Vastiano and Turiddu, weave their stories and their lives into a unique story: the peasant struggles.
Vastiano, a young revolutionary peasant and veteran of the Second World War, returns, deliberately, to his country of Sicilian origin. The oppression suffered by a child during the fascist dictatorship, the war atrocities experienced and the desire for social redemption led him to develop a new awareness and to give strength and support to the union. Turiddu, a student and son of a wealthy family, lives an inner conflict that leads him to follow the road to the emancipation of the popular masses, consequential is the break with his "world of belonging".
A worker and a student together, side by side, against the interests of the agrarians and the mafia and united in the defense of the peasants. The militancy of a farmer, dedicated to his work, and the activity of a student, who thanks to education believes in a more just and more supportive society, give impetus to the poor people in the rebellion against the feudal system.
The story takes place in 1947 and 1948, years marked by the commitment and martyrdom of trade unionists and the great support of influential politicians. The two protagonists, in the scenes of the feature film, are direct witnesses of the political and union work of Epifanio Li Puma, Girolamo Li Causi and Pio La Torre. Moreover, the events evoked in the film concern the occupations of the uncultivated lands that then lead to the approval of the law on agrarian reform in Sicily.
The movie was realized by amateur young videomakers that, in their free time from work (nobody of them work in the cinema industry), wanted to create a project supported by local population (more than 400 collaborators). The work started form historic research, interviews to direct witnesses and deep studies. After three year the result was achieved and an original product was created from the story to the soundtrack, totally created into and by the Madonie territory. The main character is the Madonie landscape.

  • Salvatore Bongiorno
    Director
  • Gianpiero Farinella
    Writer
  • Miterra Videolab
    Producer
  • Giuseppe Dino
    Key Cast
    "Vastiano"
  • Gandolfo Polito
    Key Cast
    "Turiddu"
  • Maria Carmela Messineo
    Key Cast
  • Salvo Piparo
    Key Cast
  • Vincenzo Albanese
    Key Cast
  • Ferdinando Gattuccio
    Key Cast
  • Ludovica Zaffora
    Key Cast
    "Teresina"
  • Peppuccio Ballistreri
    Key Cast
  • Antonio Occorso
    Key Cast
  • Mario Maggio
    Key Cast
  • Ginevra Stracci
    Key Cast
  • Pino Brucato
    Key Cast
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Le stelle non hanno padroni
  • Project Type:
    Other
  • Genres:
    historic, social, education, dramatic
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 20 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    October 1, 2018
  • Production Budget:
    50,000 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Italy
  • Country of Filming:
    Italy
  • Language:
    Italian
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.35:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • First presentation
    Petralia Sottana
    Italy
    November 1, 2018
Director Biography - Salvatore Bongiorno

Salvatore Bongiorno was born on 26 February 1981 in Petralia Sottana (PA). He studied Computer Engineering in the University of Palermo where he graduated in 2006. As a director and editor, he made three video-documentaries between 2008 and 2012 entitled "A Festa di San Calò - A tale of popular faith", "La Settimana Santa a Petralia Sottana" and "A bedda Matri di l'Atu - In cammino fra storia e devozione ". The three works tell the popular traditions and religious rites of Petralia Sottana and of the Madonite territory. In 2012, in collaboration with other young from his town, he founded the MITERRA VideoLAb group, with them he carries out a work of discovery and enhancement of the Sicilian culture, through the production of promotional videos and documentary films. In 2013 he followed the course of video directing and editing in Rome, organized by the “Officina d’Arte” school and held by director Joseph Lefevre. In 2014 he made the short movie: "U Juornu Avanti"; the film, inspired by the Sicilian emigration of the early 1900s, recounts the anxieties and fears experienced by a young Madonite emigrant the day before departure. Beginning in 2015, he began the work of study and research that led him to conceive and structure, together with screenwriter Gianpiero Farinella, the film "The Stars have no masters". Salvatore's narrative style is inspired by the observation of social dynamics and the reflections that ensue. Every work is characterized by the feeling to tell the story of its land and the cultural background that characterizes it, in a sincere and at times melancholic way. From emigration, to the struggle for the conquest of rights, from the importance of education to the prevarication of strong powers, each subject dealt with an eye to the past and, at the same time, openly denounces the most current problems affecting his land. The realism, constantly sought after, finds its application through the use of the dialect and the selection of non-professional actors, “normal” people who, thanks to the genuine and instinctive acting, allow to represent in a unique way that social background that is the backbone and strong point of all his work.

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