Private Project

Against the wind

In Reggio Calabria, in great silence, a triathlon champion lives and trains amidst the challenges she encounters in the area. Despite having lost her sight, Anna Barbaro courageously moves through the streets of Reggio as she does in her life, and her experience shows us this city in a way we've never seen before.

  • Simone Romano
    Director
    Terramara, Lovesick, Storia dell'uomo che mi insegnò a piangere
  • Giovanni Chiappini
    Director
  • Simone Romano
    Writer
    Terramara, Lovesick, Storia dell'uomo che mi insegnò a piangere
  • Giovanni Chiappini
    Producer
  • Anna Barbaro
    Key Cast
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Controvento
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    Documentary, sport, disability, motivational, drama
  • Runtime:
    8 minutes 30 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    February 25, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    1,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Italy
  • Country of Filming:
    Italy
  • Language:
    Italian
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Simone Romano, Giovanni Chiappini

Simone Romano, born in 1995, is a director, writer, and actor from Naples. He became interested in theater during his adolescence and studied acting through numerous courses and workshops. He also studied musical theater with Silvia Di Stefano and performed at international theater festivals such as the FESTIVAL des FESTIVALS in Huesca, Spain (2013), and the Francofil Festival Théâtre in Naples (2013 - 2014 - 2015). He has performed in theater productions for Gabriella Tartarone, Mario Santella, and Lello Arena. Under the artistic direction of Lello Arena, he participated in C.I.O.E.’ as head writer and actor for a series of shows in Piazza del Plebiscito, Naples (2023).

He graduated in Media from Glasgow Caledonian University, Scotland (2019), followed by a master's degree in Cinema from the Academy of Fine Arts in Naples. He has participated in numerous workshops and artistic residencies in cinema, such as the CinemAbruzzo campus (2022) and the advanced film directing course by Marco Bellocchio for the Fondazione Fare Cinema (2023).

He works as an assistant and assistant director on national and international productions, as well as series such as My Brilliant Friend, Commissario Ricciardi, and Mare Fuori. As a screenwriter and director, he explores different genres and cinematic languages, mixing fiction with documentary cinema. Some of his works include The Story of the Man Who Taught Me to Cry (2021), White Lies (2023), and Terramara (2023).

He wrote and directed Against the Wind (2023), a documentary featuring Paralympic champion Anna Barbaro, for the European Union’s YOUTH FOR BETTER CITIES project. As a writer, he participated in the AVREI QUESTA IDEA project by Giffoni, presenting Cardillo, a dramedy series on the world of neomelodic music at MIA 2023.

He is the screenwriter of The Flowers of the Sea, a short film in production by The Factory with the support of the Calabria Film Commission. Also with The Factory, he is the author of Gjtonia Lucana, a documentary in production with contributions from the Lucana Film Commission.

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Director Statement

When I first encountered Anna Barbaro's story, I was immediately struck by the powerful contradiction it embodied: a visually impaired triathlon champion who sees and experiences Reggio Calabria with more clarity and depth than most sighted residents. "Controvento" is not simply a documentary about disability or sport – it is a sensory exploration of urban space through an extraordinary perspective.
Our documentary navigates Reggio Calabria through Anna's heightened perception. Using binaural audio techniques, we immerse viewers in her acoustic world – from the rhythmic splashing of the Strait of Messina to the urban cacophony of traffic, street vendors, and ambulance sirens that Anna must interpret and navigate daily. These sounds aren't background noise; they're critical information forming Anna's mental map of her city.
The film's visual language parallels Anna's experience. We begin with close details that gradually expand into wider vistas, mimicking how she constructs understanding through fragments. The handheld camera following her jogging creates an intimate connection to her movement through space, while the domestic scenes with her family reveal the tender core of her motivation.
What compelled me most about Anna's story is how it transcends expected narratives. She doesn't merely "overcome" her disability; she transforms our understanding of ability itself. Her relationship with Reggio is dialectical – the city both challenges and nurtures her, and through her determination, she reshapes how we perceive urban accessibility.
The final sequence, where Anna's athletic journey merges with panoramic views of Reggio at sunset, crystallizes the film's central question: How can cities evolve alongside their most determined citizens? Anna's vision for her daughter's future becomes a metaphor for Reggio's potential transformation.
This documentary invites viewers not just to see Anna's Reggio, but to feel it – to recognize the invisible barriers embedded in our urban environments and imagine cities built for all senses. Through Anna's remarkable journey, we discover that truly seeing a city might begin by closing our eyes.