Dokumentation | Royal Film Company

Bussana Resilient

Director: Leonard Sommer

In 1887 an earthquake severley damaged Bussana Vecchia. As a result the old village was abandoned and all of its buildings declared dangerous. About seventy years later, two Italian artists discovered its uniqueness and potential and decided to found the International Artist Community of Bussana Vecchia. As there were no property titles, the artists restored the ruins to houses – from rubble and with no capital.

For more than half a century, Bussana has demonstrated that, despite not belonging to any formal institution, unwanted ruins can be transformed into a livable place – tailor-made to residents’ needs and providing them with a means of generating income.
 Unfortunately, since 2015, authorities are scrutinizing the community, demanding to make it safer for visiting tourists. The administration from Genova has sent word to local residents that they do not accept the status of Bussana Vecchia anymore. No wonder, that the "Bussanesi" are frightened about their future.

The filmmakers of this documentary are trying to summarize the injustices that the people of Bussana have suffered since 1887. We would love to bring attention to the actual situation and we hope that the Bussanesi will soon be treated as residents instead of occupiers.