Content Details
The White Quarry
Duration: 52 mins
Language: Italian
Subtitle: English & French
Production Year: 2025
Format: HD
Directors: Marco Mensa, Elisa Mereghetti
Origin: Italy
SYNOPSIS
The White Quarry revisits the haunting landscape of Lipari’s abandoned pumice quarry once a global source of volcanic stone, now a scar etched in white above the sea. Narrated by geopoet Davide Sapienza, the film weaves together personal memories, archival fragments, and present day reflections to preserve the fragile legacy of a site shaped by labor, loss, and exploitation. Through the voices of former workers, local historians, and environmental advocates, the documentary explores how the island’s identity was carved into stone and what happens when the industry disappears, leaving behind silicosis-stricken families and a contested terrain. With UNESCO’s protection framing the site’s geological significance, the film poses a vital question: how can we reimagine extractive landscapes for a sustainable and meaningful future? The White Quarry is both a meditation on memory and a reckoning with history—an evocative, visually arresting journey into the intersection of ecology, heritage, and human resilience.