Il Monte delle Formiche

by Riccardo Palladino, Italy, 5′

Surrounded by a beautiful scrub of wood, lies the place commonly known as Monte delle Formiche because of the curious natural phenomenon happening once a year from time immemorial: the migration of a variety of winged ants on the top of this mountain, arriving in swarms from the centre of Europe during their nuptial flight. The population always believed that these ants paid homage by their death to the Holy Virgin, called “Madonna delle Formiche”. The nuptial flight is a fascinating phenomenon that raises a big question: how can the ants have this awareness of their own destiny?
Tourists, curious and faithful who come to admire the singular event and to attend the feast, are witnesses of the mystery of life. The reflections of writers such as Emery, Braibanti, Maeterlinck and Goethe, about the winged insects, echo in the words of the witnesses of the film.