14 Nov Patrizia Bruno, 2024 Official Selection Director, Is Committed to Telling Cultural Stories

In the past few years, Patrizia Bruno has learned that if she wants to make something happen, she can and will succeed at it – even if she has to set out on her own.

When Patrizia got the idea to create a film about what it’s like to both live in Greenland and study it from a scientific perspective, she took the courageous leap to serve as the film’s writer, producer and director. Although all her previous film work was as part of a team, she didn’t hesitate to find a way to tell this unique story.

As a result, SERMERSUAQ: The Great Ice was created and went on to receive Official Selection status in the 2024 Free Speech Film Festival. The powerful documentary offers an intimate perspective on climate change in the Arctic. It follows the stories of Michael, a hunter from Qaanaaq, the northernmost town of Greenland, and Marc, a scientist on a quest for truth. Together, they show that, although they come from different origins, they have the same common purpose: preserving Sermersuaq, Greenland’s Great Ice Sheet.

Patrizia said the idea came to her two years ago when she was approached by Marc and his fellow scientists, who she had worked with on previous projects, and asked if she had an idea for something with a cultural approach. She said she had always had a dream to go to Greenland and tell a story with a human approach and also look at what it’s like to be a scientist studying in extreme areas.

“When I first developed this project in collaboration with the University of Barcelona and the Axa Research Fund, we had one simple goal in mind: to bridge the gap between scientific knowledge and public awareness,” she said. “We wanted everyone to understand the impact of climate change on the Arctic. By telling Michael’s and Marc’s stories, we bring complex issues to life in a way that’s easy to understand.”

One of the biggest challenges to making the film was simply finding the local resident to tell the story about. Patrizia traveled to Greenland having basically no connections in the village and said she was very lucky to find Michael. Although Michael and Marc were coming together from two very different cultures, she said they both bonded over the recent births of their sons and a shared vision to want to preserve the world and pass it on to a new generation.

“They worked really well together and everything that Michael would say, Marc would translate into scientific data so it was super interesting to listen to them,” she said. “Through powerful storytelling, we aim to inspire action. We want viewers to make sustainable choices, support environmental causes, and talk about climate change. Our film isn’t just about watching—it’s about making a difference. But, most importantly, our documentary is a call for collaboration and unity. We believe that by working together, we can protect our planet for future generations.”

Patrizia spent a month in Greenland working on the project, Although she was there in August, which is the island’s warmest month, the temperature was still around -10 to -12 degrees Celsius. Despite being there just a short time, she said she learned so much about the people and their traditional way of living.

“It’s a totally different world. It was really something special. The village is super isolated so you need a couple days to reach it. It’s hard to be organized because it takes so long to get there. They still live the traditional way: they use boats to hunt and fish, almost all the men know how to hunt and fish and the women know how to conserve the products to have enough provisions for winter. The most inspiring thing was how they still relate to the traditional ways of living and how much they are connected to nature. They have to know nature to survive in this super extreme area of the world,” she said.

Patrizia said it was stressful to be working on the entire project by herself while also navigating the challenges that went along with living in those extreme temperatures. “We didn’t have electricity, we only had a solar panel, so we ran out of batteries after two days. So, I had to select the best moments to use the new batteries I got and only film the most important scenes,” she said. “Everything was on me so I had to make sure I was capturing all the scenes. It was such a big challenge and I learned so much but I would do it again. I was super happy to be there and do everything on my own.”

Since this scientific project will be going on for the next six years, Patrizia plans to go back during May, which is Greenland’s winter season when the temperatures are at -40 degrees Celsius, and record a sense of what it’s like to live there at that time of the year. However, she’s now learned to go with a bigger production and how to be better organized and prepared for the challenges she will face.

Currently, Patrizia is working on a new documentary called Guts, which is a story about finding the courage to use the inner voice and instincts that we all have.

“Since I was a kid, I’ve had the dream to cross Africa on an on-the-road journey and tell the story of the women and girls there and give a feminine perspective on these countries,” she said. “Two years ago I met this woman, who is now my best friend, and we went on this six-month journey to give a feminine view on Africa. Ninety percent of the time, it’s men who go on this journey so we wanted to tell it from a woman’s perspective.”

Patrizia said the idea is to tell the positive story of women reaching into their guts, sharing their stories, choosing to take an alternative path, and showing that there is another possible way. She said the duo met so many inspiring women from different backgrounds: political activists, poets, writers, surfers. Although they encountered a few dangerous situations as two women navigating the area alone, she said they just paid attention to their surroundings and got to a safe place as much as they could. Overall, she was pleased at the special connection her and her friend were able to form with these women and how the women felt safe enough to tell their stories.”

The experience taught her that she will never fail as long as she is learning.

“Before, I was really afraid of failing. I feel, especially for women, that there is this standard that by 35 you have to be settled and know what you want from life. From these women, I learned that they decided to take different paths and change what was supposed to be their life and they never failed, they were just learning. For me, this was the most inspiring learning and I’m trying to make it mine now. It’s super empowering when you start to see life this way,” she said.

When asked to talk about what free speech means to her, Patrizia said it’s important to her to continue to share stories about women and show how they are making their own choices in what is often a male-dominated world.

“As a woman, through my journey, I have learned that being free means being able to try, to fail without judgment and know that I’m never failing, I’m just finding my place and my freedom. I’ve learned that women’s voices are much-needed to make the difference for our planet and I hope to inspire other women to find their voice and to use it to fight for causes they care about,” she said.

Patrizia is an author and director from Italy, who is based in Biarritz, France. She has traveled the world as a TV reporter and moderator, reporting on stories that focus on people who are fighting, creating, and uniting to make the Earth a better place.

“I love to write documentaries scripts and commercial narrations and use my voice as a bridge between creators and the audience. Nature is my biggest source of fulfillment, where my mind and spirit can recharge and create with ease,” she said.