The movie premiered at Palace Cinemas, in Leichardt, as part of the Lavazza Italian Film Festival.
The film, which will not be screened in Italy in the foreseeable future due to political implications and risk of imprisonment for the director, is a shocking insight into military operations currently underway on the once idyllic island of Sardinia.
Camillo returned to the island after an 18-year absence in Australia, and to her horror discovered large chunks of her homeland decimated by mysterious bombs.
The film depicts Camillo’s on-going quest to expose the truth of Sardinia’s occupation by NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization, an intergovernmental military alliance between 29 North American and European countries).
The occupation dates back to the 1954 Bilateral Infrastructure Agreement, signed by Interior Minister Scelba and US Ambassador Luce, but which was never ratified by the Italian Parliament.
The agreement allowed US occupation of Italian, and particularly, Sardinian land, with the establishment of many military bases where some of the world’s biggest armies undertake training.
These include the US, Israel, France and Germany.
Much of Sardinia has been transformed into a real scenario di guerra, with on-going exercises carrying out bombings and missile shootings.
The landscape is littered with abandoned tanks, missile shells and craters, as well as traces of radioactive elements which have had shocking environmental and health impact on local populations.
This is particularly evident in range of the Quirra bombing zone, one of the largest in operation in the EU.
In 1988, in the town of Escalaplano, 25 per cent of all children were born malformed or with serious illnesses.
Extraordinarily high rates of leukaemia are recorded in this area.
With the help of scientific and medical experts, including renowned scientist Dr Antonietta Gatti, Camillo presents numerous cases which can be linked to the radioactive element thorium, which has been discovered in bodies of the deceased, and in deformed animals.
Camillo also makes a case for the possible presence of depleted uranium in the environment, a dangerous radioactive chemical which under the Geneva Convention is prohibited in all acts of war.
NATO has been previously linked to depleted uranium usage, in the 1999 bombing of Yugoslavia which has lead to hugely increased cancer rates in central parts of Serbia.
But NATO consistently denies continuing health risks associated with depleted uranium, as well as its presence on Sardinia.
Camillo’s film engages with the perspectives and experiences of the Sardinian people, to rally them in protest against military occupation.
Balentes is a Sardinian word indicating a person of valour, who strives for social justice, and defends the weak against the oppressor.
Sardinians have always been a warrior people, who have combated the many invaders landing on the shores over the ages.
Now these balentes fight for their homeland again.
Many have experienced a loss of livelihood, loved ones and health as a result of military operations.
Together with the community, Camillo demands the removal of all military bases from the island, compensation for losses, environmental clean-up and the creation of new, sustainable businesses.
This is particularly important for the fishermen who have been unable to fish their waters since NATO took control of the area.
But the call to protest is not just relevant to Sardinian soils, Camillo says.
“It’s about every land that’s submitted to a powerful force.
“This is a story of resilience.
“People need to know these stories.”
Camillo is also known for her anthropological work with Indigenous communities in remote areas of Australia.
You can join the fight by hashtagging #Iambalentes or #balentesfilm.
Or sign the petition to suspend all military activities on Sardinia.
