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GUARDIANS OF ART

52 min. documentary
by Romolo Sticchi
© 2002 TDP films

In many countries of the world the cultural patrimony, mainly in war zones where the ONU directives, on works of art tutelage, are hardly respected. In other countries on the contrary the authorities are not able to restrain thefts and traffics of works of art which, oftener and oftener, move from poor nations to private collectors of no scruples.
Another enemy is pollution, in fact smog and industrial vapour emissions are contained acid substances which damage statues and monuments irremediably.

Fabio Maniscalco, Cultural Heritage Protection lecturer c/o Istituto Orientale Universitario in Naples, has launched an observatory for the cultural assets tutelage in critical areas, joined by volunteers and researchers as well.

Prof. Maniscalco, with his working team, has operated in Bosnia, Albania and Kosovo, during the last military operations, in order to protect & monitor the artistic and cultural patrimony of countries being theatre of war. The Observatory has operated informing both the contending parts about the existence of monuments and architectural structures of a high cultural & artistic value.

Very often their appeals get to no purpose, but other times on the contrary, supported by the national pride or by the ethnic identity, the mediation work by Maniscalco’s team has had a successful result. In critical areas, sometimes, the heaviest duty is to monitor artistic & historic valuable heritage, in order to guarantee an adequate restoration in case of suffered damages and, mainly, to avoid predatory acts, often committed by the same soldiers operating in the zone.

The activity of art tutelage is also carried out far from war zones. Prof. Maniscalco’s observatory cooperates with police-forces to monitor stolen works of art and to prevent illicit trades as well.

The documentary will follow prof. Maniscalco & his team’s activity through various aspects of their ways of operating. From critical areas, to struggle with art traffics in industrialized countries, to prevent the destruction of the cultural patrimony within the Third World areas.

The film will show the operating ways of that team, from preparation moments to the real intervention, we will follow negotiations with the leaders of the contending parts, mediations with village authorities too, we will meet, alltogether the voluntary group, with any unexpected difficulty in order to understand both the importance and the value of art as ethnic & cultural patrimony in places devastated by war.