LOW LIES THE LAND
Special Features: Special Presentation | Post-screening reception sponsored by the Italian Cultural Society on Dec. 13
Deep in the breathtaking Piemonte region of northern Italy, with its dreamy views, three winemaking families tend to their vineyards. Their daily lives — vinting their delicious wines, handmaking pasta, enjoying the literal fruits of their labor — seem idyllic as captured by cinematographer Alvise Tedesco’s panoramic compositions. Yet these picturesque scenes are suffused with the harsh reality of a trade succumbing to the changing times; rising temperatures, long-lasting droughts and a younger generation migrating to cities all threaten its longevity. The latter issue is especially damaging, as these wineries are family heirlooms, handed down from one generation to the next for decades. A real estate broker takes advantage of this uncertainty and attempts to purchase the properties on behalf of a secretive foreign investor, offering salvation but at enormous personal cost. Documentarian Emanuele Gerosa charts these turbulent times in his latest film, a paean to one of Italy’s cultural touchstones that is in danger of fading away. —Javier Chavez
DIR Emanuele Gerosa; PROD Sigrid Jonsson Dyekjær, Harry Vaughn, Fleur Engels. Italy/Denmark, 2026, color, 92 min. In Italian with English subtitles. NOT RATED
Co-presented by the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital (DCEFF)
Run Time: 92 Minutes
Opening Date: Sunday, December 13, 2026
Genre: Documentary
Reception