Thanks to my blog and my travels I often come across really cool people with cool projects. This is definitely the case of Giuseppe Barile, an Italian video maker specialized in documentaries. His last work took him to Bucharest to document the present condition of the so called “sewer kids”, children living in the underground tunnels of the city. This phenomenon was really big in the 90’s but despite it being declared solved, there are still people living in such conditions and not only children.
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I decided to interview Giuseppe Barile in order to find out more about his project, so let’s read the full story through his own words – translated from Italian by myself.
- How was this project born?
Everything started a few years ago when I first learned about this situation thanks to my studies. I remember that what I read about it left me really upset and I promised myself that day I would go to see with my own eyes and I would try and do something for people living such a tragic life. Finally that day has come…
m - What is the project about, exactly?
It’s a documentary that highlights some of the most obscure truths of this sad story.
A few years ago the tunnels of the inhabited sewers have been officially closed, so the issue is considered solved. This is a dangerous approach because reality is different and we saw it with our own eyes. Children that used to live in the tunnels did move to abandoned houses – very common in Bucharest – on the other hand some of the tunnels are still open and inhabited.
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By whom? By desperate, hopeless people; those who have nothing; those who nobody wants to see. Most of them use drugs, the most famous being “Aurolac”: it’s a solvent for metals and they sniff it in plastic bags. This solvent can dull your senses so much that it makes thirst and hunger go away. Then heroin came and HIV as a consequence. This population is divided in two categories: the generation of “Bucharest kids” from the 90’s who are adults today, and the second generation formed by boys between 15 and 20 years of age. The documentary aims to highlight this problem, so that it’s not forgotten.
m - Tell us how you managed to plan your visit to the sewers (before departure).
When you have to shoot in such difficult conditions it’s better to gather as much information as possible, trying not to leave out any detail. I personally travelled to Bucharest many times in the last few years, during which I had the chance to create and strengthen relationships with local people and institutions. This was my first step.
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Going into the sewers has therefore been a subsequent step, after getting ready to emotionally face such a situation. In fact we have been escorted by a guy who often sleeps in the inhabited tunnels. All this work couldn’t have been possible without the help and support of Parada Association, which has been working in Bucharest for 23 years, for the recovery of homeless boys through juggling. Thanks to them we were able to access some otherwise invisible realities.
m - How were you welcomed?
Very well! These people want to tell their stories even if it’s not always easy for them to go from hiding to talk in front of a camera. Maybe at first there is always a bit of suspicion and fear but then, after many conversations, we build trust and then we can start working. That is the point when it becomes fun because everyone feels at ease, people start smiling and the light in their eyes comes back. There have been fun moments. The key is to learn how to trust even things we don’t like.
m - Touristic Bucharest vs the Bucharest you know.
You know, Bucharest has changed a lot in the last 10 years… In the 90’s the “Sewer Kids” phenomenon of Bucharest was massive and visible, while today it’s hard for a tourist to spot this kind of situation, which is more and more marginal and hidden. Let’s say a tourist visiting Bucharest, mostly hanging out in the city center, can hardly notice anything. The Bucharest I saw is away from the spotlight, outside of society itself. It’s the Bucharest that hides from everyone and everything, even from itself. It’s a ghost.
m - What is the cause of the situation you found?
This is a hard question to answer. For sure, a great part of the cause is in the population policies of Ceausescu’s communist regime: child abandonments increased and the population was reduced to the starved. Then, in 1989, the regime fell and the new democracy found itself in a state of social emergency which was very hard to handle. Clearly, these words of mine don’t want to justify anything. The state could do more. They should have, actually.
m - Do you foresee a solution to this situation?
There is always a solution but it’s not up to me to find it. As I said, one of the main problems of these people is drug abuse and in many cases it seems like a no way out solution, as it becomes a chronic state in adults. In these cases you can only work to reduce the damage. The situation of teenagers is different, as it’s possible for them to follow a path of reintroduction into society through instruction, work, etc. The previously mentioned activities carried on by associations such as Parada, Save the Children, Carusel and S. Egidio Community represent a fundamental help in the handling of this situation. A lot is owed to them.
m - Will you go back to Bucharest to continue your project?
I think so, towards the end of spring in order to get the last footage and photos. This kind of work is based on trust between the reporter and the “unfortunate actors”, and this relationship is built step by step.
m - What did you learn from this experience?
You know, when you hold a camera and you listen to incredible stories, in a context of total poverty and deep hardship, you are pervaded by an emotional avalanche. You need to rationalize. As soon as I got back home I went walking in parks, in the hills of Bologna; I didn’t exactly know what I needed and I didn’t have a specific subject to think over. I just needed to give my mind the necessary time to think. There is, though, one thought that came to my mind as soon as I left the underground hell of the sewage tunnels: what is love?
m - Tell us something about yourself and what you do.
I am a reportage photographer and I work in AV (audiovisuals). In 2017 I produced my first documentary movie called “Bukura – La Corsa per la Gloria” (Bukura – The Run for Glory”), inspired by a very intense tradition taking place every year in the small community of Chieuti (FG), Southern Italy. At the moment I am working on a photographic project on regressive hypnosis, about which I will talk to you later on. I post my updates on the Facebook page FotoRacconti di Viaggio. Check it out!
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This kind of stories are very deep, even in words, you can reflect the feeling of desolation that there is in the place, yet hope remains latent. Great story!