R-EXISTENCE. Stories of Resistance from Italy’s Land of Fires

For over thirty years, Acerra, in the so called Land of Fires between Naples and Caserta, has been at the centre of one of Europe’s most serious environmental crises. Illegal dumping and the burning of industrial waste have contaminated land, air and water, with serious consequences for local communities. But Acerra is also a place of resistance. For decades, local activists and associations have monitored pollution, collected health data, worked with experts and lawyers, and used legal tools to demand accountability. Much of this work has taken place in the absence of adequate state intervention.

In 2025, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the Italian State must implement remediation measures and establish an independent environmental monitoring mechanism involving citizens and associations. This ruling creates an urgent political moment and strengthens the need for local communities to have a meaningful role in monitoring the environmental situation and shaping the future of their area.

This project will co-create a short participatory documentary developed through a workshop process with activists in Acerra. Together, we will explore the history of environmental activism in the area and ask what meaningful citizen involvement in future environmental and social monitoring could look like. The film will not simply tell the story of Acerra’s environmental crisis. It will give space to those who have been resisting, documenting and demanding change for decades, and explore how their knowledge and experience can help shape what comes next.