“The Central Apennines: A Story of Co-existence” is a beautiful short film by award-winning French filmmaker Emmanuel Rondeau. Featuring interviews with a range of passionate and dedicated people, it shows how rewilding efforts in Italy’s Central Apennine mountains are creating conditions where local communities and wildlife can live and thrive together.
The landscape of the Central Apennines is a complex mosaic of natural and human-made environments that have been intertwined for thousands of years. Despite this long history of co-existence, the area hosts a surprisingly diverse range of wildlife, including endemic and iconic species such as the Marsican brown bear and Apennine chamois.
This diversity is also reflected in the social and demographic make-up of the area, with many small villages and towns dotted across the Apennine mountains – rich in rural traditions, local dialects, and distinctive architecture. But a decline in agriculture and subsequent rural depopulation – which began in the second half of the twentieth century – means many of these communities have long faced various challenges.
The Rewilding Apennines team are working to transform the socio-economic narrative in the Central Apennines by advancing nature recovery and taking steps to ensure people and wild nature can thrive together. For over ten years, they have been committed to protecting fragile environments, reconnecting ecosystems, restoring areas heavily impacted by human activity, and enabling local residents to benefit from the return of wildlife so they can enjoy a higher quality of life.
Rewilding Europe, which supports rewilding initiatives in the Central Apennines, commissioned Emmanuel Rondeau – a renowned French film director – to produce a documentary on the area in 2024. His brief was to visually highlight, through powerful imagery and stories, the work being carried out by Rewilding Apennines to foster co-existence between humans and wildlife in the landscape.
“The Central Apennines are everything anyone could dream about Italy,” says Emmanuel Rondeau. “Fantastic architecture, light, food, people… and also wildlife. What makes this area absolutely unique is how all of these things are connected and form an indivisible whole. With this film I tried to show how rewilding is enhancing co-existence between the human and non-human world, step by step, day after day.”
“This beautifully captured short film highlights one of the most important transitions of our time: learning how to share space with wildlife again and thrive together,” says Laurien Holtjer, Rewilding Europe’s Director of Engagement and Public Relations. “It tells a powerful story of people who are leading the way forward through dialogue and collaboration. I hope it inspires pride in everybody involved by showing that a wilder landscape benefits us all.”
“This film is a wonderful journey through evocative places and environments, full of encounters with those who strongly believe that the return of nature can shape a better future for humanity,” says Rewilding Apennines team leader Mario Cipollone. “I hope this film can inspire confidence and hope in others who love the Central Apennines and wish to be part of the shift towards a world where both nature and people benefit each other and flourish.”
“The Central Apennines: A Story of Co-existence” is supported by Rewilding Europe and made possible thanks to sponsorship from global law firm Hogan Lovells. It will premiere on July 4 at 17.00 in L’Aquila, at the prestigious Luigi Zordan Congress Centre at the University of L’Aquila. We hope you can join us!
Following the public screening next month, the documentary will be made available online through Rewilding Europe’s YouTube channel, enabling its message of hope to be shared with a wider audience.
