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Roberto Saviano, the author of Mafia exposé ‘Gomorra’ and ‘Zero Zero Zero’, denounces years of violence of the state and of criminal organisations in a video appeal made for this campaign.
The #HeresToYou campaign will invite people to lend their own voice and sing ‘Here’s to You’, a Joan Baez and Ennio Morricone song dedicated to Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, which became a symbol of the fight for human rights. The song was released in 1971 as part of the soundtrack to the film ‘Sacco e Vanzetti’, directed by Giuliano Montaldo.
The Amnesty International video appeal by Saviano was realised in collaboration with Think Cattleya, by the directors Bosi & Sironi. The Amnesty International appeal by author Saviano was filmed in top secret circumstances at the iconic Cinécitta studios in Rome, in order to avoid revealing the location of the author, who has a permanent police escort since threats to his life by Neopolitan ‘Godfathers’.
90 years have passed since 2 infamous Italian anarchists - Sacco and Vanzetti - were unjustly put to death in Boston, but still to this day human rights are constantly violated all over the world, Italy included. Sacco and Vanzetti were sentenced to death by Electric Chair by a United States court in the 1920s because of their anarchist political beliefs. The Joan Baez lyrics to ‘Here’s to You’ are inspired by a statement Vanzetti gave to a journalist in prison 3 months before his execution: “This is our career and our triumph. Never in our full life could we hope to do such work for tolerance, for justice, for man's understanding of man as we now do by accident. Our words—our lives—our pains—nothing!”
To resurrect the song ‘Here’s to You’ with this Amnesty International campaign signifies that the fight is not over, and that all the Sacco’s and Vanzetti’s in the world are inspired by a statement given by Vanzetti to a reporter in prison 3 months before his execution: “This is our career and our triumph. Never in our full life could we hope to do such work for tolerance, for justice, for man's understanding of man as we now do by accident.”
People who respond to the appeal will be able to register or upload videos of themselves singing the song on the site: http://www.herestoyou.it/
A unique video will be created from a collection of all the videos contributed, which will be shared and demonstrate to the world that the fight for human rights isn’t over. The aim of the campaign and videos is to convince more people to support Amnesty International, sign the petitions and make a contribution in favour of human rights.
