film sheet

September 28, 2003. It's late at night, and the electrical load on the north-south transit lines through Switzerland to Italy is very high (and those from France are not fully utilized). At 3:01 a.m., due to a severe thunderstorm, a tree falls on some pylons, interrupting the Lukmanier line in the Canton of Ticino. According to the laws of physics, the current flow redistributes, bringing the load on another important Swiss transit line, the San Bernardino line, to 120% of its capacity. Despite a joint effort by Swiss (ETRANS) and Italian (GRTN) technicians completed at 3:21 a.m. with a reduction of 200 MW of imports at 3:25 a.m. a short circuit on the San Bernardino power line also shuts down that line. This resulted in a cascade of interruptions to other cross-border lines to Italy, shutting down numerous power plants across the country. The voltage and frequency of the Italian grid rapidly collapsed, causing a nationwide blackout at approximately 3:30 AM. It's not about the technical and historical reasons that led to the problem; nor the human misunderstandings that caused the chaos; even less about the bilateral commissions of inquiry established to uncover the presumed culprits and innocents of the only general blackout in Italy's history.

This film focuses on the consequences of a sudden power outage in the 21st century through the stories of a few characters struggling with their daily lives. The news reports tell of 18 hours needed to restore power throughout Italy; of several deaths and thousands of people trapped in trains, subways, elevators... and much more. Luca, Antonio, Elena, Fabrizio, Jacopo, and a girl (more or less all from central Italy) are enough to imagine an incredible night 20 years ago... Because it really happened!