Giovanni Princigalli studied Political Science at the University of Bari, following anthropology romanì (gispy) course of Leonardo Piasere and sociology with Franco Cassano (his advisory professor for his in the thesis on “nomadismo e sedentarietà”). After his degree he’s studied cinematographic screenplaying at the professional school of Cagli with Giuseppe Piccioni and Umberto Contarello, anthropological documentary at the
“Haute école des études” and “ école doctorale de cinema anthropologique” of Paris (course directed by Jean Rouch, Annie Comolli and Claudine de France), and documentary cinema with Carl Alberto Pinelli at the international school of documentary cinema “Robert Flarthey” (National Park of the Cilento). Japigia Gagì is his first work.
In Japigia, a neighborhood in the periphery of Bari, Italy, a small community of Roma (Gypsies) carve out an existence in an illegal, ramshackle encampment. The local church has offered them a piece of land with prefabricated houses, but the town hall is preventing this offer due to their own plans for a future a railway station. Continually in danger…