The Sunken Village

The stone steeple of the Alt-Graun church rises from the waters of Lake Resia in the Venosta Valley in South Tyrol. It stands as a lonely, silent witness to the terrible tragedy that befell Graun (Curon) and Reschen (Resia) in 1950, when both villages – with their unique natural and cultural landscape – were submerged by the waters of the newly built Resia dam and water reservoir. Through moving cinematic portraits, the filmmakers touch on the theme of “Heimat” (home) and its loss, and document the long-lasting effects of the Resia dam’s construction on past and present generations. The landscape of the Upper Venosta Valley through the changing seasons provides a stunning backdrop for this ambitious documentary.