U n ponte sul fiume Tisa The Bridge | IDFA 2014

The Bridge | IDFA 2014

Why does the European Union finance the reconstruction of a bridge that nobody is allowed to cross? The old bridge between Sighet, a Romanian town, and Slatina, an Ukrainian town has been destroyed by the German troops during the Second World War. After the war, the northern bank of the Tisza River became part of the Soviet Union while the southern bank continued to be Romanian. The border was closed. A whole web of family, cultural and economic ties was destroyed. The Tisza River separated the two towns almost fifty years. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Slatina became an Ukrainian town. The borders were opened. People on both banks of the Tisza began to hope again. They wanted to see each other more often, renew old friendships and relationships. The old bridge has been rebuilt in three years. The European Union and the Romanian Government financed the reconstruction. But nobody is allowed to cross it yet. The second round of enlargement of the E.U. will include Romania but exclude the Ukraine. -