Your memory is our history: recovery, digitalisation and dissemination of vernacular video production

History is a complex tapestry of interwoven memories, a set of narratives that define us and connect us to the past, reinforcing the sense of belonging to a society and a territory. Carbonia (Sardinia, Italy) is a founding city, created to ensure the supply of coal in the Italy of Fascist autarchy to reduce dependence on foreign imports. Inaugurated on 18 December 1938, in the presence of Mussolini, it saw an intense economic migratory phenomenon converge on it that delineated a peculiar social characterisation and experienced changing fortunes, until the definitive end of mining era. The preservation of memory is a topic of significant interest that can be used both for the pure documentation of events and for the suturing of a sense of belonging to a legacy that is difficult to accept. Carbonia is one of the case studies (together with the former mining center of Val Imperina in the Belluno Dolomites and the “musil - museum of industry and labor” in Brescia) taken into consideration by the ReMusIt Project - ReMusIt - Reinventing industrial Museums for a new image of Italy (Prin 2022, no.2022X5KWKT, CUP Master_B53D23034050006), promoted by the National Research Council CNR in collaboration with the University of Milan and the Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria. ReMusIt was created with the goal of creating a debate aimed at increasing awareness and support for the enhancement of industrial museums, promoting an in-depth reflection on the cultural, educational and economic potential of these museums, fostering a dialogue between institutions, local communities and the public in the digital age. It is precisely this dialogue that is believed to be the first step toward the revival and promotion of a renewed image of Italy's industrial heritage, capable of contributing significantly to the country's cultural and economic growth. One of the key foundations of the Project is the belief that audiovisual heritage and its recovery can be widely used as support for the enhancement of industrial legacies and museums related to them: the research offers an opportunity to rethink the role of audiovisual heritage as a medium for strengthening communication, differentiating museum cultural offers and boosting the link with the community. Carbonia is home to the 'Centro Servizi Culturali della Società Umanitaria', which, in 2015, activated the project 'Ex Dì Memorie in Movimento - La Fabbrica del Cinema'. Among other services, the Centre deals with the preservation, collection, promotion and production of audiovisual historical memory. Since 2017, the Region of Sardinia has granted the Centre funding for the activation of a 'Cineportual hub', an attempt to develop the local cinema industry. Of considerable interest is the 'Your memory is our history' project promoted by the three Sardinian Centers of the Società Umanitaria (Cagliari, Carbonia and Alghero). It is based on family (or vernacular) cinema, which aims to recover the audiovisual historical memory that private citizens have produced through home movies from the 1960s-70s onwards and eventually forgotten in attics and cellars, and then transform these small private stories into public testimonies of daily life and local culture. Thus, these vernacular film materials are not only valuable documentation, free from the political propaganda that characterizes the enormous archive of Istituto Luce productions during Fascism, but are also fundamental pieces for scholars, historians and film enthusiasts who want to build a stronger social framework, based on sharing and mutual understanding thanks to new productions that seek to fill cultural gaps or address neglected aspects of the island's culture and history. The Carbonia Cinema Factory stands out as an example of excellence in the integration of art, science and society. Through its commitment to memory preservation and scientific dissemination, it demonstrates the transformative power of art and culture in building a shared and conscious future