original title:
Hadar – Il frutto di Dio
directed by:
screenplay:
cinematography:
editing:
music:
producer:
production:
country:
Italy / USA / Israel
year:
2025
film run:
75'
format:
colour
status:
Ready (31/10/2025)
Haddar - The Fruit of God is a documentary film that highlights a unique aspect of Calabria: the citron. Every summer, many Orthodox rabbis travel to the heart of the Citron Riviera to pick the most beautiful citrons, which are then sent all over the world, including Israel, to fully celebrate Sukkoth, the Feast of Tabernacles. The citron plant is extremely precious to the Jewish people, considered almost sacred and carefully guarded as it is deemed close to God. The film follows the interaction between two distinct communities: the Calabrian citron farmers and the rabbis who come to Calabria each year to select the perfect citron, ‘haddar’, meaning ‘splendid’. The story unfolds in Calabria, a land of hospitality, with the citron as a meeting point for cultures, traditions, religions, and love for the land. The narrative continues in New York, Tel Aviv, and Jerusalem to follow the celebration of Sukkoth.