ITALY
2024 – DCP – color – 46’

Direction: Vito Palmieri
Screenplay: Vito Palmieri, Raffaella Lupo
Cinematography: Elia Andreotti
Editing: Fabio Bianchini
del suono Sound editing: Riccardo Rossi
With: Elena Torelli, Giorgio Bazzega, Debora Siliquini, Susi Lamieri, Veronica Nazzari, Agnese Mattanò, Vito Minoia, Boutheina Zaouali, Chiara Boschiero
General organizer: Simone Fratini
Production: CGM (Emilia Romagna e Marche Center for Juvenile Justice), Cineteca di Bologna

SYNOPSIS

This film depicts an intense journey of education on lawfulness involving: adolescents who have committed a crime, the mother of one of them, criminal mediators and some artists. It consists of a melting pot of viewpoints that composes a profound and unprecedented picture of restorative justice—an approach that comes alongside the criminal justice system aiming at reconciliation between victims and offenders. Set in various facilities in Emilia-Romagna, it starts from the practical experience of workshops conducted within the institutions to foster togetherness. Through the voices of the protagonists, emotions, feelings, fears and intentions come to light. The drawings, objects and letters designed by the young offenders go beyond the walls and become a bridge between those who have made mistakes and the entire community, an outstretched hand that hopes to be tightly held.

Director’s statement

“The daily routine of those involved in criminal mediation attempts a substantial revolution every day: to contain the pain of offenders as well as victims, whenever it is possible to bear and overcome it. They not only try to reconcile the parties involved, but also attempt to wipe away the tears that a crime generates within the entire community. Telling the stories of the protagonists on a restorative justice journey represents a great challenge. It entails finding a way to gently enter the lives of the individuals and follow them in their daily actions, without conditioning their movements and intentions.”

anteprima

BACK TO < CINEMA AND REALITY’