Tutta un'altra storia is a social inclusion educational project dedicated to young boys and girls in vulnerable situations.
Started in 2021 with a group of young boys from the "Pietro Siciliani" Juvenile Penal Institute in Bologna, in 2022 it also involved teenagers from the "Giardino dei Ciliegi" educational community for minors in Imola.
The project proposes many educational activities that use international documentary films as a tool for developing empathy, critical analysis of reality, as well as identification and enhancement of talents. In addition, the youngsters being actively involved as jurors and spectators in the cultural event Biografilm Festival of Bologna, will encourage reintegration into society and dialogue with the outside world. For the first time, they will be asked to judge instead of being judged and will have the opportunity to come into contact with male and female professionals of the international film sector.
The project in 2022 was financed by the Ministry of Justice - Department of Juvenile and Community Justice, as part of the initiatives of legality education, active citizenship and restorative justice provided by the "Next Generation" project, with the contribution of the Fondazione del Monte di Bologna e Ravenna and the support of the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio in Bologna. In 2021 it also enjoyed the support of the Embassy and Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Italy.
To learn more about the methodologies and results of the two-year period 2021-2022, download the report in Italian here and in English here.
Video of the song made by IPM students as part of Tutta un'altra storia 2021
The project, in its third year of implementation, is going international in 2023!
Biografilm Festival has in fact begun a collaboration with the Dutch association Young in Prison by joining their international best practice exchange project Young Perspectives (YOPE). The project employs international educators and mentors with experience working in youth detention centers across Europe, using them in 24 subjects including theater, philosophy, songwriting and soccer as key allies for restorative justice projects. Together with experts and mentors, they also serve as positive role models for the youth they meet.
Their educators Lamyn Belgaroui e Guillermo Seymonson have been involved in the final in-person creative workshop envisioned by the project inside the Bologna Juvenile Penal Institute, accompanied by Biografilm staff. This achievement was made possible thanks to the intermediation and support of the program FuturoPresente, a year of culture for children and young adults (film, literature, performing arts), focusing on cooperation between the Netherlands and Italy. A special program of the Embassy and Consulate-General of the Netherlands in Italy and four major Dutch cultural institutions (Performing Arts Fund NL, Dutch Foundation for Literature, Dutch Cultural Participation Fund, SeeNL - films from the Netherlands).
Furthermore, the project enjoys the support of the Ministry of Justice - Department of Juvenile and Community Justice, as part of the initiatives for education in legality, active citizenship and restorative justice envisaged by the "Next Generation" project, the contribution of the Fondazione del Monte of Bologna and Ravenna and the collaboration of the Penal Institute for Minors "Pietro Siciliani" (IPM) of Bologna and the Cooperative l'Ovile.
The activities are designed in a participatory way and take place from May to July 2023 in Bologna inside the Bologna Juvenile Penal Institute, divided into 9 meetings that will convey into the 19th edition of Biografilm Festival, from June 9 to 19, 2023 in Bologna. The meetings include storytelling workshops using various forms of artistic expression, guided viewing of documentary films, meetings with the directors and jury activities based on team building techniques and consensus development.
These are the 3 films selected for the activities and which will compete for the Tutta un'altra storia Award -Biografilm Festival 2023, awarded by the young beneficiaries of the project: SHABU by Shamira Raphaëla (70’, Netherlands, Belgium, 2021), ALL YOU SEE (Al wat je ziet) by Niki Padidar (72’, Netherlands, 2022), THE MIND GAME by Sajid Khan Nasiri, Eefje Blankevoort, Els van Driel (61’, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Netherlands, The, Romania, 2023).
The films will be screened for the Biografilm audience in cinemas from 9 to 19 June 2023, in the presence of the directors and one of the protagonists: Shamira Raphaëla, Niki Padidar, Sajid Khan Nasiri and Eefje Blankevoort.
On 29 August 2023, a group of youngsters of the Juvenile Jail of Bologna, who have been part of the Youth Jury for 3 years at the Biografilm Festival, will award the Forza Maggiore prize in the Bookciak, Azione! film-literary competition, a competition created and directed by Gabriella Gallozzi and pre-opening event of the Venice Film Festival section Giornate degli Autori which rewards the bookciaks: experimental shorts inspired by the books made by young filmmakers.
