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[active project]
Tutta un'altra storia is an educational project of social inclusion dedicated to boys and girls in marginalised situations.
The project carries out a series of educational activities that use international documentary cinema as a tool to develop empathy, critically analyse reality, learn non-violent communication methods (such as the consensus method), and identify and develop talents. In addition, the active involvement of boys and girls as jurors and spectators at Biografilm is aimed at encouraging them to take an active role in society. In this context, boys and girls must judge and not be judged, and their work is valued in the same way as the other professional juries of the Festival.
In 2025 the project benefits a group of boys from the ‘Pietro Siciliani’ Juvenile Penal Institute in Bologna and a group of girls from the Oikos and Towanda juvenile educational communities in Bologna. Specific activities are also addressed to their educating community.
The fifth edition of Tutta un'altra storia is a Biografilm project carried out in collaboration with the association Next Generation Italy, the Casa di Quartiere 2 Agosto 1980, the CPIA - Centro Provinciale per l'Istruzione degli Adulti di Bologna, the I.S.S. Scappi of Castel San Pietro Terme, the Cooperativa l'Ovile of Reggio Emilia, thanks to the support of the Ministry of Justice - Department of Juvenile and Community Justice and the Porto-Saragozza Neighborhood of the Municipality of Bologna, with contributions from the Fondazione del Monte di Bologna e Ravenna, the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio in Bologna and the Embassy and Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Italy.
These are the 3 films selected for the 2025 activities, competing for the Tutta un'altra storia Pratello Award | Biografilm 2025 and the Tutta un'altra storia Pratello Award | Biografilm 2025: HOME GAME by Lidija Zelović, DEAR AUDIENCE by Enrico Baraldi, IL CASTELLO INDISTRUTTIBILE by Danny Biancardi, Stefano La Rosa and Virginia Nardelli.
Started in 2021 with a group of boys from the ‘Pietro Siciliani’ Juvenile Criminal Institute in Bologna, in 2022 it involved not only the boys from the IPM but also the boys from the ‘Giardino dei Ciliegi’ educational community for minors in Imola, while in 2024 it addressed the girls from the Oikos educational community for minors in Bologna.
The Tutta un'altra storia Pratello Award | Biografilm 2025, assigned by a youth jury composed of a group of youngsters from the ‘Pietro Siciliani’ Juvenile Penal Institute in Bologna to the best film on a selection from the programme, went to IL CASTELLO INDISTRUTTIBILE by Danny Biancardi, Stefano La Rosa, Virginia Nardelli. The motivation is as follows:
"Abbiamo scelto questo film perchè è in contatto con le nostre vite e perchè i bambini protagonisti hanno il potere di trasformare un asilo abbandonato in un castello. Ci ha colpito come i bambini hanno pulito per creare un posto di fantasia, ma reale. Le parole chiave sono: forza, amore, fantasia e trasformazione".
The video of the Jury's work Tutta un altro storia Pratello 2025, by Lucia Magnifico
The Tutta un'altra storia 2 agosto Award | Biografilm 2025, a prize awarded by a youth jury composed of a group of girls from the Oikos and Towanda educational communities in Bologna to the best film on a selection from the programme, went to DEAR AUDIENCE by Enrico Baraldi. The motivation is as follows:
"Abbiamo deciso di dare il premio al film Dear Audience per dare visibilità alle persone che purtroppo sono in situazione di guerra e a chi racconta le loro storie. Sappiamo che questo film manderà un messaggio di forza e resilienza a tutti quelli che sono in situazioni difficili. Lo farà perchè sappiamo che l’arte e la cultura salvano sempre e questo film è l’esempio perfetto".
The Jury also awarded a Special Mention Tutta un'altra storia 2 agosto | Biografilm 2025 to the film HOME GAME by Lidija Zelovic, with the following motivation:
"Attribuiamo una menzione speciale ai personaggi della regista Lidjia e di suo figlio Sergej, per il loro coraggio di condividere la propria intimità e per la capacità di creare un film con la propria storia privata che parla a tutte le persone".
The video rendering of the Jury's work All Another Story 2 August 2025, by Lucia Magnifico
To learn more about the methodologies and results of the three-year period 2021-2023, download the report in Italian here and in English here.
Now in its fourth year, the project in 2024 involves girls from the Oikos Educational Community in Bologna. Beginning with the viewing of a selection of films from the Biografilm program, group workshops on activating and sharing emotions are done first, followed by creative expression workshops, and then by the jury workshop that actively involves the girls in the event. Through then the creation of a final artistic video, under the guidance of filmmaker Lucia Magnifico, a moment of peer exchange will be created with the international artists that the beneficiary girls will meet at the end of the journey.
The project is renewed in collaboration with the L'Ovile Cooperative, thanks to the support of the Ministry of Justice - Department of Juvenile and Community Justice, and thanks to the contribution of the Fondazione Carisbo and the Embassy and Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Italy.
These 3 films selected for activities: JDL - BEHIND THE WALL by Deborah Faraone Menella (doc, Holland, 58', 2023), SELLING A COLONIAL WAR by In-Soo Radstake (doc, 132', Holland, 2023) and ROMINA by Valerio Lo Muzio and Michael Petrolini (doc, Italy, 72', 2024).
The Tutta un'altra storia Award - Biografilm 2024 was presented by the girls beneficiaries of the project to Deborah Faraone Mennella and Judith de Leeuw, director and protagonist of the film JDL - BEHIND THE WALL.
The prize consists of a creative video made by the girls of the Oikos Educational Community in Bologna and dedicated to the protagonist of the film.
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 Biografilm, have awarded the Forza Maggiore prize of the film-literary competition Bookciak, Azione!, 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.
The project, in its third year of implementation in 2023, has become international!
Biografilm 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 by Biografilm staff in the creative music writing workshop, together with filmmakers Lucia Magnifico and Nicola Baita. From the workshop came not only a song but a music video, and a concert performed live inside the Bologna Juvenile Penal Institute for the filmmakers of the films viewed. 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 received 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, of the Cooperative l'Ovile, of the Metropolitan Poetry Slam group and the Biblioteca Scolastica Fuori Catalogo of the Aldini Valeriani Institute in Bologna.
The activities are designed in a participatory way and took place from May to July 2023 in Bologna inside the Bologna Juvenile Penal Institute, divided into 9 meetings that ended into the 19th edition of Biografilm, from June 9 to 19, 2023 in Bologna. The meetings have included 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: 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 Tutta un'altra storia Award - Biografilm 2023 was awarded by the young beneficiaries of the project to the director of SHABU.
Music video made as part of Biografilm Festival’s educational project A whole other story (Tutta un’altra storia) 2023.
The video and the song MON AMI were made by the boys of the Juvenile Jail of Bologna, during the workshops foreseen by Biografilm Festival in collaboration with Young Perspectives.
The song is original, written and performed by the boys inspired by the films SHABU by Shamira Raphaela, THE MIND GAME by Eefje Blankevoort, Els van Driel and Sajid Khan Nasiri, ALL YOU SEE by Niki Padidar.
Video of the song made by IPM students as part of Tutta un'altra storia 2021.
A whole different story: Biografilm's social inclusion educational project becomes part of restorative justice and legality education pathways.
