Josella Porto

Il migliore dei mali

Summer 1997. Five young boys, Hector, Milo, Michelangelo, Neri, and Dante investigate the disappearance of Icarus, the dog of one of them, suspecting his sinister new neighbor. The boys will have to solve the mystery, juggle their complicated family backgrounds, and above all come to terms with their secrets.

Just Kids

Everything has changed for Giulia after Marilena’s arrival in the village. Before it was just Giulia and her best friend Nadine. But now Nadine has eyes only for the newcomer. And Giulia can't endure it. To play in the woods might offer Giulia the chance to prove that she’s better than Marilena: she has played in that woods with Nadine since they were just kids, while Marilena doesn't know the mountain well. It's the opportunity for Giulia to get back Nadine. Marilena remains alone in the woods, and her traces are lost. Giulia wins the game, but she has lost her Nadine.

Fireworks

A sunbaked Sicilian town in the summer of 1982 provides the vivid backdrop to this tender romantic drama about two teenagers who fall in love, but much to the disapproval of those around them. Gianni is a handsome but shy teen who works as a car mechanic at his stepfather’s garage but is mercilessly taunted by the macho townsmen for being a homosexual. With his family life no better, Gianni withdraws into himself until one day he meets Nino, a curly-haired boy with an infectious smile. As the two become close and fall in love, the moral rumblings from their families and neighbors begin to erupt. With all against them, the boys decide to make a stand.

The Aphid and the Ant

Fatima is 16 years old and wears a veil. Her culture requires it, and her mother Amina imposes it on her. Born in Calabria to Muslim parents, the girl experiences all the conflicts and emotions typical of her age, but feels she is not like her peers: she is closed in her solitude, constantly out of place. Until one day the physical education teacher, Michele Scimone, suggests his students to sign up for the Sant'Antonio Marathon. For Fatima it is the first real opportunity to be seized. But for the teacher, a shy and depressed former runner, tormented by an unresolved past and a failed relationship with Anna, the veil that Fatima wears is a cause of prejudice.

Glassboy

Pino Gambassi is a child suffering from haemophilia and is animated by an unbridled desire for freedom and boundless courage: he decides to start his adventure in the world and to show everyone that he can live his life like a normal kid.

There Is a Light

Paolo is a sceptical 30-year-old who works unwillingly as a sales clerk in a Turin department store. Mia is a back-up singer in a band and lives her life haphazardly, which leads her to being practically homeless. One night, they bump into each other by chance, in a gay club in Turin. It will be the beginning of an emotional adventure and a journey across the country looking for the father of Mia’s baby.

South Is Nothing

Set in a tiny seaside town, Fabio Mollo’s feature debut is a quietly evocative drama about a family’s attempts to cope with the loss of their son, and the impact of his absence on his teenaged sister Grazia.

Giganti

In his attempt to grow up and become a man, Pietro, a 15 years old boy who lives in the extreme south of Italy, begins to understand the reality in which he is growing up and touches what represents the most violent aspect of mafia: the silence.