Shooting imminent on Margherita Ferri’s Il ragazzo dai pantaloni rosa
- Produced by Eagle Pictures and Weekend Films, the second work by the Italian director is based on the true story of a 15-year-old victim of bullying
Monday 6 May will see filming begin in Rome on Il ragazzo dai pantaloni rosa, a film based on the true story of fifteen-year-old Andrea Spezzacatena who took his own life on 20 November 2012 after several acts of bullying by his schoolmates. Margherita Ferri is directing the movie, which is her second feature film after Zen In the Ice Rift [+see also:
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film profile] (produced by the Biennale College and earning her a nomination for 2019’s Silver Ribbon for Best Emerging Director). Having graduated from UCLA in Los Angeles and from the CSC in Rome, the Imola-based director and screenwriter has previously directed several episodes of the series ZERO [+see also:
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interview: Roberto De Feo
film profile], which was presented in Locarno in 2019.
The screenplay for Il ragazzo dai pantaloni rosa comes courtesy of Roberto Proia (who also penned the Sul più bello [+see also:
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film profile] trilogy and the TV series Gloria). Following an incident with the washing, the red trousers which Andrea’s mother, Teresa, gifted to her son are now pink. Andrea decides to wear them anyway, without thinking about the potential reactions of his school friends, which turn out to be brutal and relentless. They culminate in the creation of a Facebook page entitled “the boy with the pink trousers” [as per the film’s Italian title]. But it’s only after her son’s death that Teresa Manes learns of the existence of this Facebook page.
Andrea’s was the first case of bullying and cyberbullying leading to the suicide of a minor in Italy. Following this tragic event, Teresa Manes has dedicated her life to speaking in schools of all age-ranges and explaining how dangerous words can sometimes be. She has also written a book - Andrea, oltre il pantalone rosa (published by Graus) – and she was awarded a knighthood by Italian President Sergio Mattarella on 27 December 2021.
The film stars Claudia Pandolfi (of Dry [+see also:
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film profile] and the series The Bad Guy [+see also:
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interview: Gianluca and Massimiliano D…
film profile]) is stepping into the shoes of Andrea, while Andrea Arru (of Eravamo bambini [+see also:
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film profile] and the series Diari) will take on the part of school bully Christian, and Sara Ciocca (Mimì – Prince [+see also:
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interview: Antonio Pisu
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Il ragazzo dai pantaloni rosa is produced by Eagle Pictures and Weekend Films. The film will be shot in Rome over a seven-week period, with a cinema release scheduled by Eagle Pictures for 10 October.
(Translated from Italian)
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