International premiere
The Boy with Pink Pants
Cyberbullying, intolerance and a vulnerable adolescent soul retelling a true story from the beyond.
Margherita Ferri’s latest film revisits the tragic true story of Andrea Spezzacatene, a 15-year-old who took his own life in 2022 after enduring bullying and cyberbullying for his alleged homosexuality. Adapted from a book by Andrea’s mother, the film intertwines a beautiful musical score and an endearing voiceover from the spirit of Andrea, telling, from the beyond, a heartbreaking tale of psychological violence inflicted on a vulnerable soul.
Andrea, a gifted student and singer, earns a place in an elite choir, but at school, he falls prey to Christian, a charming yet cruel student who exploits him for academic help while bullying him. Despite his deep friendship with Sara, who also shares an admiration for Christian, Andrea’s torment leads him into an inescapable trap. “The Boy with Pink Pants” portrays the impact of bullying and honours Andrea’s memory, shining a light on the devastating effects of intolerance.
Giovanna Fulvi
Margherita Ferri (1984) is an Italian director whose films focus on coming-of-age / rite of passage stories, about diverse characters in search of their identity and their place in the world. Her debut film, “Zen in the Ice Rift”, which premiered at the 75th Venice International Film Festival, tells the story of a tomboy hockey girl’s journey to self-discovery. As a screenwriter, Ferri also wrote the sophisticated horror film “The Nest”, which was presented at the 2019 Locarno Film Festival. In the same year, she was nominated for the Nastri d’Argento award in the Best New Director category. She has also directed episodes of Netflix’s original series “Zero” (2021), the first show about Black Italians, and Amazon Prime Video’s female-driven crime series “Bang Bang Baby” (2022), set in the 1980s.
Zen sul ghiaccio sottile (2018), Il ragazzo dai pantaloni rosa (The Boy with Pink Pants, 2024)
Grand Prix for The Best Film, grant of 20 000 euros from the city of Tallinn, Award for Best Director, grant of 5000€ from Alexela
