A screen that swells and dances to the rhythm of the wind, a star-studded August sky, the sound of the sea providing a natural soundtrack. It is in this evocative setting that “Cinema under the Stars” concluded, the film festival organized by the Porto Palma Association, now in its second year . After the first event, which featured a screening of the film “S”Aquilegia nuragica” with director Luca Lobina in attendance, last night's free event, designed for children and young people, was dedicated to the theme of inclusion and those differences that, far from dividing, enrich those who look at them with open eyes.
A new addition has been added to the initial program. "When, during the first event, Lobina learned the theme we had chosen for the second one," explains Gianni Casu, the initiative's coordinator, "she decided to offer us her short film "Pappagani" free of charge. This generous gesture was truly gratifying and allowed the Porto Palma audience to reflect on issues such as prejudice, diversity, and the responsibility of words." The story is set in a small Sardinian village square, where a group of teenagers spend their days joking, teasing, and gossiping. At the center of their conversation is a local man, solitary, unkempt, and strange-looking: there's a disturbing and absurd rumor circulating about him: that he eats dogs. Hence the nickname "Pappagani," a typically Sardinian play on words that recalls this very rumor. Amidst misunderstandings, fear, and moments of comedy, the group ultimately decides to get to the bottom of the story, discovering a truth far different from what they imagined. "'Pappagani' began as a short comedy," Lobina explains, "but behind the lightheartedness lies a serious reflection on prejudice. I wanted to show how rumors become truth simply because everyone keeps repeating them, and how easy it is to let a person's appearance transform them, in the eyes of others, into someone they're not. It's a theme that concerns everyone, but I wanted to explore it through the eyes of young people, because they are the first to learn to look beyond appearances."
The evening continued, as scheduled, with the screening of the animated film "Buffalo Kids," selected by the children of the summer theater workshop. The film further develops the same theme, offering the younger ones a second point of reflection through the language of animation. A double event, therefore, designed to combine entertainment and growth, under the stars and with the sea as a backdrop: a different, and perhaps more effective, way to talk to children—and adults—about inclusion and respect for differences.
