Giffoni hosted a very early look at 40 secondi, Vincenzo Alfieri’s upcoming film that revisits the tragic murder of Willy Monteiro Duarte (June 6, 2020, Colleferro). In a poignant debut, the audience saw raw footage featuring Francesco Gheghi, who confessed, “I don’t have a clear mind to talk about what I see... I find it disturbing.”Alfieri explained his motivation: after reading Federica Angeli’s book and interviewing Willy’s friends, he realized the story’s depth was largely misunderstood, stating his hope that the film “speaks truthfully to people”. Gheghi detailed the emotional complexity of filming, emphasizing his focus on portraying the human behind the headlines. The ensemble cast mixes professionals—such as Gheghi, Enrico Borello, Francesco Di Leva, Sergio Rubini, and Maurizio Lombardi—with fresh faces found through six months of street casting. Roberto Proia (Eagle Pictures): “The real assassin in this story is indifference.” — a comment that resonated strongly as the festival reflected on themes like toxic masculinity and bystander inaction.
Another emotional highlight was the preview of Per Te, starring Edoardo Leo and directed by Alessandro Aronadio. The film, produced in collaboration with Netflix, tells the moving real-life story of Mattia Piccoli, an 11-year-old boy awarded the title of Alfiere della Repubblica for his dedication to caring for his father, Paolo, diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s.Both Mattia Piccoli and Javier Leoni, the young actor portraying him, attended the screening. The film, adapted from the book Un tempo piccolo by Serenella Antoniazzi, explores the moment when family roles invert, and a child becomes the caretaker of a parent.
