Il Castello Indistruttibile

In a forgotten neighborhood of Palermo, three children turn an abandoned building into a secret hideout. Here, they can escape the violence of the outside world and share their dreams.

Danisinni, the neighbourhood where our film is set, is a small, poor, and densely populated community in Palermo, governed by ancient, rigid codes. Although it lies just a few hundred metres from the main tourist sites, decades of administrative neglect have marginalised it from the rest of the city and its urban and social transformations. The preschool at the heart of the neighbourhood was the only institutional facility, but it has been closed for over 15 years, leaving families and the local church to shoulder all social and educational responsibilities. Growing up here means being part of a community where girls often become pregnant at a young age and boys drop out of school for casual, precarious work. It is a place we have lived in for several years, getting to know the community and organising participatory cinema workshops with them. That is how we met Angelo, Mary, and Rosy, our three protagonists, and built the film around their games and their friendship. Our approach blends observation and participatory creation, allowing the three children to portray themselves and tell their story with complete freedom. Il Castello Indistruttibile follows them through their last summer as children: from the discovery of a safe refuge to its inevitable end. It is the story of a friendship and of how, thanks to that bond, they face together the approach of adolescence.

Festivals and screenings

CPH:DOX - DOX:AWARD 2025 (anteprima mondiale) Biografilm Festival - premiere italiana - premio "Tutta un'altra storia Pratello Award" Molise Cinema Film Festival - menzione speciale della giuria Les États généraux du film documentaire Fipadoc - International Documentary Festival Festival Pitches 2024 Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival New Visions Forum 2024 Festival dei Popoli Doc At Work 2024