Ulisse Junior
Ulisse Junior is a project organised by the Festival dei Popoli – Italian Institute for Social Documentary Film in partnership with Fondazione CR Firenze as part of the Cultural Participation programme, in collaboration with Echivisivi, an independent film production company, and Greenwich APS, an association working in the field of visual literacy.
Ulisse Junior offers an immersive experience in documentary cinema to secondary school students in the Florentine area, bringing together schools from different areas and neighbourhoods around this medium, which is particularly suited to the critical examination of reality.
The project combines theoretical training and practical group workshops with the aim of stimulating young people’s curiosity about the world around them.
Ulisse Junior aims to:
- provide narrative, critical and technical tools for interpreting reality
- enable the new generation to learn a practical interpretative tool capable of conveying personal expression and the construction of their own independent perspective on the world
The Stages of the Project
- literacy and visual literacy activities
- workshop activities focused on understanding and creating a documentary audiovisual product that uses documentary language to explore, raise awareness of and promote exchange and discussion on the themes of Diversity, Inclusion and Integration
- Theoretical training in Audiovisual Literacy
- Documentary filmmaking techniques and thematic, play-based workshop training on the project’s key concepts (empathy, dialogue, the importance of words, community, active listening)
Objectives
The aim of Ulisse Junior is to foster a deeper sense of Belonging, Responsibility and Awareness among boys and girls in their final three years of secondary school, through an educational process that combines technical learning, creative expression and critical analysis. Students are placed in direct contact with the narration of reality and invited to examine their own context – their personal and collective history – translating these into visual and shared forms.
Participants
The project is aimed at students at secondary schools in Florence
Schools involved
Liceo scientifico Guido Castelnuovo
This phase includes guided viewing sessions, dialogue and group discussion, aimed at introducing the language of documentary cinema and developing critical skills in the analysis of images, content and narrative forms. The work will be conducted in line with the relevant subjects (history, Italian, civic education) and will provide an initial inclusive introduction to the project.
Castelnuovo: Headteacher Prof. Alessandro Bussotti; contact person Prof. Giulia Bigliazzi,
Marco Polo: Headteacher Prof. Ludovico Arte; contact person Prof. Giacomo Torresi
Saffi: Headteacher Prof. Francesca Lascialfari; contact person Prof. Rebecca Fedeli
Through guided viewings of significant works, participants will explore the main forms of expression in contemporary documentary filmmaking.
Elements such as narrative structure, the use of imagery, editing and the relationship between filmmaker and subject will be analysed.
Focused on a shared creative writing programme, inspired by the circular writing method, in which the participating young people collaborate on the production of documentary audiovisual works, drawing inspiration from personal sharing and thematic discussions throughout the programme. The aim is to encourage the development of personal critical thinking and provide an opportunity to share it. Three key themes: Liberation, the Republic and the Constitution.
Dedicated to the practical creation of three audiovisual works, one for each of the identified thematic areas. The aim is to encourage participants to tell the story of the present from their own personal perspective, offering an authentic, generational perspective on growth and intergenerational exchange.
Final outcome
The audiovisual works will be presented at the 67th edition of the Festival dei Popoli (Florence, 31 October – 8 November 2026)
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In collaboration with
With the participation of
