
Every time children visit their parents at the San Vittore prison in Milan, Italy, they’re subjected to a thorough security check. They have to turn in their bags, have their shoes and dolls checked, and go through a metal detector. Then a guard leads them by the hand along the long, bare corridors to the visiting room.
The children make drawings at a workshop run by the nonprofit organization Associazione Bambinisenzasbarre Onlus. There are drawings of prison bars and a bloodied doll, with poignant words such as “I have too much responsibility,” and “I feel alone, defenseless.” The youngest children see the the ornately geometric prison as a castle.
The power of this visually striking short film lies in the simplicity of the approach, with many close-ups and distinctive framing and sound design. Words are unnecessary—the sound of a slamming door speaks volumes. This is visual artist Yuri Ancarani’s journey into the minds of children navigating the prison regime and the subtle aggression of security checks.
Credits
IDFA history
Paradocs