Those Who Said No: The Resistance of the Italian Military Internees
14 september 2025
h. 16:00
Italian Contest – Feature Film
Brief Synopsis:
In the wake of the September 1943 armistice, over 650,000 Italian soldiers were captured by German forces. When asked to support the Nazi-Fascist regime, they said no, and paid a heavy price: they endured nearly two years in Nazi camps, enduring cold, hunger, and forced labour. Those who made it home were forever changed. This quiet yet powerful resistance, carried out without weapons, comes to life through the voices of the children of well-known internees like Giovannino Guareschi, Mario Rigoni Stern, Gianrico Tedeschi, and Luciano Salce, as well as the memories of 101-year-old former soldier Giuseppe Pagnoni and the secret art created in captivity by Roman lieutenant Gino Spalmach.
Director’s Notes:
The documentary weaves together archival footage and present-day images, shifting fluidly between black and white and colour. Close-ups of interviewees are layered with handwritten letters from the camps and engravings on soldiers’ mess kits. Two young actors read diary entries and personal accounts – not just giving voice to figures like poet Tonino Guerra and writer Mario Rigoni Stern, but also connecting past and present, keeping memory alive for the future.