PORDENONE – The ASTRO APS Cultural Association is a Pordenone association founded in 2009 by Jimmy Baratta and Giulia Piccolo, which has since involved dozens of twenty-year-olds from the city in theatrical and entertainment activities, offering them new opportunities for participation and learning .
In this context, in 2023 he created the Pordenone Project, a series of cinematographic shorts which see the city on Noncello as the protagonist and which intend to promote Pordenone not only on a local level, but also national and European and show how this city is lively, vital and capable of great initiatives. To create these short films, the contribution of Fondazione Friuli, Banca BCC Pordenonese and Monsile, Grosmi Caffè was fundamental, as well as the support of the Youth Policy office of the Municipality of Pordenone.
«Each of the 7 shorts – explains the young Gabriele Pillon of ASTRO – represents an episode of a detective story, almost as if it were a TV series, set in various locations in the city and the area, which involved as many as 30 associations from the area with incredible results territory, bodies and institutions, high schools (Art Institute, ISIS Zanussi fashion, IAL), museums, clubs and activities, public and private entities, testifying to the liveliness and dynamism of Pordenone and the people who live there”.
The story revolves around the figure of Commissioner Santarossa, originally from Pordenone, who left the city at a very young age and who today, 20 years later, is forced to return to fight the threat of an unscrupulous criminal intent on destroying Pordenone. Together with his new operational team, the protagonist will have to stop the dangerous bomber with every means available.
His investigations will be an opportunity to rediscover a past love and to rediscover the beauty of his city, which after 20 years has changed for the better.
The staff is made up of Jimmy Baratta of the Astro Association, who took care of the story, screenplay and direction; Leonardo Parisi and Gabriele Pillot of Astro who wrote the screenplay; Alberto Ruggiero filming; Alberto Biasutti and Riccardo Vojvoda the audio; Alberto Ruggiero and Leonardo Parisi editing; while the original music was created by 23 year old Lorenzo Tomadon. The official poster was created by 19-year-old Alberto Della Libera, a young student at the PAFF Comics Museum! of Pordenone. The production deliberately involved numerous local professionals in order to obtain a “Pordenonese” product of unquestionable quality.
As regards the cast, last April the selections were held at the HUB 381 in viale Dante, managed by the FAI Cooperative, which saw the participation of over 250 people, not only from Pordenone but also from outside the region, and who led to the identification of the main actors and extras. Filming began a year ago and ended in October 2023, generating great curiosity among the population. Furthermore, the younger extras brought with them entire families who also attended the filming, creating a joyful and participatory atmosphere.
For the creation of the shorts, various spaces were used including the PAFF! Museum, the Civic Library, the Museum of Natural History and the Civic Museum of Art, the Verdi Theater and numerous locations in the city center and there are dozens and dozens of bodies, city associations and private entities that took part in various capacities in this great project.
The Pordenone Project today intends to spread as widely as possible at a national and international level thanks to the use of the main social channels, with the aim of involving the European public, also reaching the Friulian communities abroad and thus valorising Pordenone through a story that puts its more or less iconic places are on display, presenting all the lively and attractive realities of our territory.
ASTRO wanted to thank the Youth Policies Office, the Culture, Sport and Major Events Office of the Municipality, which immediately believed in the value of this project, the ASCOM and SOMSI staff, the ProLoco and the School for their collaboration. Actor’s Experimental, with special applause to the Local Police officers who followed the filming ensuring safety and road closures. Finally, at least 60 students were actively involved in the creation of the closing graphics of the episodes and in internship activities linked to their study path.
A great commitment, therefore, which underlines the passion and synergy that binds associations, professionals, public and private bodies, individual citizens, all activated by this initiative set in motion in an extraordinary way by the young people of our city. For its part, the Administration praised the commitment of this group of young people, praising their spirit of initiative and the courage to get involved and dare, unlike those young people who criticize or complain without doing anything.
To ensure that this project can be projected throughout the province, in Friuli and outside the region, a crowdfounding will soon be launched on the Ginger platform. In this way all citizens will be able to contribute with an offer to the screening of these 7 shorts in many cinemas and to bring Pordenone and its territory beyond the borders of the geographical map.
The shorts will be previewed for journalists, authorities, sponsors, associations, actors and extras who took part, this evening at 8.30pm at the Cinema Don Bosco in Pordenone, where it was sold out with 360 seats already booked.
On Friday 10 May at 8.30pm at the same cinema, the official screening open to the public will take place with free admission, for which it will be sufficient to book on 334 7008224 or by writing to [email protected] .
