The actor and director Gianfranco Gallo signs the docufilm “The Fire in the Whale. The devotees of Spartak San Gennaro”, which will be presented Friday 24 May at 7pm at Domus Ars of Santa Chiara, in Naples. The meeting, which will be introduced by the journalist Fabrizio Cappella, will be attended by various exponents of the world of entertainment and music, including Roberto Colella, Alan De Luca, Ciccio Merolla, Paese mio bello, Dario Sansone, Monica Sarnelli, Shaone-Op.rot feat Gea Vesuvia. Luigi Esposito, Antonio Maeillo, Michele Visconte.
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The documentary on the true history of Spartak
“Il Fuoco nella Balena” is a short documentary of about twenty minutes on the true story of Spartak, a unique reality of Social Football born in Naples 4 years ago. The filmed story is written and directed by Gianfranco Gallo, the actor and director who, for three years, has been planning all the fundraising initiatives with which Spartak is financed. From four kids taken off the streets in the Pallonetto neighborhood of Santa Lucia, today we have reached eighty young people from 5 to 16 years old in the Montesanto neighborhood who are equipped with uniforms, bags, balls, for whom we provide registration for tournaments, training camps, travel and anything else needed for social sporting activity.
Kids mostly coming from complicated, often very difficult realities, with others who have purposely chosen a common path, all together with their stories in their bags and with the desire to belong to a single team. The documentary was made to raise awareness of the reality of Spartak San Gennaro through the means of cinema and TV. The presence of Eduardo De Filippo hovers throughout the film, with his intervention on behalf of the minors of the former Filangieri prison and as an illuminated path for any artist. The story is sewn by the two real protagonists Chicco and Ester, volunteers from the social centres, now true friends of Gianfranco.
Gianfranco Gallo explains how the project was born
«Years ago I met Luigi Volpe known as “Chicco”, a volunteer at the Sgarrupato social centre. The headquarters are in Montesanto, my father’s neighborhood. I therefore immediately decided to start raising funds for the Befana of the less well-off children in the neighborhood. My grandfather’s family was of working class origin, perhaps for this reason I almost felt the duty to do it. The response I got from social media was incredible. We collected so many toys that we also donated them to other facilities. Then “Chicco” together with Stefania known as “Ester”, another volunteer, founded Spartak San Gennaro and I joined it immediately. In our team I am the battering ram that breaks down the doors of indifference, I call my friends to help me, I mark them like a man until they donate something.”
«With some you don’t even have to call twice. Alessandro Siani is one of these. The presence of Eduardo De Filippo is clear in the documentary, he began working with and for the children of the former Filangieri prison first and for those of Nisida later. I had my little torch with which I was trying to shed light and I found myself in a stronger light, his, which made everything clearer to me. I followed him without realizing it. It is no coincidence that the Spartak boys, taken off the streets, train right in the courtyard of the Salita Pontecorvo facility. Then the fact that Luigi and Stefania have battle names, namely Chicco and Ester, like the partisans of the second war, makes me understand that the fight is a fight of resistance. By the way, I also have a nom de guerre, due to my determination my mother called me “Sturmtruppen””, explains director Gianfranco Gallo in her notes.
