Stop!

Screenplay: Giulio De Paolis
Cast: Serena Mrak, Kevin Korbi, Marco Della Gaspera, Piervittorio Vitori, Steven Stergar, Andrej Batič, Marija Pavlin, Ela Ideja Krog
Cinematography: John Erik Profumo
Editing: Ugo De Rossi
Sound: Alvaro Gramigna, Claudio Gramigna, Ivan Caso
Music: Giampaolo Mrach
Producer: Giulio De Paolis (Mappamao Film)
Co-producer: Mateja Zorn (Kinoatelje)

Year: 2019
Genre: Romantic Drama, Fantasy
Duration: 7'
Format: 16mm, 1.85:1, Color and Black & White
Sound: Stereo

Synopsis
In the autumn of her life, a woman recalls how love entered her heart in the fateful year of 1947, when the newly established border between Italy and Yugoslavia sharply divided the Gorizia region. Her story is a unique fairytale with a surrealist character, yet also a family drama marked by real events.

Director's Statement
This short film was inspired by the life story of my paternal grandparents, Giovanna and Luigi. She was a Slovene from the suburbs of Gorizia, and he was a carabiniere from Rome stationed in the city by the Soča River. Their paths didn’t cross until September 15, 1947, when the Paris Peace Treaties came into effect and a newly defined border between Italy and Yugoslavia split the heart of Gorizia.

As usual, my grandmother set off to work in the city that morning. But at the end of the workday, she found herself unable to return home due to the suddenly impassable border. Her distress was noticed by a young carabiniere—my grandfather—who immediately decided to help her. He offered her accommodation at his aunt’s (his mother’s sister) home in the city. She accepted the offer. Soon, love blossomed between them, and in 1953 they married and moved to Rome with their family.

Their story, also preserved in fragments of 8mm archival footage from our family collection, inspired me and gave me the opportunity to craft a multilayered work: an intimate family drama and, at the same time, a chronicle of an era. The cast was made up entirely of non-professional actors, locals from both sides of the border. The film was shot on 16mm film using lenses that were originally employed in post-war newsreels, giving the images an almost documentary-like quality.

The result is a film that invites viewers to transcend borders and barriers—mental ones included—that often deprive us of invaluable experiences. It also reflects on those borders in today's Europe that many refuse to challenge, and instead actively help create and defend.

The project was self-funded, with Kinoatelje of Gorizia joining as a co-producer. For decades, Kinoatelje has been actively engaged in audiovisual production, with a special focus on capturing life stories shaped by the border. Costumes were provided by the Fundus of SNG Nova Gorica. Numerous friends and relatives also participated in the project, further emphasizing its familial essence.