An afternoon class which transforms into an intense life experience, changing the destiny of a teacher and his group of young students forever: this is the plot of the movie La prima regola, Massimiliano D’Epiro’s second work after Polvere [+lee también:
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ficha de la película], which just began filming in Bari. It’s an adaptation of the stage play La classe, written by Vincenzo Manna, who also co-penned the present screenplay alongside the director.

La prima regola is a scholastic kammerspiel, of sorts, unfolding almost entirely within the walls of an educational establishment in central Bari. It offers up a snapshot of the times we’re living in: a high school on the outskirts of town whose facilities, students and teaching staff perfectly reflect a seemingly irreversible level of social and economic depression. To make matters worse, just a few metres from the school, nestled amongst the houses in the neighbourhood, is the "Zoo", a migrant welfare centre which, over time, has morphed into a permanent refugee camp. A teacher is called upon to deliver a remedial course for six students who have been suspended for disciplinary reasons. After some initial hostility and suspicion, the teacher manages to win the youngsters’ trust, with surprisingly positive results. But when conflict breaks out between the local population and the migrants, the situation soon slips out of his control. The city is invaded by soldiers, journalists and protesters. Tension rises and the many contradictions which characterise an abandoned society soon become apparent. In this bleak picture, the simmering discontent inhabiting the students and their school explodes with tragic results.

The film’s cast is composed of youngsters from the new generation of actors who find themselves increasingly at the forefront of recent films and TV series; “second generation” Italians, because among them we find a Greek-Italian, a Georgian-Italian, a Senegalese-Italian and various Romanians, Serbians and Nigerians who are perfectly well integrated and endowed with Italian citizenship.: Andrea Fuorto, Antonia Fotaras, Haroun Fall, Ileana D’Ambra, Luca Chikovani and Cecilia Montaruli. Alongside them, in the role of the teacher, we find Marius Bizau, together with Headteacher Fabrizio Ferracane and janitor Darko Peric (“Helsinki” in the Netflix series Money Heist).

Photography is in the hands of Matteo Calore, set design is that of Francesco Scandale, costumes are by Sabrina Beretta and editing by Karolina Maciejewska, while casting comes courtesy of Armando Pizzuti.

La prima regola is produced by Dinamo Film, Goldenart Production and Rai Cinema in association with Notorious Pictures, and with the support of the Apulia Film Fund, the Apulia Film Commission and the Apulia Region. The movie was developed by way of the Apulia Development Film Fund, and by the Apulia Film Forum in the production phase. La prima regola will be released in Italian cinemas in 2022 under the aegis of Notorious Pictures.