In Italy, family caregivers represent an invisible yet
vital welfare resource, comprising millions of people
who choose (or are compelled) to dedicate their lives
to caring for a family member with a disability, illness
or lack of self-sufficiency.
This is a complex social situation, often marked by
isolation, emotional burnout and a profound lack of
legislative protections and public recognition.
Ti resto accanto (I stand by you) is born from
the need to break this institutional and social silence.
However, to make a faithful portrait of this reality,
it is also necessary to break away from the conventions
of classic documentary storytelling.
This project gives protagonists back their right to speak
and to be seen.
Allowing caregivers the freedom to document their daily
lives means giving artistic and political significance
to those fragments of life that would otherwise remain
confined within the walls of the home.
The documentary addresses the social need to build more
and more communities, enabling the general public to
finally fully grasp the immense human, social and economic
value of those who choose to stand by
others.
Ti resto accanto (I stand by you) was created
to tell this story from the perspective of those living it.
The strength of this documentary film will not lie in
polished direction or perfect lighting, but in the truth
of the details, even the ones simply captured with a
smartphone: a shaky shot, heavy breathing in the night,
a smile caught in the kitchen, the weariness etched on
a face since the early morning hours. Moments of a real
life, filmed directly by those who provide care and
attention every day. And the more realistically this
intimate, authentic reality is portrayed, the more
significant the result will be.
Ti resto accanto (I stand by you)
is a promise of resilience, but also of dignity.
The film will be made up from videos created directly
by the caregivers involved.
Daily life fragments, repetitive gestures, and moments
of closeness, anticipation, struggle, anger or joy and
lightheartedness. Alongside the film, the project aims
to build a digital archive of the collected videos, a
broader record of caregiving experiences capable of
enduring beyond the final edit.
We are not looking for exemplary stories or a single
answer to what "caring" means.
We want to gather diverse experiences and let the
participants' images and voices shape the narrative.
The number of video contributions used and the very
direction of the narrative will depend solely on the
generosity and authenticity of the materials received,
offering the viewer a cinematic experience rooted in
the truest reality, one where cinema becomes a tool
for self-narration and social testimony.
The final result will be a cinematic documentary
suitable for festivals and thematic showcases, one that
can be screened in cinemas and reach homes and social
or cultural gathering places through video platforms
and themed events, in order to show the greatest
possible number of people the true reality of those
who provide care.
