The project “From the page to the set”, the training course included in the “Per Chi Crea” program promoted by Siae and supported by the Ministry of Culture, aimed at the cultural and artistic promotion of young people at a national and international level, ended with the premiere screening at the Cinema Lux in Messina of the short film “Preferirei di no”. The protagonists are the students of the Archimede scientific and linguistic high school, coordinated by the director Francesco Calogero as tutor, in collaboration with cultural entities such as Nutrimenti Terrestri, Universi Teatrali, Cineforum Don Orione and Polittico.
The plot: between Melville and school protests
The short film, directed by Giorgio Bensaia and Gabriel Lo Presti, addresses the theme of power and non-violent resistance, choosing as its symbol the famous phrase “I would rather not”, inspired by the story *Bartleby, the Scrivener* by Herman Melville.
The story is set in the “Eraclito” high school, where the new school year opens with a provision from the severe principal Corallo: to avoid disparities between students, a mandatory dress code is imposed, a simple white t-shirt. Among the boys there is Manuel, dealing with a difficult family situation and with an unreciprocated feeling for Valeria. The young girl also experiences a condition of discomfort: crushed by her father’s expectations and trapped in a suffocating relationship, she struggles to affirm her artistic aspirations.
The gesture of dissent and the emulative effect
The turning point comes when Manuel decides to break the rules by wearing a red t-shirt with the words “There’s a new sheriff in town”. When asked to conform, he responds calmly but firmly: “I’d rather not.” The resulting disciplinary suspension does not extinguish the protest, but triggers an emulative effect among the students, transforming an individual gesture into a collective form of dissent against authoritarianism.
A path of excellence for Archimede High School
With “Preferirei di no”, the Archimede cinema laboratory continues a path already started with the previous works Il bosco delle lele and An instant of happiness, which have obtained numerous national and international awards, confirming the commitment to addressing social issues through the language of cinema.
The school director Laura Cappuccio was satisfied and underlined the value of this path in which “Calogero provided the students (around 80 involved) with the tools to create, step by step, the final product, acquiring technical skills and relating to each other.” The “From page to set” project therefore offered students a concrete opportunity for artistic and civil training, demonstrating how school can transform itself into a creative laboratory capable of combining literature, cinema and critical reflection on the present.