The film begins in a class of a school.A teacher says “Quiet, quiet, sit down” and presents a new classmate to her student.“As some of you will have already noticed, we have a novelty in class today, a new classmate. But let’s let her introduce herself.”The new classmate: “Hi, I’m Stefania and I come from Varese, I’m 14 and, well, I like music, sport, and I’m a great believer in friendship. That’s why I can’t stand it when people betray my trust. In fact, I left Varese because some people I thought were my friends betrayed me. It all happened at a birthday party. An ordinary party, like the ones we all go to. And who hasn’t drunk a bit too much when your parents aren’t around. Well, that night I drank a bit too much, I threw up in the bathroom and I blacked out. At which point some guys who were at the party, rather than calling my dad to ask him to come and get me, did something horrible. They pretended to have sex with me while I was unconscious, but that wasn’t all. They made a video of everything on a smartphone. The next morning I couldn’t remember a thing, but as soon as I turned my phone on I was plunged back into reality. In just 24 hours, I received 2.000 insulting messages. People laughing at me, making fun of me, saying I was a “slut”... how can they be so nasty! I was suffocated by the shame, I couldn’t breathe, I wanted to stay alone in my room, I didn’t want to see anyone. Words hurt more than punches. And that’s what I wrote in a note at 3 o’clock in the morning on April 2, 2014. The night I wrote “I loved you” to my dad for the first and last time. The night I said goodbye to Varese, to all the people I thought were my friends, and to the few who really were. The night I opened the window in my bedroom and jumped out, putting an end to it forever. If I weren’t dead, I’d be here with you in class today. And you can’t imagine what you’re missing out on.” SUPER: 1 victim of cyberbullying out of 10 tries to commit suicide.SUPER: this video is inspired by the true story of Carolina Picchio and dedicated to all the other victims. A hashtag appears over the image of an empty desk: #nomoreemptydesks Fare x bene Logo
Write a short summary of what happens in the film
A new girl show up in the classroom . She left her hometown because at a party, after drinking too much and passing out, some students pretended to have sex with her and made a video with a smartphone. The next day, the received more than 2,000 insulting messages in just 24 hours. That’s why Stefania committed suicide by jumping out of her room window, the night of April 2, 2014.She ends her story by telling the class: “if I weren’t dead, I’d be here with you in class today, and you can’t imagine what you’ve lost.”
Cultural/Context information for the jury
The film is inspired by the true story of Carolina Picchio, an Italian girl who committed suicide because she was the victim of cyberbullying. Fare x Bene Onlus is a non profit association that has been working in Italian schools for many years to fight bullying and cyberbullying, in partnership with the Italian Ministry of Education and the Postal Police.