Listening to the young: Classmates delegation brings a message of empathy from the classroom to Karlovy Vary

The Italian film Classmates, screening in the Horizons section, was followed by a discussion with director Umberto Carteni and lead actress Anna Ferzetti, who plays a teacher assigned to a troubled class at a school on the outskirts of Rome. Her character is energetic and rejects the rigidity of an overburdened curriculum. Above all, however, she listens to her students. This moving portrait of the importance of listening to young people is based on the novel of the same name.

“The book is autobiographical and draws on real experiences of a teacher,” Ferzetti explained. She described making the film as an emotional experience that, in her own words, helped her grow as a person. Once a rebellious student herself, she is now the mother of children the same age as those portrayed in the film. “Adapting a book for the screen is always difficult. In our case, the selection process was especially challenging because the novel contains so many emotionally powerful moments,” Carteni added.

Both filmmakers agreed that society needs to listen more closely to young people. “We adults often fail to understand children. This isn’t just an issue in schools on the outskirts of cities. We need to recognise the alarming reality that many young people struggle to understand who they are and what kind of future lies ahead of them,” said Carteni. Ferzetti developed a close bond with the young cast. According to her, it was a unique experience, as many of them were appearing in front of a camera for the very first time. Rather than burdening them with a rigid script, the filmmakers gave them room to improvise, allowing them to shape their characters through their own personalities.

The teacher’s private life, meanwhile, is deliberately left unexplored – she is not even given a name. The filmmakers wanted to reflect the perspective of children, who rarely see beyond the classroom into their teachers’ personal lives. As one audience member observed during the discussion, the screening had filled the auditorium with emotion. Audience members shared their own experiences of education and parenting, before the roles briefly reversed as the filmmakers invited teachers in attendance to offer their feedback. 

“In Italy, teachers have responded to the film in different ways. Some, like the teacher in the film, try to engage with their students and understand them. Others take a more detached approach, accepting that slower learners will simply fall behind. Our film is about someone who devotes all of her energy to giving children a better future,” the director added. 

“Communication is the foundation. We want children to leave school not only with what they’ve learned from textbooks, but with the ability to become good people,” said one of the audience members, bringing the empathetic discussion to a close.