Documentary 'Il Pilastro' Chronicles Bologna's Most Controversial Neighborhood

Roberto Beani's debut documentary 'Il Pilastro' premiered at Biografilm in Bologna on June 10, 2025, and was screened at Cinema Lumière. The film explores the history of Bologna's Pilastro district, home to nearly 7,000 residents, built in the 1970s for the working class. Through archival footage and interviews, it highlights the neighborhood's pioneering achievements: the first full-time school schedule for elementary and middle schools, the largest urban garden complex in Europe, and a community TV station. The documentary also addresses the stigma from the 1991 massacre of three young carabinieri by the 'Uno Bianca' gang, which unfairly branded the area as degraded. Despite social initiatives like Italian courses and cultural activities at Teatro Dom, the district struggles with closed shops, ghettoization, and micro-criminality.