Hospitalized Teens Create Animated Film Inspired by Pierluigi Cappello's Poem

Fifteen patients aged 13 to 16 from the Neuropsychiatry ward of Brescia's Children's Hospital produced a short animated film titled 'Rime della luce' between January and February 2021. The project was part of the 'Cartoni animati In Corsia' initiative by the AVISCO Association, active for nearly a decade. The film translates into movement the emotions evoked by Pierluigi Cappello's poem 'Rime della luce', published in his 2014 collection 'Ogni goccia balla il tango' (Rizzoli). Using traditional frame-by-frame animation on tablets with graphic pens, each participant animated a verse. Operator Irene Tedeschi noted that themes of lightness and light emerged in late 2020, leading her to select Cappello's poem. After reading it together, patient Paola whispered 'I saw something,' and the group shared their mental images. Participant Marvisa animated the final verse, imagining a black hole from which colorful birds representing light emerge and return. Educator Elena Bresciani highlighted the ward's pandemic-era emergency with rising psychiatric admissions, self-harm, suicidal behaviors, and eating disorders, calling the project a source of light and warmth.