Once again, Unifrance was a partner of the Prix Palatine, the first and only bi-national film prize awarded by high school students in Italy and France.
The selection offered French high-school students three films from Italy, while their Italian counterparts got to see three French films, in a double series of traveling screenings. .
Presented in premiere screenings to over 900 high school students in ten Italian cities – from Rome to Turin, Milan to Bari, Bologna to Foggia – The Quiet Son (released in Italy with the title Noi e loro by I Wonder Pictures) aroused strong emotions and discussions.
“We have wonderful memories of our exchanges with the high school students, and we are particularly touched that a film that defends democracy and humanist values has been received with such enthusiasm by young Italians,” said the directors Delphine and Muriel Coulin.
The film moved the audience and sparked passionate debate about the its depiction of a close relationship between a father and his two sons, set against a backdrop of violence sparked by political extremes. "I may know the world and life better than you on a theoretical and intellectual level, because I have more experience,” said Vincent Lindon, addressing the Prix Palatine students. "But you know today's world better in an organic way. And it's you who will find the answers."
The other French films in Competition in Italy were Stella in Love by Sylvie Verheyde (distributor No.Mad Entertainment) and Wild Diamond by Agathe Riedinger (distributor Academy Two). The films were selected in collaboration with the Rendez-vous – Nuovo cinema francese festival, organized by the Institut Français in Italy and Unifrance.
Meanwhile, when it came to the Italian selection, The Time It Takes by Francesca Comencini was voted Best Italian Film by the French student jury.
With over 50 screenings between the two countries and 40 high schools taking part, the Prix Palatine 2025 was a real success. Young people were able to debate with the filmmakers, vote for their favorite works, and take part in a short-film competition, which resulted in trips for students and teachers between Paris and Rome.
The Prix Palatine's official website
