The Poem of the Homeless: the award-winning short film turned into a picture book

He leaves the screen and turns to The Ballad of the Homeless. Adapted from the 2015 animated film of the same name, which tells the drama of the 2012 earthquake in Emilia through the eyes of a child, directed by Nocetan director Monica Manganelli and provided with a contribution from Emilia Romagna Film Commission, the book is illustrated with film images.
The book, together with the short book, has been previewed in a lab at the Future Film Festival in Cineteca di Bologna, and the book will be officially released from October 10. It will come for a charitable purpose: a portion of the proceeds will actually be donated to nonprofits that deal with children in difficulty.
“It has already been ten years since the tragic events of the 2012 earthquake – explains director Monica Manganelli. Therefore, we decided to write a picture book with pictures taken from the film, sponsored by the Emilia-Romagna region, as part of the activities of the tenth anniversary of the earthquake.” The volume was printed by the social cooperative Cabiria, and published by the Association Independent R-Evolution: the production company that made the film, which has been successful worldwide at sixty festivals, and won numerous awards including the Nastro d’Argento, the Los Angeles Festival Film, access to the 2016 Academy Awards picks and a David Di Donatello Award nomination. Which is now broadcast on four continents using ShortSTV.

The book is “a way to bring children closer to the love of cinema, and through art and animation, to teach how to face life’s challenges, small and big,” says Manganelli. Little Tommy, the protagonist, and his friend the snail face, in fact, a symbolic and surreal journey that, thanks to imagination, can make obstacles an opportunity for growth.”
As Manganelli herself wrote in the preface, “I have imagined this book as a notebook of travel through lands devastated by the earthquake. The eyes are the eyes of a child and a snail, his traveling companion and a symbol of the perseverance of the Emilians. If at first he encounters only deserted landscapes and ruined villages, continuing to the rubble Tommy will discover instead that with the help of solidarity the desire to start over has returned.”
From October 10, the book will be available at Noceto in two stores, and then online. Some performances with workshops for children are also scheduled.