Logline:
A film about the subtle art of noticing ourselves, others, and the space between.
Synopsis:
In a world increasingly driven by competition, isolation, and scarcity, Common Grounds intimately portrays the Quindici19 collective, a small group of friends and cultural programmers dedicated to nurturing creativity as a tool for profound social connection and transformation. Originating from a shared dream during their high school days, their journey evolved for a decade from humble student-led film contests into the Duemila30 LAB, a unique artistic residency hosted in the serene Italian countryside town of Cassine.
When their main big annual event, Duemila30 festival, is suddenly canceled due to funding shortages and group goals reshaping, Lorenzo, Barbara, Giacomo, Martina, and their host Paola Dubini, a renowned cultural sustainability and management expert, are faced with existential questions. Bound by friendship and shared purpose yet stretched thin by emotional exhaustion and economic precarity, they must confront not only external pressures but their own personal limits.
As the residency progresses, intimate portraits reveal personal struggles, profound vulnerabilities, and moments of genuine connection. Lorenzo, the idealistic founder, grapples with balancing his expansive vision and the practical realities of sustainability. Barbara, the pragmatic project coordinator, faces the challenge of maintaining clarity amidst uncertainty. Giacomo, with his deep cultural curiosity, questions the intersection between his academic aspirations and real-world impact. Martina embodies quiet determination, striving to translate inclusive values into actionable care practices, while Paola anchors the group through her insightful guidance, highlighting resilience amidst fragility.
Framed by the quiet, transformative rhythms of the LAB, the film thoughtfully asks: What are the true costs and rewards of maintaining spaces rooted in empathy and human connection? Can a group of dreamers successfully resist the pervasive dehumanization of contemporary life and cultivate a lasting common ground?
Common Grounds slowly reveals the specifics of one event, evolving into a poetic and urgent exploration of how vulnerability, care, and collective action offer a hopeful blueprint for the future of cultural work and community life. It’s a story about holding onto ideals and each other in times of uncertainty, gently affirming that perhaps the most radical act today is simply to remain human.
Artistic and cinematic approach:
This film grew out of my own struggle to understand how to exist among others without losing inner peace. I’m fascinated by the perception of how each of us sees the same moment differently, depending on our inner distance. By including participant-shot footage, I want to decentralize my own authorship and allow the collective to speak through multiple lenses. The contrast between clean cinematic images and imperfect fragments exposes the emotional truth of human experience: that connection is rarely sharp, often unstable, but always sincere. My approach is minimalist stillness, duration, and natural rhythm so that the audience has space not only to observe, but to reflect on themselves.
Common Grounds functions as a cinematic self-assessment, transforming the camera into a psychological tool. The viewer, through watching, becomes aware of their own emotional distance and proximity to others.
