La prima neve

In the Italian Mocheni Valley, eleven-year-old Michele and Dani, a refugee from Togo, work hard to prepare the farm for the first snowfall. Both have to come to terms with. Fairytale-like drama with marvelous footage of seasonal change in the Italian Alps.

Everyone in the valley waits for the first snowfall, which will change all colours, forms and contours. But Dani has never actually seen snow. He was born in Togo and fled to Italy during the war in Libya. He now lives in a community immigration center in Pergine, a small town in the mountains surrounding Trentino, Mocheni Valley. Suffering from a post-traumatic disorder, he is unable to take care of his one-year-old daughter. When he takes on a job at the farm owned by Pietro, an old carpenter and bee keeper who lives in the mountains with his daughter-in-law and grandson, he gradually becomes friends with eleven-year-old Michele. Michele and his mother Elisa have a toilsome relationship. His father died long ago, leaving a great emptiness. To make sure the beehives are repaired and wood is gathered before the first snow falls, Dani and Michele have to work closely together, which provides them with the opportunity to get to know each other.
The 2014 Movies that Matter Festival will also screen the documentary Closed Sea by director Andrea Segre.