Ferrara, September 5, 2026 – Francesco Morelli is 25 years old, he is from Ferrara. He was 4 years old when, on that cursed September 25, 2005, Federico Aldrovandi died during a police check in a park: the story shook Italy and led to the conviction of four officers definitively.
Francesco Morelli 21 years ago was too young to read newspapers, to understand what was happening in his city. But now he knows everything, he has studied a lot. He is an actor, he will play Federico Aldrovandi himself in the film ’The State of Silence’ presented yesterday in Ferrara: filming will start Monday in the Estense city and will continue throughout 2026. The film’s release is scheduled for 2027.
Touching is the embrace of Francesco with Lino Aldrovandi and Patrizia Moretti, Federico’s parents. They perhaps see in the eyes of this young actor the dreams, aspirations, and will to live of their son.
“The story of ‘Aldro’ has permeated the city, even the youth”
“When the tragedy of Federico Aldrovandi happened I was very young. ‘Aldro’s’ story is one that permeates the youth, my family, and this city.” Rebellious hair, gray t-shirt under an unbuttoned aqua green shirt, he says: “This film is a gigantic work. I think there is only one thing more precious than life: youth. We are talking about a story where youth was taken away. I guarantee you that we will give it our all”.
The film is produced by Controluce Produzione (a company founded by Stefano Muroni and Valeria Luzi, in collaboration with Ferrara La Città del Cinema), the debut director is Manuel Benati. The project was born from a path started in 2024, when Muroni began a dialogue with the Aldrovandi family to be able to tell the story through cinema.
A story of pain and loss
The screenplay is signed by Valeria Luzi, Manuel Benati, and Stefano Muroni and was created with the aim of telling a story of pain and loss, but also of courage, search for truth and justice, following the path of the Aldrovandi family and their long battle to obtain truth and recognition. A crowdfunding campaign is also underway to support the production of the film, which will continue until the end of 2026. “We are aware of the responsibility of telling such an important story – says Stefano Muroni – and precisely for this reason we have worked for a long time, with respect and alongside the Aldrovandi family. Now we are ready to bring this project to the set, with the goal of making an authentic film”.
