“I Nostri” describes the experience of a group of university students – four males and four females – who are involved in a research project on the hidden world of the religious communities that inhabit their city (Bologna, Italy). A world that is often invisible and largely made up of immigrants from all over the world, who represent a lively cross-section of the Italy of today, much closer and more present than we might imagine (Bologna is home to more than 60,000 foreigners of 149 nationalities, one of the highest figures in Italy).

The documentary follows the discussions of the group and the meetings of the young people with the communities and their spiritual guides, in the most ordinary places of worship and in others that are more hidden and improbable (garages, industrial warehouses, hotels).

The different souls of the group are held together by a young priest whose role is revealed only at the end of the documentary.

“I Nostri” – “Our People”. A provocative title to affirm that the “other” is first and foremost a person, with a story and dignity that are no different from our own. We are all “our people”.

Director's notes
I Nostri reflects, in the same way as my previous documentary "Dustur", on the struggle for dialogue. This time the protagonists are not Muslim prisoners in jail but young university students who are asked to challenge themselves and others on the theme of identity. Their doubts, certainties and attempts at focusing on ideas, emotions and experiences, form the connecting thread of a journey into hidden worlds that are rich in stories and traditions, and which exist and live around us.