Valeria Collina, an Italian woman who converted to Islam, returned to live in Italy in the summer of 2015 after twenty years in Morocco. Two years later, her life is shaken by the death of her young son Youssef, a member of the jihadist command who caused eight deaths on London Bridge on June 3 2017. Twenty-four hours later, as the attackers’ names are released, her small house in the hills of Bologna is swarmed by television crews from around the world. Valeria, in a state of shock, publicly condemns the actions of her son and decides not to attend his funeral. Following the confusion of those first few days, Valeria finds herself alone in the quiet of her house, having to put her life back together.

Directors' note

After the Bridge is the close examination of the mind of a mother coping with the horrific damage caused by her son.
The film talks about the three years after the death of Youssef in the life of Valeria Collina, a journey into the feelings of a mother living the worst thing one can imagine, the loss of a child. A child who is though a terrorist, a jihadist, the perpetrator of a massacre.
For five years, we dedicated ourselves completely to this film, the delicate material demanding time and continual presence. Our artistic and documentarian démarche required a long phase of development, in which we built a special access to Valeria and established a sincere relationship with her. We intended to document Valeria’s mourning and search of answers to her many questions. We intended to present facts without acquiescing to empty sensationalism, or the presumption of finding unambiguous answers, always respecting the humanity of our character.