Free as Dolphins
DIRECTOR Carmine L Luino
MOVIE TYPING Animation
Italia Green Film Festival
Free as Dolphins
CAST |
Green Short Film TIME | 7′, 30″
Free as Dolphins is a stop-motion short film created by the prisoners of the Cassino penitentiary in Italy, under the guidance of artists and professionals in animation film production.
The film is the result of a collaborative effort by the inmates, and it tells a heartwarming story of friendship and freedom.
Greta and Tobia, two young friends playing on the beach, encounter dolphins in distress. Through a series of adventures, they manage to rescue the mammals, trapped in waste, with the help of a fisherman. This small ecological fairy tale blends a sense of freedom with a magical, playful tone, while delivering a powerful message from the inmates to the world outside the prison walls.
The film is part of the Anima Liber project, supported by the Lazio Region and the italian Ministry of Justice. This initiative seeks to bridge the gap between prisoners and their families, particularly children, through the transformative power of art, theater, and cinema.
Carmine Luino is a trainer, educator, and animation film director. With a background in technology and visual arts, he has used cinema as an educational and therapeutic tool, working in vulnerable contexts such as prisons and schools. His career is marked by the use of animation to promote inclusion, creativity, and social dialogue, addressing themes of freedom and solidarity.
Director Statement
Free as Dolphins was born from a shared dream: to tell a story of freedom and hope through animation. Created within the Cassino prison, this short film is the result of a collective effort, where every frame carries the creativity and emotions of those who made it.
Through Greta, Tobia, and the dolphins in danger, the inmates express a deep message: freedom is precious and must be protected, just like our environment. This film is a bridge between the world inside and outside prison, using art, theater, and cinema to reconnect inmates with their families, especially their children.
I hope this story touches the hearts of those who watch it, just as it touched ours in creating it.
Carmine L Luino Director
Carmine Luino Writer
Paola Iacobone Writer
Silvia Augusti Writer
Francesca Rotolo Writer
Francesca Rotolo Producer
