A Year of School

Adapted from the 1929 novella by Giani Stuparich, this finely crafted coming-of-age drama follows an uprooted teenage girl who must navigate the challenges of growing up in a male-dominated world. September 2007. Exuberant and curious, Swedish 17-year-old Fredrika 'Fred’ (Stella Wendick) moves to Trieste with her family after her father takes on a new management job in the Northeastern Italian city. She enrols in the local Technical High School for her final year but finds herself as the only girl in an all-male class. Fred quickly becomes the centre of attention, especially for three friends: the fascinating and reserved Antero, the outgoing womaniser Pasini, and the sweet and protective Mitis. The three boys have been a unit for as long as they can remember, but Fred’s arrival disrupts their equilibrium and puts their longstanding friendship to the test. As each of the boys secretly desires Fred, she yearns to be accepted into their circle and become one of them. But to truly belong, she is asked to increasingly sacrifice more.

Born in 1989 in Trieste, Laura Samani is a film director and screenwriter. After graduating from the University of Pisa she enrolled at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia. In 2021, she made her directorial feature debut with Small Body, which premiered at the 74th Cannes Film Festival, in the Critics' Week section. A Year of School is her second feature.