Rifugio
2025 | Animated Short Film
A boy finds himself alone at home after his father leaves for work. He stops drawing when a persistent droning sound grows louder and louder. Curious and alarmed, he looks out the window—just as the bombing begins. Terrified, he runs and hides under the piano, closing his eyes and covering his ears. Then, as if in a dream, hands appear on the keys, playing a melody that gradually rises above the sound of war.
Rifugio (in Arabic: ملجأ, meaning "shelter") explores how the war seeps into everything, even the most intimate and sacred spaces, like home. When violence invades all that remains, a child’s imagination becomes the only possible refuge.
Runtime: 1 min 59 sec
Technique: 2D frame-by-frame animation
Awards and Recognitions:
• Special Mention in the Animation category at the Filmare la Storia film festival, organized by the Archivio Nazionale Cinematografico della Resistenza in Turin
Official Selections:
• Filmare la Storia, Turin (Italy), 23rd edition, 2026
• Pesaro Film Festival, Pesaro (Italy), 62nd edition, 2026
• Festival del Tempo, Rome (Italy), 7th edition, 2026
• Festival Internacional de Cinema de Fronteira, Bagé and Sant’Ana do Livramento (Brazil and Uruguay), 17th edition, 2026
• Fer Film Festival, Ferizaj (Kosovo), 14th edition, 2026
• UFFA!, Urbino (Italy), 5th edition, 2026
• L'Art en Chemin, Trumilly (France), 4th edition, 2026
Student Project | Higher Institute for Artistic Industries (ISIA Urbino)
ISIA U | Course: Animation 1 & 2 | Supervisors: Federica Iacobelli, Magda Guidi and Mara Cerri
Trailer
Initial rough storyboard
Character design (boy)
Character design (father)
Bombing scene
Still shot
Still shot