"Di Noi 4": Indie Drama on Millennial Parenthood & Friendship

Three Key Takeaways

Di Noi 4 explores the precarious realities of millennial couples dreaming of parenthood amid societal uncertainties.
The film’s production embraced its limitations, using minimal crew and natural light to create an authentic, unconventional cinematic experience.
Independence and creative freedom were central to the film’s making, reflecting the filmmakers’ commitment to telling deeply personal, unvarnished stories.

Giulia Rupi stars in and co-wrote Di Noi 4, a poignant drama spotlighting two couples facing the challenges of starting a family in today’s unpredictable world.

Directed by Emanuele Gaetano Forte alongside Giovanni Anzaldo and Giulia herself, the film is an intimate portrayal of friendship, hope, and resilience.

Selected for Nòt Film Fest, one of Italy’s premier indie festivals, Di Noi 4 offers a raw glimpse into millennial life, brought to life by a tight-knit cast and crew who invested not only their talents but also their own resources to realize the project.

Q&A Interview

What drew you to make this film? Why this story, and why now?

Four friends and a shared dream: to become parents. But, looking at their bank accounts, this dream appears to be just that: a dream. It therefore becomes necessary to find an alternative way to make it a reality. The film is about the need to invent new and unconventional ways, not only to try to match the image we have dreamed of ourselves, but also, simply, to help keep the world going. Independent cinema thrives on new paths.

Paths that must be reinvented every day by all those writers, directors, producers, and actors who want to create a film that breaks with traditional logic. Once the script was finished, we faced the difficulty of finding funding and realized that we ourselves were the protagonists. The son was the film. And the answer to those difficulties, therefore, could only be found in the film itself: we had to find an alternative way to bring it to life. We therefore decided to embark on the venture by investing our own money.

The crew was reduced to the bare essentials: just a sound engineer, a director of photography who also acted as cameraman, a focus puller, and a jack-of-all-trades assistant director. At that point, we decided that this coincidence between the production conditions and the content of the film had to be told. This gave rise to the idea of not hiding but rather making explicit our lack of resources. Once we accepted the fact that we would never make a “normal” film, new paths opened up that would have been a shame not to explore.

What surprised you most about the filmmaking process this time—creatively or logistically? Was there a moment on set or in post that completely changed how you saw the story?

We can say that we achieved what we wanna do, a film who was unadorned and authentic even if not perfect in many ways.

"We decided that this coincidence between the production conditions and the content of the film had to be told."

Is there a moment in the film that feels the most you—something only you could have made?

Probably the feeling of deep friendship and love who audience can feel between the characters is so real because even in real life they are friends. We tried to use that particularly form of intimacy on the set but already in the script. So maybe this is a very specific things we work ok line like a group and also maybe the song without the music I think is one of the characterics of the movie.

What was the hardest creative decision you made while making this film?

Doing it despite everything.

"Probably the feeling of deep friendship and love who audience can feel between the characters is so real because even in real life they are friends."

What do you hope audiences take away from your film?

Maybe some thoughts on current situation for millennials struggling to start a family, to have satisfaction on their jobs. Also a hope for a brighter future of courage in take new roads, like alloparenting.

How has this film shaped or shifted the kind of stories you want to tell next?

We see it a first step in our vision. To talk about stories we love, based on people in research with a bit of irony.

"To do things exactly the way you want makes you really free from every business industrial logic."

What’s a tool, technique, or resource that really helped you during production?

All the amazing crew! We were just 5 on set plus two in post... nothing would be possible without them. And of course our co producers of the SNCI of Florence for the major of technicals items.

To do things exactly the way you want makes you really free from every business industrial logic. Is hard but worth. We really did this film with our resources, we can proudly said: we really are independent!

"Doing it despite everything."

What does it mean to you to have your film selected for Nòt Film Fest?

So much. We now reality of Not, is the one of the best Indie Fest in Italy and we are so proud.

How do you hope being part of Nòt Film Fest will shape the life of this film?

Hoping people love the film and talk about it. That can lead us to some others people how share our vision and maybe start collaborate also for next project.