It’s December 16, 1972, 50 years ago. The first social cooperative in the world is born in Trieste. It was formed by 28 people: two sociologists, two psychologists, five nurses, a healthcare assistant, two doctors and sixteen private individuals who all have the same residential address: via San Cilino 16, Trieste. They are interned in the psychiatric hospital and therefore they don’t have any civil and political rights: they cannot vote, marry or make a will. Imagine founding a cooperative. Thus the Court of Trieste rejected the request to establish the cooperative. It would be a long march through the institutions.
“The history of the Franco Basaglia United Workers Cooperative takes us once again to rediscover that wind of freedom that was breathed in Trieste in the 70s, which saw it as the protagonist, theater of the most important public reform implemented in our country. Fortunately, the people who made that change possible are still here and can tell us about it, and show us that changing the world is possible.” (E. Rossi)
Sceneggiatura / Screenplay: Massimo Cirri, Erika Rossi
Fotografia / Photography: Daniel Mazza
Montaggio / Editing: Beppe Leonetti
Musica / Music: Max Maber Orkestar
Suono / Sound: Francesco Scarel, Martina Marafatto, Emanuele Amodeo
Produzione / Produced by: Ghirigori, Cooperativa Lavoratori Uniti Franco Basaglia
Erika Rossi
Born in 1974 in Trieste, Erika Rossi is an author and director of documentaries in which she tells stories about her home territory. Her first feature documentary, La città che cura (2019) produced by Tico Film and selected at the Trieste FF, was screened in over 50 Italian cinemas. In 2019 she founded Ghirigori, a film production company dedicated to creative documentaries. The Trieste FF also presented her documentaries Trieste racconta Basaglia (2012) and Il viaggio di Marco Cavallo (2014).
2012 Trieste racconta Basaglia doc. 2014 Il viaggio di Marco Cavallo doc. 2016-2017 Tutte le anime del mio corpo (Every Soul of My Body) doc. 2019 La città che cura (The Caring City) doc. 2024 50 anni di CLU – Lavoratori Uniti Franco Basaglia Cooperativa Sociale doc.
