Before us

Directed by Director's notes
  • Daniele Luchetti
  • Valia Santella
Directed by
  • Daniele Luchetti
  • Valia Santella
Year
  • 2025
Length
  • 10x50”
Year
  • 2025
Length
  • 10x50”
Cast
  • Linda Caridi
  • Andrea Arcangeli
  • Maurizio Lastrico
  • Matteo Martari
  • Diane Fleri
  • Benedetta Cimatti
  • Fausto Maria Sciarappa
  • Romana Maggiora Vergano
 
  • Leonardo Cesaroni
  • Alessandro Bedetti
  • Luca Di Sessa
  • Andrea Palma
  • Lorenzo Aloi
  • Ginevra Francesconi
  • Luca Nozzoli
  • Lorena Nacchia
  • Elena Lietti
Synopsis

Prima di noi tells the story of the Sartori family: three generations united and divided by guilt, love and the desire for redemption.
A journey into the heart of 20th-century Italy, from two world wars to globalization, in which one family’s story mirrors a country in a state of constant transformation.

Director's notes
  • Daniele Luchetti
    When I read the novel Prima di noi and then the screenplay, I immediately felt transported to a world that was familiar to me. Nadia, played by Linda Caridi, rekindled memories of my grandparents and of an Italy that navigated the 20th century with great difficulty and dignity. It is the story of those who came before us, leaving behind no monuments, but a thousand invisible traces. It is a folk tale that I hope will touch audiences as well.

    Valia Santella
    What immediately struck Giulia Calenda and I about Giorgio Fontana’s novel was the authenticity of the characters. They are complex human figures, whose strengths and fragilities, courage and cowardice we could deeply understood. They are builders and destroyers. In this family saga spanning the 20th century, we recognized many families, including our own. This sense of belonging guided the work of costume designer Marina Roberti and production designer Sergio Tribastone. We drew inspiration from our family archives, our personal photo albums. I tried to recreate this same intimacy on set with the actors. Director of photography Ivan Casalgrande was a master of giving space to the acting. The series is a kind of time machine, allowing us to experience the lives of those who came before us.
Directed by
  • Daniele Luchetti
  • Valia Santella
A series by
  • Giulia Calenda
  • Daniele Luchetti
  • Valia Santella
Written by
  • Giulia Calenda
  • Valia Santella
Produced by
  • Mario Gianani
  • Sonia Rovai
Executive producer
  • Fulvio Rossi
Executive producers
  • Saverio Guarascio
  • Mandella Quilici
  • Gianluca Mizzi
Delegate Producer
  • Daniele Fabrizi
Assistant Director
  • Barbara Daniele
  • Loredana Conte
Editing
  • Silvia De Rose
  • Valentina Girodo
Scenography
  • Giada Calabria
  • Sergio Tribastone
Director of photography
  • Ivan Casalgrandi
Costumes
  • Marina Roberti
Original score
  • Francesco De Luca
  • Alessandro Forti
Direct sound engineer
  • Carlo Missidenti
Makeup
  • Marco Pompei
Hairdresser
  • Massimo Allinoro
Acting coach
  • Elena Bouryka
Casting
  • Adele Gallo (u.i.c.d.)
  • Eleonora Barbiero (u.i.c.d.)
  • Massimiliano Pacifico (u.i.c.d.)
Casting associate
  • Antonella Perrucci
Rai producers
  • Giulio Luciani
  • Alessandra Ottaviani
Director's notes
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Daniele Luchetti
When I read the novel Prima di noi and then the screenplay, I immediately felt transported to a world that was familiar to me. Nadia, played by Linda Caridi, rekindled memories of my grandparents and of an Italy that navigated the 20th century with great difficulty and dignity. It is the story of those who came before us, leaving behind no monuments, but a thousand invisible traces. It is a folk tale that I hope will touch audiences as well.

Valia Santella
What immediately struck Giulia Calenda and I about Giorgio Fontana’s novel was the authenticity of the characters. They are complex human figures, whose strengths and fragilities, courage and cowardice we could deeply understood. They are builders and destroyers. In this family saga spanning the 20th century, we recognized many families, including our own. This sense of belonging guided the work of costume designer Marina Roberti and production designer Sergio Tribastone. We drew inspiration from our family archives, our personal photo albums. I tried to recreate this same intimacy on set with the actors. Director of photography Ivan Casalgrande was a master of giving space to the acting. The series is a kind of time machine, allowing us to experience the lives of those who came before us.