NotteNera Junior

A night just for the little ones

NotteNera Junior is the event that, every spring, ignites the historic center of Serra de' Conti, a small village in the Province of Ancona, in the heart of the Marche region, with creativity. Born as a version dedicated to children and teenagers of the larger NotteNera festival (the review of theater, art, and contemporary languages that enlivens the town in the summer), the event puts young people at the center of the stage: for one evening, the squares, the cloister, and the alleys of the village become a large open-air laboratory to exhibit, tell, and share the creative work done during the school year.

An educational project lasting a year

NotteNera Junior is not just an evening party, but the culmination of a process that lasts for months. The project is structured and curated by Sabrina Maggiori, artistic director of NotteNera, in collaboration with the Comprehensive Institute of Arcevia, Serra de' Conti, and Montecarotto. Throughout the year, students from local schools - from the Il Girotondo Nursery School to the G. Leopardi Primary School and the C. Cagli Secondary School - work with teachers and artists on drawings, installations, and audiovisual productions, exploring a different theme each time.

The short films of ControCampo Scuola

The heart of the event is the ControCampo Scuola project, created as part of the National Plan for Cinema and Images for Schools promoted by the Ministries of Culture and Education and Merit. Thanks to this program, children and teenagers not only watch cinema but also make it: they write, shoot, and edit real short films that are then screened in Piazza Gramsci during the evening, in the presence of families and the entire community.

Drawings, notebooks, and workshops

Among the most popular events is the drawing competition for students of Serra de' Conti: the best works end up on the cover of the famous artistic notebooks, produced with the support of Scatolificio Emar, a long-time sponsor of the event. During the evening, the winners are awarded, there are book signing sessions with the young authors, and free creative workshops open to everyone, held in the most evocative places in the village, such as the Cloister of San Francesco.

A community celebration

NotteNera Junior is above all an occasion for the entire community of Serra de' Conti to come together: children's activities are complemented by musical performances, refreshment stands managed by the Pro Loco and local bars, and the opportunity to stroll through the historic center illuminated for the evening. An event that shows how a small reality in the Marche region can focus on school, creativity, and the talent of new generations.