01/03/2026
We are pleased to share news of the first Southeast Asian screening of Julián (2025), a Sammarinese short film directed by Umberto Baldacci and produced by Lorenzo Moraccini at Serbuk Kayu, the Surabaya-based artist collective that hosted the event on February 21st 2026. The screening was followed by an online Q&A with the director, offering audiences the opportunity to explore the creative process and themes behind this intimate and visually evocative work.
Julián, an Argentinian teenager with Sammarinese roots, joins a cultural exchange program in the land of his ancestors. As he navigates classes, field trips, and new friendships, he holds onto a secret mission: keeping a promise he made to his father. In order to do so, he will need to piece together fragments of his grandfather's stories and track down places linked to a long-buried childhood memory. Guided only by old photographs and hazy recollections, Julián embarks on a quiet journey through rolling hills, local archives, and little villages. Through his eyes-those of a foreign boy in search of belonging and reconciliation-the Republic of San Marino becomes a dreamlike landscape where past and present blur, and where family roots emerge from the wind, the tall grass, and a forgotten oak tree.
The production was supported by the Ministries of Education and Culture, Foreign Affairs, Tourism, Territory and Environment, and Industry of the Republic of San Marino. Coordinated by Embassy intern Chiara Giardi, screenings such as this foster dialogue between European and Southeast Asian film communities and present San Marino from a richer and more complex perspective — one especially marked by migration, memory, and transnational ties.
