Year: 2025 | Duration: 40’ | country: Italia | Language: Italian, English, Arabic | Written and directed by Filippo Casini
For screenings and information, please contact: comunicazione@comitatotreottobre.it
Available in Italian and English language.
Synopsis
The documentary Nameless tells the story of the unidentified bodies of people who died during migration journeys toward Europe—and of the families who never stopped searching for them.
From Greece to Morocco, from Italy to Uganda, it is a journey through laboratories, cemeteries, hospitals, and institutions, all connected by the presence of nameless bodies that bear witness to the ongoing tragedy unfolding before our eyes. The documentary weaves together the voices of relatives of the victims and experts such as Cristina Cattaneo (Labanof, University of Milan), prosecutor Salvatore Vella, and forensic doctor Pavlos Pavlidis.
Nameless is the first documentary to shed light on one of Europe’s most painful and hidden stories.
Context
Over the past ten years, more than 63,000 people have lost their lives trying to reach Europe. More than 70% of them have never been identified (source: IOM). Behind these numbers are thousands of families trapped in limbo, unaware of what happened to their loved ones.
In many European cemeteries lie nameless bodies—victims of a system that still lacks common regulations for data collection and a unified DNA database at the European level.
For over a decade, the Comitato 3 Ottobre, together with LABANOF, has been working to restore the identity of those who perished at sea and to promote a European system for victim identification.
At the same time, Comitato 3 ottobre carries out awareness campaigns to uphold families’ right to know the fate of their loved ones—giving a voice and a face to those who too often remain invisible.
Production
Nameless, written and directed by Filippo Casini, was entirely produced by the Comitato 3 Ottobre with the aim of raising awareness about the importance of identifying those who die along migration routes to Europe.
Filmed between April 2024 and September 2025, with the support and participation of Tareke Brhane, editorial contribution by Barbara Galmuzzi, collaboration by Giuseppe Chiantera and Luca Schilirò, and translations by Giulia Incelli.
Special thanks for archival footage to RAI Teche, the Italian National Fire Brigade, the Italian Coast Guard, the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Agrigento, Open Arms, and SOS Mediterranee.
Contacts
For screenings and information, please contact:
Barbara Galmuzzi | Head of Press Office, Comitato 3 Ottobre | comunicazione@comitatotreottobre.it
Filippo Casini | Filmmaker | casini.filippo91@gmail.com