Visions du Réel 2026: Dentro (dir. Elsa Amiel) | Review
Elsa Amiel offers an immersion into the creative work of the “Compagnia della Fortezza” and its director, centered around the notion of freedom.
Founded nearly forty years ago, the “Compagnia della Fortezza”—directed by Armando Punzo and composed exclusively of male inmates from the Volterra prison in Tuscany, Italy—has become a staple of the local theater scene. With the authorities’ approval, the troupe performs regularly across the country and, each year, transforms the Volterra prison for a few days into a performance space whose shows attract large audiences.
In her new feature-length documentary, Dentro, French-Swiss director Elsa Amiel invites us behind the scenes of the “Compagnia della Fortezza,” revealing the conscientious and passionate work of Armando and his actors. The film, having its world premiere in the international competition at Visions du Réel 2026, is composed of cinéma vérité scenes filmed mostly within the prison walls: in the room allocated to the troupe, where actors and director conceive their next show, and in the outdoor courtyard, where they engage in theatrical exploration. In these relatively small and confined spaces, the director uses depth of field to make the protagonists stand out while situating them within their environment. The polished aesthetics of the shots elegantly accompany the creative process that unfolds throughout the film.
It is the power of this process, an inexhaustible source of inspiration, that Armando sought out in the prison environment: the unfulfilled desires and the sense of lack felt by the inmates nourish their imagination and their practice. In this sense, the film faithfully captures the director’s philosophy: it is not the men’s pasts or their rehabilitation into society that are at the heart of the subject, but rather the creative work they perform under his direction.
Dentro thus offers a different perspective on the prison world by questioning the notion of freedom in both its physical and moral aspects. Theatrical exploration and acting allow the inmates to ground themselves in reality: they learn to feel, to master their movements, and to gain confidence in their abilities. These achievements give them a powerful sense of freedom—one that, by their own account, even surpasses anything they experienced outside the prison walls.
Explore our coverage of the 57th edition of Visions du Réel here.
