DICIASSETTE

Story The Journey The Team Behind the Scenes Reviews
IT | EN
Diego

17 Seconds. 17 Surgeries. 17 Years.

DICIASSETTE

If life ended tomorrow, what would you do today?

17
The Story

TWO LIVES ONE GOAL

Diego.
Thirty years old. Two degrees in chemistry. Career path already paved.
Women, beauty. Money.
A vertical life: work, travel, flying.
On returning from a business trip to Arabia, the discovery of a tumor.

That flips the trajectory and destroys the present.
Seventeen brain surgeries that change body, balance, rhythms.
That slow things down. That bring the gaze to a new angle.
That force starting from zero, piece by piece. Today he photographs and flies still, in his own way. Because life, when it's real, doesn't turn off: it transforms.

Docu Genre
Real Story
Camera Lens

The Journey

"Others counted the surgeries. I risked my life, I knew it. But I counted the days until I could return to flying, to moving, to holding a camera. Today every shot is proof that I made it. That I am still here."

— Diego Mascherpa

The Diagnosis

Cerebellar astrocytoma: a mass pressing where there is no margin for error. An inevitable turning point: life diverted or life interrupted.

17
The Battle

17 brain surgeries; some eleven, twelve hours long. And six months between life and death. Years of struggle, rehabilitation, and iron will. Because when no one bets on you, you have to do it yourself.

The Return

Redefining life beyond disability. Rediscovering oneself whole beyond what was removed. Finding freedom in flight, in photography, in the daily routine. When the body stops, the mind opens new roads.

17

Seconds To Change a Life

17

Surgeries

17

Years Later

The Team

Diego Mascherpa

Diego Mascherpa

Protagonist

Read Bio
Chiara Negrini

Chiara Negrini

Screenwriter

Read Bio
Adrian Tanta

Adrian Tanta

Director

Read Bio
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THE IMPACT

"I'm in tears. Moved. I can't wait for the film to come out. In such sad historical times, seeing these flashes of light and hope truly helps."

S

Sara Munari

Viewer

"Moving yet dry; it avoids easy pathos. Written effectively and crudely. Of a crudeness that belongs to life itself... It is an anti-rhetorical work."

I

Iacopo Cassigoli

Art Historian

"Life is a continuous process of transformation. There is a raw, sometimes hard beauty in how people manage to be reborn in the darkest moments. It’s not just rhetoric: it’s an invitation to rediscover the urgency of the present."

M

Mariangela Camocardi

Writer

"It's beautiful. It doesn't convey that sense of pity I dislike. It hits the mark. The magnitude of the problem, but also the capacity for resilience. A truly great work."

S

Stella Rosi

AMAR Marche

"Touching, tough. Unvarnished truth. It makes you reflect on the unpredictability of life, without banality."

A

Angela Battelli

Viewer

"Beautiful. Wonderful writing and music. I love the footage and images because they are calm; they give you time to observe and listen."

R

Rubina Valli

Poet

"An emotional blow."

M

Mauro Motola

Viewer

"What an impact. An incredible story."

C

Chiara Broccoli

Photographer

"My eyes filled with tears. It is powerful, it goes straight to the heart."

N

Nicoletta Bernardi

Viewer

"The music really struck me, it fits perfectly. For what it's worth: writing, music, and storytelling are beautiful and emotional."

E

Enrico Barbano

Viewer

"My answer to the final question: I would live. I cried, not from despair, but from emotion."

R

Roberta Roarselli

Viewer

"It is clearly something 'different' from the usual committed feature film... it gave me the feeling of a potentially very 'intense' subject."

G

Giorgio Stirpe

Viewer

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IF LIFE ENDED
TOMORROW

WHAT WOULD YOU DO
TODAY?