As part of our activities promoting culture we have to mention the filming of “The students of Umberto Primo” movie, here at Thessaly Museum Railways. This is an international production with a team of 30 people, having as co-producers the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) and OTE TV. The filming crew made use of Thessaly Museum Railway premises between the 9th and 12thDecember 2020 and worked alongside with actors from theatre group “Epi Skinis”, located in the city of Volos.

Preparations of the film crew at Thessaly Museum Railways premises
Actors wearing period costumes during filming

The movie is about nine Italian and Greek Jewish students, of the Umberto Primo Italian school, just before the commandeering of the city of Thessaloniki by the German army in 1942. The film was directed byAlessandra Maioletti based on the screenplay of Antonio Crescenzi. It is important to mention that filming was made possible, after the permission of the General Secretariat for Civil Protection, making sure all the safety measures were in placeto protect from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Filming inside the historic railcar Linke Hofmann, using movement effects

Filming took place in both Velestino and Aerino stations. In order to film transportation scenes, the film crew used the historic railcar at Velestino station, Linke Hofmann built in 1937, as well as the historic freight wagons, located at Aerino station.

Filming at the station of Aerino
Creating an atmospheric scene at Aerino station
Inside freight wagons, which were used to film transportation scenes of the Jews in concentration camps