2009-2010

Documented Italians

Monday, September 21, 2009, 6 p.m.
Chippers (2008), 52 min.
Nino Tropiano, dir.

Chippers tells the story of Dublin’s well-established community of four thousand Italians, all coming from Casalattico in Lazio, who have owned fish and chip shops in the city since the 1900s. Five different families tell their stories and offer insight into the experience of how a small community has maintained links with its hometown, created a cultural identity, and assimilated into Irish society. 

Post-screening discussion with the director led by Joseph Sciorra, Calandra Institute.

Monday, October 26, 2009, 6 p.m.
The Tree of Life (2008), 76 min.
Hava Volterra, dir.

Hava Volterra of Los Angeles tries to come to terms with her father’s death by traveling to Italy, the land of his birth, to trace the roots of his family tree. With the help of her feisty 82-year-old aunt, her father’s sister, Volterra travels from city to city, digging through ancient manuscripts and interviewing a wide range of scholars, to piece together the story of her Italian Jewish ancestors. Using both Monty Python-style animation and computer enhanced marionettes, the film tells the story of Jewish money lenders, mystics, scientists and politicians, while reflecting on how our parents and their roots affect our sense of identity and belonging.

Post-screening discussion with the director led by Sara Reguer, Brooklyn College.

Monday, November 9, 2009, 6 p.m.
Le Cirque: A Table in Heaven (2009), 74 min.
Andrew Rossi, dir.

Sirio Maccioni came to America as a waiter on a cruise ship. He rose through the ranks of New York’s finest restaurants and opened Le Cirque in 1974. Since then, it has been one of the world’s most celebrated restaurants, entertaining dignitaries, artists, celebrities and New York’s social elite. Le Cirque: A Table in Heaven follows Maccioni, his wife Egidiana, and their three sons from the shuttering of Le Cirque at the Palace Hotel at the end of 2004, through preparations for the eatery’s celebrated rebirth in New York’s Bloomberg Tower two years later. The documentary explores the challenges of reinventing the legendary restaurant, the conflicts between the two generations of Maccionis, and the enduring allure of gourmet simplicity. 

Post-screening discussion with the director led by food historian Cara De Silva.

Monday, December 14, 2009
Neapolitan Heart (2002), 92 min.
Paolo Santoni, dir.

In this film exploring the transnational aspects of the Neapolitan song, director Paolo Santoni journeys between Naples and New York profiling singers and songs both well-known and obscure. He finds Neapolitan music being performed at concerts in Italy, in the casinos of Atlantic City, at serenate in the streets of Naples, and in New York City’s various Italian-American neighborhoods. Interviews with and performances by Peppe Barra, Rita Berti, Mirna Doris, Jimmy Roselli, Jerry Vale, and others tell the story of Neapolitan music and its ongoing popularity.

Post-screening discussion led by Jason Pine, Purchase College, and Joseph Sciorra, Calandra Institute.