Documented Italians

“Documented Italians” is a screening of recent documentary films and videos about Italian Americans in which the directors present their respective works.

Tuesday, September 26, 2006, 6:30 PM

“Sacco and Vanzetti” (2006), 80 min., Peter Miller, dir.

NOTE: The film will be screened in partnership with the Gotham Center, CUNY Graduate and will be held in the Recital Hall, CUNY Graduate, 365 Fifth Avenue (between East 34^th and 35^th Streets). The film is free but reservations are required. Please call (212) 817-8215 for reservations. Seats will be released at 6:25 PM

The subjects of this documentary are Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, Italian immigrants, anarchists, and passionate writers who were accused of a murder in 1920 and executed in Boston in 1927 after a notoriously prejudiced trial. The ordeal of Sacco and Vanzetti came to symbolize the bigotry and intolerance directed at immigrants and dissenters in America, and millions of people in the United States and around the world protested on their behalf. A beautifully rendered tale of tragic injustice, this first major documentary film about this landmark story makes the historical uncannily present through interviews, music, poetry, and by interweaving readings of Sacco and Vanzetti's powerful prison writings read by actors John Turturro and Tony Shalhoub.

Wednesday, October 11, 2006, 6PM

“Closing Time: Storia di un Negozio” (2006), 30 min., Veronica Diaferia, dir.

Located at the corner of Mulberry and Grand Streets, E. Rossi & Co. was one of the Italian American community’s oldest and most well-known stores in New York City. The store was more than a place of business; it was a national treasure, a living archive of Italian American cultural history. In January 2006, the city’s real estate market successfully forced the store to close and change its historical location. “Closing Time” documents the store’s last month of business as members of the Rossi family, customers, and neighbors reminisce about the store’s important contribution to the city’s Italian culture.

Wednesday, November 8, 2006

“The Italian Gardens of South Brooklyn” (1990), 25 min., Alexandra Corbin and Susan Morosoli, dirs.

This video features the Brooklyn neighborhood known historically as South Brooklyn and more recently as Carroll Gardens, an area distinguished by its simple brownstones and deep front yards. Italian immigrants, many from Mola di Bari in Puglia, began settling the area in the late nineteenth century to work the docks of Red Hook. Beginning in the 1960s, gentrification transformed working-class homes into million dollar real estate investments, and altered the character of the neighborhood. Through interviews with residents and scholars, this documentary offers an insightful and sensitive look at the changing history of this urban community.

Wednesday, December 6, 2006, 6pm

“Dyker Lights” (2001), 28 min., Paul Reitano and Terrence Sacchi, dir.

“The Kings of Christmas” (2005), 11 min., David Katz, dir.

Christmas season in New York City's outer boroughs is a time when homeowners transform the mundane into a nocturnal tapestry of festive landscape by decorating their house exteriors and front yards. Holiday hyperfication involves thousands of twinkling multi‑colored lights, dioramas of motorized figures, and the sound of recorded music playing from outdoor speakers. These seasonal tourist sites draw thousands of city residents and out‑of‑state travelers who swarm the sidewalks and clogging the residential streets of Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island as December 25^th approaches. These two videos feature the men, the vast majority of whom are Italian-American, who create these urban fantasyscapes.

All events are free.

This event was made possible with a generous grant from the National Italian American Foundation (www.niaf.org).

Building management requires people attending events after business hours to pre-register with the Calandra Institute by calling (212) 642-2094. You will need to show a photo ID to the building’s concierge.