Italian dictator Benito Mussolini was a film enthusiast who referred to cinema as “Italy’s greatest
weapon.” Il Dulce started a national film school in hopes of cranking out propaganda movies
like Germany’s Leni Riefenstahl. Mussolini began Cinecittà (Cinema City) in Rome, the Italian
equivalent to Hollywood.
Mussolini got his propaganda factory, the world got an infusion
of great cinema from Italy. Italian cinema has played an important part in presenting cultural and
historical events that date back to the Unification of Italy in the 1860s. Diane Hales, author of “La Bella Lingua: My Love Affair with Italian,” wrote that like their Renaissance counterparts,
Italian filmmakers pioneered a new art form. A cinetografo machine, invented by Filoteo
Alberini, recorded, developed and projected films. With these tools he opened a production
studio in Rome.
“Italian films forced the rest of the world to look at Italians and see their humanity,” said American director Martin Scorsese in his film tribute to Italian cinema.
In 2002 the House of Italy (HOI) in Balboa Park started showing Italian films to promote the nation’s history and culture. Dr. Victor Laruccia, the executive director of the San Diego Italian Film Festival, said the HOI’s facility was not suitable as a theater venue for large audiences. UCSD professor Pasquale Verdicchio, retiree Giuseppe Annino, Navy Captain Donald Santamaria and vice consul of San Diego honoree Roberto Ruocco laid the groundwork for the formation of the nonprofit San Diego Italian Film Festival. “A venue with a centrally-located theater in Balboa Park was sought after,” Annino said. Deborah Klochko, director of the Museum of Photographic Arts (MOPA), agreed to host the festival.
SDIFF has obtained films from Istituto Italiano di Cultura in Los Angeles. Laruccia has worked with Dr. Massimo Sarti to arrange for the use of these films. Verdicchio obtained “Cinema Sud,” which the Italian government produced to share the vision of the southern regions of Italy. Annino has worked with distributors in Italy and the United States to obtain other Italian films.
“The SDIFF has opened a window into Italian culture through films,” said Santamaria. “The distinguished films from Italy that we have shared give insight into both the rich culture, contemporary history, and the various social and economic challenges confronting the Italian people over time.” SDSU has hosted discussions about Italian films conducted by Clò and Verdicchio.
“Every time I have gone to MOPA, I have seen films, which were outstanding, entertaining and well received by SDIFF’s audiences,” said Nicole Scarcella, author of “Made in Sicily, Born in Brooklyn.” “I have also enjoyed, ‘Marcello, Marcello’ and ‘Focaccia Blues,’ which were shown in San Diego’s Little Italy under the stars.”
During the late 1980s and early 1990s a series of anti-mafia films were produced in Italy. Students from SWC who are enrolled in instructor Silvia Kading’s Italian class wanted to share their comments.
“La Siciliana Ribelle was a good movie,” said Mitchell Vizcaya, 22, an economics major. “It showed how people related to the mafia. The people had to accept the crude reality in order to get out.”
Criminal Justice major Luis Amezcua, 19, said the film showed what could happen if a person is related to the mafia.
Julio Perez, 19, a psychology major, said he was impressed by “Riso Amaro.”
“’Riso Amaro’ was a classic film,” he said. “It showed the daily life of rice workers during the rice era in Italy. This wonderful film gave us a view of the past in bella Italia.”
The SDIFF and MOPA in Balboa Park will present Marco Bertozzi, an Italian documentary regista, on April 13. A $5 donation is suggested.
Ellen Phelan, an Italian cinema aficionado, said the films are inspiring.
“I have toured Italy many times but it has been enriching to come to the SDIFF to see the cultural side.”