L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2 2023 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano 2 I taly once again sets its sights on the Oscars, spotlighting a theme that's as relevant as it is enduring: immigra- tion. This issue, marked by identity and turmoil, has been part of the nation for decades, echoing a shared experience with many other countries. Io C a p i t a n o ( M e C a p t a i n ) b y Matteo Garrone is Italy's latest nominee for Best International Film. This recalls 2016 when Fuocammare (Fire at Sea), by Gianfranco Rosi, set against the backdrop of Lampedusa—a stage for countless arrivals and shipwrecks—was nominated, having already clinched the Golden Bear in Berlin. Rosi, a director and documentarian, spent a whole year on this Sicil- ian island, capturing stories of not only those who journey to Italy in search of a better life but also of the island's residents who live and work on this small piece of land, a significant crossroad for the tide of immigration across the Mediter- ranean. Among the narratives, the story of Michele Bartolo stands out. He's a medical director who, for thirty years, has been caring for the islanders and overseeing the landings, deciding who needs hospital care, who goes to the reception center, and who didn't survive the journey. Bartolo, more than just a physician, has become a symbol of the collective efforts—by individuals, groups, or institutions—to offer a dig- nified welcome to the wave of humanity, alive or deceased, brought to shore by the relentless waves. On a different note, Garrone's Io Capitano, honored with the Silver Lion for directing and the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Emerging Actor for Seydou Sarr at the Venice Film Festival in September, delves into one of the countless stories of courage and anguish hidden behind the statistics often used to describe the migration phenomenon. "Representing Emigration: from the Silver Screen to daily life through history From the Editor Italy at the Academy Awards with Io Capitano fills us with pride, and we are hopeful that Seydou's journey will reach the heart of the American audience," Garrone said, eagerly anticipating the nominations announcement on January 23. Two perspectives, two narratives, two languages. But one theme lies at the heart of the lens—a theme that's con- tentious, delicate, politically critical, and socially challenging to manage, yet it remains a structural knot in the fabric of Italian life, confronted with emergency and superficial mea- sures for three decades now. Discussing immigration and arrivals is to narrate a slice of contemporary Italy: it showcases what society endures, what fills newspapers and broadcasts daily, what jerks the often distracted and hurried political world back to a sense of humanity lost amidst electoral propaganda and partisan logic. The vocabulary deployed betrays our unease, portray- ing immigration as a problem shirked, always postponed to a later date. The discourse continuously sways between inva- sion and welcoming, humanitarian crisis and criminaliza- tion, solidarity and repulsion—all embodying a world of con- tradictions as nothing is clear or defined. But it's also a venture into an unprocessed historical theme. The exodus of millions of Italians during the great migratory waves of the early twentieth century, which in many ways mirrored today's migrants, remains relegated to brief paragraphs in history books. There are mentions of transatlantic journeys, third-class voyages, registrations at Ellis Island, the lean lives and hard labors of the villagers, the Little Italy neighborhoods, the stereotypes perpetuated by films and television. Yet they appear more as pages of lit- erature, romanticized tales of yore, rather than facets of national identity. The legacy, the meaning, the link to the present are missed. The weight and tribute of Italian emigration remains elusive. Yet, elusive is also the lesson of the present, an exposed nerve yet to be mended. Lampedusa itself is a place hard to define. It's a haven of vacation and scenic beauty, yet also a land of arrivals and shipwrecks. For those reaching it, it's a coveted destination: always better than the desert, the Libyan prisons, the tor- tures, and the hardships. Yet, it also marks the boundary of a Europe that rejects those fleeing from misery, wars, and hunger, accepting the risk of drowning. It's the harbor where dreams shatter as trembling individuals disembark from boats only to end up in reception centers that bear no resem- blance to hopes of a better life. But it's also a place of solidar- ity: the first to extend a helping hand are the Lampedusans themselves, always ready to embrace whatever comes from the sea, never weary of helping. Garrone's film was chosen for "embodying with great cin- ematic power the universal desire for freedom and happi- ness, creating an epic of dreams that shows the courage and pain typical of all migrations, all in a dimension of profound humanity." Io Capitano is a parable of our times that invites reflec- tion - with less rhetoric and more awareness - on the neces- sity of taking responsibility for one's actions, and also of broadening our perspective to include those around us who are more fragile. It's a reminder that we are all in the same boat and that we should advocate for collective interests, looking beyond our personal objectives. And that immigra- tion is but a part of the journey. Simone Schiavinato, Editor Simone Schiavinato NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS P.O.BOX 6528, ALTADENA, CA 91003 Member of FUSIE (Federazione Unitaria Stampa Italianaall'Estero), COGITO L'Italo-Americano Please send correspondence to P.O. BOX 6528, ALTADENA, CA 91003 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano Newspaper (a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization), www.italoameri- cano.org, is the largest and longest-running Italian newspaper in America, not to men- tion the cultural and news resource for all things Italian in the US. A bilingual newspaper which represents an historical landmark for the Italian American Communities in the West Coast and throughout the US. L'Italo-Americano benefits from subsidies by the Italian Government, Memberships and Donations intended to support and not interrupt a mission that began in 1908 to preserve and promote the Italian language and culture in the USA Periodicals postage paid at Monrovia, California 91016, and additional mailing offices. PUBLISHER Robert Barbera Grande Ufficiale EDITOR IN CHIEF Simone Schiavinato ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER Patrick Abbate EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Barbara Minafra COPY EDITOR Francesca Bezzone LOS ANGELES CONTRIBUTOR Silvia Nittoli SAN FRANCISCO CONTRIBUTORS Serena Perfetto SEATTLE CONTRIBUTOR Rita Cipalla CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Mariella Radaelli, Matt Walker, Francesca Bezzone, Luca Ferrari, Stefano Carnevali, Paula Reynolds, Teresa Di Fresco Nicoletta Curradi, Generoso D'Agnese, Jessica S. Levy, Fabrizio Del Bimbo, Maria Gloria, Chuck Pecoraro, Anthony Di Renzo Serena Perfetto, Kenneth Scambray, Chiara D'Alessio, Luca Signorini, Giulia Franceschini © 2020 L'Italo-Americano Membership: One year $59 - Single copy $2.25 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to L'Italo Americano PO Box 6528 Altadena, CA 91003 P.O.BOX 6528, ALTADENA, CA 91003

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