L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2023 www.italoamericano.org 28 L'Italo-Americano T h e f a m o u s Medici Chapels in the Basilica of S a n L o r e n z o i n Florence are the resting place of the illustrious M e d i c i f a m i l y , v i s i t e d b y thousands of tourists every d a y . A l l t h e m o s t n o t a b l e Medicis are buried inside the New Sacristy, designed by Michelangelo. Here lies the tomb of Lorenzo the Magnifi- cent, that of his brother Giu- liano, and that of Alessan- dro de' Medici, Duke of Florence, who, after being assassinated in January 1537, was thrown into the tomb of what was considered his offi- cial father, Lorenzo, Duke of Urbino. For a long time, it was not known that Alessandro de' Medici lay here; while all the o t h e r M e d i c i s h a d t h e i r n a m e s i n s c r i b e d o n t h e i r tombstones, Alessandro's was never mentioned anywhere. When the writer, director, and producer Daphne Di Cinto visited Alessandro de' Medici's tomb in Florence, she was surprised to find no indication of his name—nei- ther in front of the tomb nor in the rest of the chapel. Di Cinto then decided to act and her initiative, a year later, resulted in the rectification of this omission. "I couldn't understand why information could be found about all the others, but not about Alessandro. He held a very important position at the time. Why has his memory been erased?" wondered Di Cinto, who visited the Chapel many times while writing the short film Il Moro, her direc- t o r i a l d e b u t , i n s p i r e d b y Alessandro de' Medici. "My film tells the story of a true Italian black Duke, but at the same time, it tells the story of the Afro-Italian and Afro- European communities, of our constant presence in the history of our continent, and how this presence has been hidden." Historians are now convinced that Alessandro was the son of then-seven- teen-year-old Cardinal Giulio de Medici, who later became Pope Clement VII. Il Moro is a short film that aims to shed light on the first man of African origin to become a head of state in Renaissance Europe and is currently in the running for the 96th Academy Awards in the Best Live-Action Short F i l m c a t e g o r y . T h e c a s t includes Alberto Malanchino as Alessandro de' Medici, Paolo Sassanelli as Clement V I I , a n d A n d r e a M e l i s a s Ippolito de' Medici. After the short film began gaining recognition in the fes- tival circuit, Daphne wrote a petition letter to the Council of Florence, asking them to recognize Alessandro's name in the Medici Chapel. The petition, presented through councilors Antonella Bundu and Dimitri Palagi, was offi- cially accepted on November 4, 2022, but it was only in November 2023 that most of the information panels were updated following a revamp. " A s o f t o d a y , t h e M e d i c i C h a p e l s f i n a l l y p r e s e n t a panel in front of Alessandro's resting place that mentions his name. I wish the panel would tell more about his story and background, but the mere fact that his name is mentioned is a big step for- ward. I hope people can bet- t e r d i s c o v e r h i s s t o r y b y watching Il Moro." Daphne Di Cinto, known for her role as the mother of the Duke of Hastings in the globally successful Netflix s e r i e s B r i d g e r t o n , i s a staunch supporter of diversity and positive representation in the entertainment industry and, consequently, in cultural formation. Her directorial debut with Il Moro features a cast and crew that magnifi- cently reflect Italy's current diversity, aiming "to be an ode to self-love for Black Ital- i a n s , A f r o p e a n s , a n d t h e African diaspora, a reminder that we are an integral part of European history beyond the way it has portrayed us so far," Daphne Di Cinto said. Di Cinto, born and raised in Ravenna, studied in Rome, f o c u s i n g o n a c t i n g a t t h e Scuola del Cinema, and later at the prestigious Sorbonne in Paris and the Actors Studio Drama School in New York for her Master of Fine Arts. She currently lives in London, where she is working to turn I l M o r o i n t o a t e l e v i s i o n series. I l M o r o r e c e i v e d m a n y awards, including Best Short F i l m a t t h e I t a l i a n B l a c k Movie Awards and the award for Best Narrative Short Film at the Oscar-qualifying Reel Sisters Film Festival. After its festival success, Il Moro is gaining significant attention and is being showcased at US universities, aiming for the grandest stage of all: the 2024 Oscar race. The short film was also presented at California State University, Northridge, w h e r e w e f r o m L ' I t a l o - Americano met director, writer, and actress Daphne Di Cinto. W h i l e s t u d y i n g a n d r e s e a r c h i n g f o r y o u r s h o r t f i l m , w a s t h e r e s o m e t h i n g a b o u t t h e story of Alessandro De' Medici that particularly surprised you? The fact that the narrative historians created about him was not necessarily based on firsthand material. Historians would attribute to him some- one else's words, thus perpet- uating a negative image of Alessandro. I'm not saying the man was a saint, but cer- tainly there is more to him than what we were told. This m a d e m e t h i n k c r i t i c a l l y about what I read in history books. I'm now adopting a new approach, where I try to look at a fact or a person from different angles and studies. Official history is nothing more than a version of events. O n a p e r s o n a l l e v e l , how did his specific story impact you? If Alessandro's story were public knowledge, many of us A f r o - E u r o p e a n s w o u l d n ' t have to face questions like "Where do you really come f r o m ? " O u r e x i s t e n c e wouldn't be questioned in the p l a c e s w e c a l l h o m e . O u r legitimacy wouldn't be a tool of political propaganda. As a r e s u l t , w e w o u l d b e m o r e secure. I believe a story can do a lot for a very large group of people. In 2019, you played the Duchess of Hastings in the popular Netflix series Bridgerton which, like its 2 0 2 3 s p i n - o f f Q u e e n C h a r l o t t e , h a s a l o t i n common with your short film. What was that expe- rience like for you? I loved it, of course! Shon- da Rhimes is an inspiration for me, and I was lucky to w o r k w i t h e x t r a o r d i n a r y artists on set. Bridgerton did an incredibly beautiful thing: it opened a conversation that had long been silenced, that of the presence of diversity in Europe. Even Queen Char- lotte's heritage was mixed. And although Bridgerton's characters were of various origins, the series made it clear that it was a fiction. This is why I found it interesting that, despite the queen's lega- cy and despite some diversity existing at the time, many people felt provoked. I think we should ask ourselves why t h i s h a p p e n s . I t ' s a g r e a t example of art bringing to the surface the unconscious bias- es our society must face. L e t ' s g o b a c k t o I l Moro, which is a histori- c a l s h o r t , w i t h a v e r y important story to tell. What is the message you want to convey in 2023? That the story of a young man of African origins is also the story of every European. Therefore, archaic policies, like the one that still today denies citizenship to children of two immigrant parents, even if born and raised in Italy, have no basis and must change. Italian director Daphne Di Cinto's short movie, The Moor, longlisted for the 2024 Academy Awards SILVIA NITTOLI The poster of "Il Moro" (Photo: DePasquale Communication) Italian director Daphne Di Cinto (Photo: DePasquale Communication) LIFE PEOPLE MOVIES MUSIC BOOKS

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