L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2025 www.italoamericano.org 26 L'Italo-Americano You've known Liliana Segre for many years. What is your relation- ship like today? We share a deep friend- ship—almost like family. I speak with her and her chil- dren every other day, some- times about world affairs, sometimes about personal matters. There is a strong bond of empathy, trust, and above all, friendship. Do you have a person- a l c o n n e c t i o n t o t h i s subject? Y e s , I l o s t r e l a t i v e s i n Auschwitz. My grandmoth- er's sister, her three-year-old son, and her husband were all killed upon arrival. I lived and studied in New York, a deeply Jewish city, where I met many children of sur- vivors as well as survivors themselves. That exposure deepened my interest in the subject. I read everything I c o u l d a n d d e v e l o p e d m y o w n s e n s i t i v i t y a n d approach. remains in good health and m e n t a l l y s h a r p , b u t a l s o because we found ten hours o f a r c h i v a l t e s t i m o n y , recounted with incredible precision. I knew such mate- rial couldn't remain unseen. W e b e g a n e d i t i n g t h e archival footage, and by Sep- t e m b e r 2 0 2 3 , w e s t a r t e d filming interviews in Pesaro. W e c o m p l e t e d f i l m i n g i n July 2024, just before the Venice Film Festival. W a s t h e r e a n y t h i n g unexpect ed t hat came up during filming that you hadn't anticipated at the start of the project? N o , I k n e w e x a c t l y t h e k i n d o f f i l m I w a n t e d t o make. In fact, the biggest c h a l l e n g e i n e d i t i n g w a s working with such powerful material—both archival and n e w l y f i l m e d . I w a s f u l l y aware of its significance. Lil- iana shared everything with incredible generosity, and I can only thank her for the trust she placed in me. H o w d i d t h a t i n f l u - ence the documentary? It shaped my decision to focus on survivors' direct testimonies while avoiding images of death. For me, it's essential to approach the s u b j e c t w i t h h u m i l i t y , restraint, and a level of sen- sitivity that, unfortunately, I don't always find in other documentaries on the Holo- caust. Y o u m e n t i o n e d t h e trauma of new genera- t i o n s . H o w i s t h a t addressed in the film? I a l w a y s d i s t i n g u i s h b e t w e e n t w o l e v e l s . S u r - vivors, as direct witnesses, saw firsthand the horrors of the Shoah. Then there's the perspective of their children, w h o w e r e o f t e n s h i e l d e d f r o m t h e s e s t o r i e s i n a n a t t e m p t t o p r o t e c t t h e m from pain. One moment in the film deeply moves me: Liliana recalls how, when her chil- dren were young, they would ask about the number tat- tooed on her arm. She would r e p l y t h a t s h e w o u l d t e l l them when they were older. T h e n , a f t e r a p a u s e , s h e a d d s , " C h i l d r e n s h o u l d never have to be that old." This is a trauma you carry as well. How does it manifest in daily life? It's an unshakable trau- ma, built on silence, where a child feels responsible for t h e i r p a r e n t ' s s u f f e r i n g . Often, roles are reversed, and the child becomes the one protecting the parent. Because of this second- g e n e r a t i o n t r a u m a , f o r example, Liliana's daughter Federica never wanted to s p e a k p u b l i c l y . S h e h a d never given an interview to the press or television. I con- vinced her because it didn't s e e m r i g h t t h a t L i l i a n a ' s o n l y d a u g h t e r h a d n e v e r shared her story. She gave an extraordinary interview, r e v e a l i n g t h a t s h e f i r s t learned the full story at age 13 when she read her moth- er's diaries—the same age Liliana was when she was deported. "From that day, I was never the same," Federi- ca said. It shows how trau- m a w a s p a s s e d d o w n through the maternal line. a b o u t t o l a u n c h i n I t a l y . From the start, we decided to create our own archive— preceding Spielberg's—with a uniquely Italian perspec- tive. We gathered 400 hours of footage, which led to the d o c u m e n t a r y M e m o r i a , screened at the Berlinale in 1 9 9 7 a n d l a t e r a i r e d i n prime time on Rai thanks to Carlo Freccero. That film marked a turning point— because after Primo Levi, no o n e h a d g i v e n s p a c e t o direct, filmed testimonies. With Memoria, we helped o p e n a n e w c h a p t e r f o r H o l o c a u s t s u r v i v o r s a n d their stories. When did the idea for this documentary take shape? It came together in the spring of 2023 when I met Liliana's children and told them, "We need to make a film about your mother." I e n v i s i o n e d a m o n o g r a p h dedicated entirely to her— n o t o n l y b e c a u s e s h e T he documentary L i l i a n a p r e - s e n t s t h e t e s t i - mony of Liliana Segre, retracing her arrest, deportation, and final farewell to her father through archival footage and contemporary interviews. In h o n o r o f H o l o c a u s t Remembrance Day, the film was screened at the Ital- ian Cultural Institute of Los Angeles, with director Rug- gero Gabbai in attendance. The event was moderated by Hilary Helstein, director of the Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival. "Holocaust Remembrance Day reminds us of the past so we can reflect on the pre- sent and future, ensuring that such atrocities never happen again," stated Con- s u l G e n e r a l R a f f a e l l a Valentini. "On this occa- sion, the Consulate General a n d t h e I t a l i a n C u l t u r a l Institute are presenting a d o c u m e n t a r y a b o u t a n extraordinary woman—Sen- ator for life Liliana Segre, one of the last living wit- nesses to the Holocaust. We owe her immense gratitude for choosing not to bury her pain but to share her story, shaping consciences, educat- i n g g e n e r a t i o n s , a n d strengthening our collective memory." "We made this film for precisely that reason—there were many things Liliana had never spoken about," director Gabbai told L'Ita- lo-Americano. "Beyond archival footage of her testi- mony and life in Auschwitz, the documentary explores her reflections in later years. We also included her chil- dren, who are appearing on film for the first time. Their presence is crucial to under- standing second-generation trauma, an important theme in the documentary." D o y o u r e m e m b e r y o u r f i r s t e n c o u n t e r with Liliana Segre? I m e t L i l i a n a i n 1 9 9 5 when we began compiling the archive for the Spielberg F o u n d a t i o n , w h i c h w a s Senator for life and Auschwitz survivor Liliana Segre (Photo courtesy of Forma International) Los Angeles: new documentary on Auschwitz survivor Liliana Segre SILVIA NITTOLI LOS ANGELES ITALIAN COMMUNITY

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