L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2014 www.italoamericano.com L'Italo-Americano 19 said. Laruccia did not grow up in the film industry, but his father's love of all things film-related was instilled in him and it led to a career teaching film history at both University of California, San Diego and Brown University. Then, two decades after he had hung up his hat as a teacher, fate would place films in his path yet again. Laruccia had decided to take an Italian course hosted by San Diego's House of Italy when "a guy I had never seen before sits down beside me and asks me if the House of Italy shows Italian movies. And it's like, out of all the people he could have asked the question to, it's sort of like, For some, films offer a perfect escape: A way to forget their worries for a couple hours and believe in a world where the guy always gets the girl, the bad guys always fall and the hero always conquer. For others, it is a means of expression: A way to express their feelings, thoughts and values that they may not be able to do with simple words alone. For others, like San Diego Italian Film Festival Executive Director Victor Laruccia, it is a passion passed down through genetics. His love of film was inherited from his father, Vitantonio Policarpo Laruccia, who, as a young Italian living in South America, longed to fulfill his dream of becoming an actor like the beloved Rodolfo Valentino in the late 1920s. "When Valentino died, they did a big thing all over the world - they created all these contests all over the world that were real- ly big to see who would replace Valentino and my dad actually won in Buenos Aires," Laruccia said. "It was a really big deal for him - he won it before he was 17 - and that completely set his psy- chology in terms of seeing him- self as an actor." As it turned out, Laruccia explained, there was actually no prize in store for his father - he was later told he was too young to claim it. Nonetheless, it cemented in him the passion for being in the film industry and led to him making two films of his own in South America. Ultimately, though, life led Vitantonio down a different path, which included meeting Laruccia's mother, a hard-work- ing Italian businesswoman who had different views of a career as an actor. "For her, the idea of pursuing an acting career was not very useful; it didn't have enough 'umph' to it from a busi- ness point of view," Laruccia History of Film: It's all family for Victor Laruccia why did he ask me because it touched my heart." And so began what would become the San Diego Italian Film Festival. Laruccia spear- headed the project and has watched it grow from small viewings at the House of Italy to what it is today. "If we had known how difficult it was going to be [at the begin- ning], we probably would never have started," Laruccia. "It was all very casual. We did not have a particular expertise in any of the areas that you would think about if you wanted to put a fes- tival together." The San Diego Italian Film Festival has evolved from its humble beginnings to what it is MIchElE PluSS Victor Laruccia today and, as Laruccia states in his address on SDIFF's "About Us" page online, "...the San Diego Italian Film Festival is about more than just movies. It is about identity, history and a shared appreciation of Italian culture and great cinema– in a word, it is about community. In Italy communities come together in the piazza or town square and the San Diego Italian Film Festival is such a place for a diverse audience of film lovers and those who appreciate Italian culture." Mar. 1, Sat. - Italian Cultural Center of San Diego: Registration for Spring Quarter begins. ICC offers various language courses, from beginners to advanced, for those inte- rested in learning Italian. All courses are taught by native Italian-speakers. Courses are available to ICC members only. Spring quarter runs from April 2 to June 28. Information on membership, course enrollment and schedules can be found at www.icc-sd.org Mar. 1, Sat. - Convivio Society presents screening of "Io, Don Giovanni" at 8 p.m. at at Convivio Center (2157 India St., San Diego, CA 92101). Wood-fired pizza from Cucina Caprese will be offered beginning at 6 p.m. for cash-and- carry. Admission to movie is free; suggested donation is $5. More information regarding the film synopsis, tickets and location is available at www.conviviosociety.org/events Mar. 4, Tues. - Sons of Italy Monthly Membership Dinner & Meeting & Cookie Contest 6:30 p.m. at The Encinitas Elks Lodge (1393 Windsor Rd.Cardiff, CA 92007). Dinner is ser- ved at 6:30, meeting begins at 7:30. Coffee and pastries are served after the meeting. Please call Mimi at (760)-943-8494 to RSVP (required). More information is available at http://sonsofitalysandiego.org/calendar-3/ Mar. 8, Sat. - San Diego Opera premieres "A Masked Ball" at 7 p.m. Tickets, casting information and additional perfor- mance dates are available at www.sdopera.com/ operas/maskedball Victor Laruccia with Sal Giametta at SDIFF gala

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