Italian Migration Cinema Set for Staten Island's Garibaldi-Meucci Museum Today

As part of the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum's Terza Domenica Heritage Series, today, March 17 at 2 p.m. Dr. Alberto Zambenedetti will present, "Through the Lens of Emigration: America(ns) in Italian Migration Cinema."

Dr. Zambenedetti is a pioneer in the study of Italian Migration Cinema, which he considers "a forgotten chapter in Italian film history." He is writing a book on the subject to offer, for the first time, a coherent framework for the multitude of films produced in Italy that have Italian emigration as their topic. He says, "The number of films I watched before I set out to write (this book) is 176. This does not mean that my book will address all of these titles, but it gives you an idea of how large this group of films actually is. My book aims at introducing this critical category into the academic discourse on Italian film at large."

"Through the Lens of Emigration: America(ns) in Italian Migration Cinema" has grown out of his research, which is very much still in progress. Using a combination of stills, promotional material and film clips, Dr. Zambenedetti will show how Italian Migration Cinema has depicted America and its inhabitants since the 1930s. He will offer a panorama of the oftentimes unflattering portrayal of America depicted in this little-known area of film history, and offer specific examples to demonstrate the complicated relationship between Italy's most prominent Cultural Industry and the dreams of the many who have left that country in search of a better future.

Vittorio de Sica's film, "Due Cuori Felici" will be featured in this presentation as an important example of the exchange of people and capital between Italy and America in the early 1930s, and is the perfect starting point for the discussion of Italian Migration Cinema.

Dr. Zambenedetti is a doctoral lecturer in the Department of World Languages at Literatures at the College of Staten Island. He completed his PhD in Italian Studies at New York University with a dissertation titled "Italians on the Move: Towards a History of Migration Cinema." He holds a Master's degree in Cinema Studies from New York University and a Laurea in Lingue e Letterature Straniere from Università degli Studi di Venezia Ca' Foscari. His scholarship has appeared in such publications as Annali d'Italianistica, Studies in European Cinema, Journal of Adaptation in Film and Performance, and Short Film Studies. He is currently editing a book on the representation of Florence in world cinema titled "World Film Locations Florence." In his spare time, Dr. Zambenedetti is also a freelance film critic, a sports writer, a translator, and he has been involved with several film projects both in front of and behind the camera.

Admission of $10, $5 for members, includes a light reception. For more information visit www.garibaldimeuccimuseum.org or call 718-442-1608.

The Garibaldi-Meucci Museum was the home of Antonio Meucci, the true inventor of the telephone, and a refuge to Giuseppe Garibaldi, the legendary hero who championed the unification of Italy. For over 50 years the museum has fulfilled its mission to preserve the legacies of these great men, and to promote understanding of the Italian-American heritage through cultural, artistic and educational programs and classes. The historic Italian landmark on Staten Island, the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum is owned by the Sons of Italy Foundation and administered by the NYSOSIA GMM Board of Commissioners.

Regular museum hours are 1 p.m.-5 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday. Admission is $5 per person, members and children under 10 are free. Call ahead for groups of 10 or more. The first floor of the museum is wheelchair accessible, but the restroom is on the second floor.