On June 16, two young men were assaulted in Rome, because they were wearing T-shirts for Piccolo America, a left-wing association which organizes squatting actions to save abandoned cinemas in the capital. They were targeted "because antifascist," which links the episode to the normalization of violence and intolerance cultivated by the current Italian government and that has migrants as its main target. Since last year, Cinema of the Dam’d responds to the rise of the far-right in Italy with an exploration of the best leftist cinema.

The documentary we are showing tonight, Paese Nostro, follows three cultural mediators of the SPRAR network who assist asylum seekers during their first months in Italy. Federica, Lucia and Hassan share the same doubts, precarious life, and enormous responsibilities towards the migrants who they are trying to help. Their stories, however, are also made of the kind of dreams, solidarity, and mutual support that often goes untold in Italy.

Paese Nostro was produced with public funding in 2016 by ZaLab, a collective of six directors. When the project was completed, the Ministry of the Interior, which also held the rights, decided not to distribute the movie. A few weeks ago, ZaLab chose to make the film freely available in the belief that since any initiative in support of migrants and asylum seekers - including the SPRAR network - is being demonized and limited, it has become even more essential to understand how they work and who makes them possible. Watch the trailer.

Part 1 of 2 - Directed by Michele Aiello, Matteo Calore, Stefano Collizzolli, Andrea Segre, Sara Zavarise, 2017, Italy, 70 minutes. In Italian with English subtitles. 

Bar opens @ 19:30
Free Entry