November Events

by Joyce Ramee | Nov 1, 2019 | La Voce, Notices

Ciao a tutti –

Exciting things are happening this November for lovers of things Italian.

First of all, the lineup for SIFF’s Cinema Italian Style, November 7-14 has been announced. I’ve included some info below as well as a link to their website for more information: https://www.siff.net/year-round-cinema/film-festivals/cinema-italian-style This is a great opportunity to see some of the latest and best of Italian Cinema. Dante is once again this year a sponsor of the festival. I hope to see many of you there.

Then, the Seattle Art Museum has an exhibit of art works from the Capodimonte Museum in Naples , Flesh & Blood: Italian Masterpieces from the Capodimonte Museum. Flesh and Blood offers a rare opportunity to experience the beauty of art from the 16th and 17th centuries from a Neapolitan point of view. It is truly a once in a lifetime experience, unless – that is – you’re lucky enough to make it to Naples some time! Sarebbe i migliori di tutti!

Finally, Dante has joined with Il Punto to present a special event on Milano on Wednesday, November 20 at St. Patrick’s Social Hall. Federica Gabardi, a Milan native and a Women’s Empowerment Expert, will be the guest speaker. The presentation will be in Italian. I’ve included more information below.

A presto,
Dan DeMatteis

Prof. Claudio Mazzolla – Italian Cinema and Immigration

by Joyce Ramee | Oct 31, 2019 | La Voce

When: October 23, 2019
Speaker: Prof. Claudio Mazzolla
Topic: Italian Cinema and Immigration

About the Speaker:

Dr. Claudio Mazzola received his “Laurea” in English from the University of Milan in 1981. He also received a degree in cinema studies from the City University of Milan. Claudio went on to receive a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of Washington in 1986. His area of expertise is Contemporary Italian fiction and Italian Cinema. He has published a number of articles on those topics.

Dr. Claudio Mazzola, a long-time presenter at Dante, gave a fascinating lecture about “Italian Cinema and Immigration” at the Italian-language presentation to the Dante Alighieri Society on October 23, 2019. Italy, perhaps more than any other European country, has been at the forefront of the immigration debate in Europe.

Dr. Mazzola began by providing a historical background of immigration in Italy, showing a series of informative statistical charts and graphs whose numbers tell a story of immigration and give insight into a changing demographic. Few immigrants were present before the arrival of 10,000 Albanians at Bari in 1990, when immigration laws were not in place. (The only law in place was from 1930.) By January 2017, the resident population of Italy was shown to be 60,579,000 with 5,029,000 foreign residents.

He highlighted information drawn from ISTAT (Isituto Nazionale di Statistica) data to bring to the foreground changing cultural elements that have been reflected in films and documentaries. Immigration over the last thirty years has influenced the relatively homogeneous Italian culture with changes in food, businesses, work hours, marriages, and religion. For example, an aging population is now supported by an influx of younger immigrants, including female caregivers (badanti), primarily from the Ukraine. Intermarriages between Italians and non-Italians are more common, particularly between Italian men and foreign women. (These are just a few of the fascinating trends and details that Dr. Mazzola highlighted.)

In the final part of the presentation, Dr. Mazzola listed films by decade and characterized them in response to immigration. In the first period, from 1990 – 2000, the films present a somewhat idealistic view of immigration. Lamerica (1994) by Gianni Amelio, Vesna va veloce (1996) by Carlo Mazzacurati, and L’articolo 2 (1994) by Maurizio Zaccaro are included in this period.

Films in the second phase, from 2000 – 2010, move away from the earlier paternalism and try to reflect the immigrant’s point of view. Titles include: Saimir (2004) by Francesco Munzi, Quando sei nato non ti puoi più nascondere (2005) by Marco Tullio Giordana, and La giusta distanza (2007) by Carlo Mazzacurati.

Films in the third period, 2010 – present, portray the anxiety of the immigrant experience. Listed in this phase are: Scontro di Civiltà per un ascensore in Piazza Vittorio (2010) by Isotta Toso , Io sono Li (2011) by Andrea Segre , Terraferma (2011) by Emanuele Crialese, La’-bas (2011) by Guido Lombardi, and Ali ha gli occhi azzurri (2012) by Claudio Giovannesi.

Dr. Mazzola ended with film clips of a most moving film, Fuocoammare, Fire at Sea, (2016) about the only doctor on the island of Lampedusa, where many of the North African refugees and migrants land. In the film, the doctor is responsible for the huge influx of refugees that the island’s port receives and processes and for the island’s inhabitants, who seem to have little interaction with the refugees.

In one heartbreaking scene, the doctor is in a monologue recalling the horrors and overwhelming numbness of having to examine and document so many corpses, as well as the desperate state of many of the living immigrants, who arrive on overcrowded boats. In another contrasting scene, the doctor is diagnosing an engaging young resident Italian boy with a patch on his eye for “lazy eye.” With these scenes, Mazzola highlighted the intentional contrast in the film, showing the doctor as the only point of interaction between the two groups.

Many thanks to Dr. Mazzola for an illuminating presentation on a timely and important topic. We appreciate his expertise in Italian Society in Film and Literature, which he teaches at the University of Washington, and hope he will return soon.

Mary Beth Moser

October 23, 2019 Italian Language Meeting

by Joyce Ramee | Oct 18, 2019 | Notices

Ciao a tutti –

THE NEXT ITALIAN MEETING of the DANTE ALIGHIERI SOCIETY’S 2019-2020 PROGRAM YEAR IS THIS COMING WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23 at St. Patrick’s Church, Social Hall, 815 East Edgar Street, Seattle 98102

The speaker will be Dr. Claudio Mazzola. Many of you will remember Claudio from his past presentations at Dante or from taking his classes. Claudio received his “Laurea” in English from the University of Milan in 1981 and a degree in cinema studies from the City University of Milan. He then went on to earn a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of Washington in 1986. His area of expertise is Contemporary Italian fiction and Italian Cinema. He has published a number of articles on those topics.

Claudio’s topic this Wednesday will be “Italian Cinema and Immigration”. Italy, perhaps more than any other European country, has been at the forefront of the immigration debate in Europe. Immigration has been the subject of numerous Italian novels, documentaries and films. Our speaker will provide some historical background on immigration in Italy and discuss how cinema has dealt with this issue.

As a bonus, we will have passes available to Dante members for SIFF’s 11th annual Cinema Italian Style which will take place this year from November 7 – 14. The Dante Alighieri Society is a sponsor of this event. More info can be found at the Festival website:https://www.siff.net/year-round-cinema/film-festivals/cinema-italian-style

MEETING DETAILS

As usual, the evening will begin with food and conversation at 6:30. There is no cost for the meeting, but you are encouraged to bring along an antipasto, dolce or vino to share. The presentation which will be mainly in Italian will start at 7:30.

The meeting will take place in the Parish Social Hall at St. Patrick’s Church, 815 East Edgar Street, on the North side of Capitol Hill.

Parking is available in St. Patrick’s parking lot, off of E. Edgar street. The meetings take place in the Parish Hall, located in the basement of the church and is entered on the West side of the church from the parking lot.

To reach St Patrick’s from the North, follow I-5 S. Take exit 168A for Boylston Ave toward Roanoke St. Merge onto Boylston, turn left at light onto E Roanoke St. Turn left at the first cross street onto Harvard Ave E. and then take the first right onto E. Edgar Street.

To reach St. Patrick’s from the South, follow I-5 N. Take exit 168A for Lakeview Blvd E. Turn left onto Lakeview Blvd E, and continue onto Boylston Ave E. Turn right at the light onto E Roanoke St. Turn left at the first cross street onto Harvard Ave. E. and then take the first right onto E. Edgar Street..

Feel free to come early to help set up the room and start visiting. And, in any case, please come.

A presto –

Dan DeMatteis,

President, Dante Alighieri Society of Washington

October 23, 2019 Italian Language Meetiing

by Harry Reinert | Oct 5, 2019

Claudio Mazzola Topic: Italian Cinema and Immigration Italy, perhaps more than any other European country, has been at the forefront of the immigration debate in Europe. Immigration has been the subject ofnumerous Italian novels, documentaries and films. Our speaker, Claudio Mazzola, will provide historical background on immigration in Italy and discuss how cinema has dealt with this issue. Dr. Claudio Mazzola received his Laurea” in English from the University of Milan in 1981. He also received a degree in cinema studies from the City University of Milan. Claudio went on to receive a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of Washington in 1986. His area of expertise is Contemporary Italian fiction and Italian Cinema. He has published a number of articles on those topics.”

October 9, 2019 English Language Meeting

by Joyce Ramee | Oct 4, 2019 | Notices

Ciao a tutti –

MAKE YOUR RESERVATION FOR THE NEXT ENGLISH MEETING of the 2019-2020 PROGRAM YEAR THIS COMING WEDNESDAY, OCT 9
at St. Patrick’s Church – Social Hall, 815 E Edgar Street, Seattle

Our October speaker is the ever-popular, Rob Prufer, who once again will explore with us some of the wonders of Italian art. This year his topic is: An Avant-Garde Italia: The Futurists, Modern Art and the Promise of the 20th Century.

In 1909 the writer Filippo Tommaso Marinetti published his Futurist Manifesto, in which he denounced the oppressive weight of Italy’s past and advocated a program of radical artistic, social and technological innovation. Soon, painters, sculptors, writers and musicians joined Marinetti in a quest to re-fashion Italian culture. They are known collectively as The Futurists. What are we to make of their whirlwind of artistic output? What impact did they have? How Italian was this movement of passionate Italians?

Rob Prufer is a long-time participant in Dante Alighieri Society of Washington activities, including serving several years as vice-president. He is an avid student of the Italian language and Italian art history. He shares his passion for art history with his students at Newport High School and the wider public in his lecture series at the Bellevue Arts Museum, The Loggia Lectures.

DINNER RESERVATIONS

If you plan to come for the dinner as well as the presentation, please make your reservation by 5:00 pm Monday October 7 by:

clicking on the DINNER RESERVATION button below or,
calling our Reservation Line at our NEW number, (206) 289-0419 or
emailing your request to our NEW reservation email, reserve.

Let us know how many are in your party. This will help our volunteer cooks know how much pasta to prepare.

MEETING LOCATION

The meeting as usual will be in the Parish Social Hall at St. Patrick’s Church, 815 E Edgar St., Seattle.

To reach St. Patrick’s from the North, follow I-5 S. Take exit 168A for Boylston Ave toward Roanoke St. Merge onto Boylston, turn left at light onto E Roanoke St. Turn left at the first cross street onto Harvard Ave E.

The parking lot will be on your right off Harvard. And the stairway down to the door to the Social Hall is located at the parking lot level in back of the Church, off the parking lot.

Feel free to come early to help set up the room and start visiting. And, in any case, please come.

A presto –

Dan DeMatteis,
President, Dante Alighieri Society of Washington