San Diego Film Festival celebrates Italian food and film with May 2010 Cinecucina

Taking its cues from the famous Bologna Food & Film Festival, the San Diego Italian Film Festival (SDIFF) held a special event in May 2010 dedicated to Italian Food and Film. The Weekend event was well attended and was also joined by several members of the Board of Directors of the Patrons of Italian Culture of Los Angeles with whom the SDIFF is collaborating on other Italo-Americano events, including the major SDIFF November Festival.

The weekend long event included Italian markets in the streets, dining in the local restaurants and screenings in the ‘historic’ theater at North Park – Festival CineCucina. Bologna is a center for Italy's most famous food products and also the home of the Cineteca, one of the world's most important film repositories and center for major film restoration projects.

SDIFF Membership Committee members, Rich La Rocca and Giuseppe Annino, announce that the SDIFF is undertaking additional events, which stress the Italian culture through the use of film. Giuseppe Annino states, “Movies are the driving engine of our enterprise, but we want to produce more of these events that feature all aspects of Italian culture.

We invite all of you to become members and to visit our website at: WWW.SANDIEGOITALIANFILMFESTIVAL.COM. You will get a great taste of what we’re about, and no matter where you live; you’re invited to share the table with us and to become SDIFF members. So come on down!” Italy Vice Consul, Roberto Ruocco, Esq. states, “We make friends - that is our treasure.”

The SDIFF received generous help from the business association, North Park Main Street, over 11 restaurants, the Birch North Park Theatre, Slow Food Urban San Diego, and the Museum of Photographic Arts, as well as the riveting participation of Douglas Gayeton, famous media artist who specializes in food issues. SDIFF Executive Director, Dr. Victor Laruccia, said that the values of Italian food culture lie in the past, but still require present day help. One of the key organizations, in Italy and around the world, for giving that help is ‘Slow Food’, begun by Carlo Petrini and a few other like-minded Italians.

They valued the way their nonni and bis nonni took care of food, health, taste and the earth at the same time. So the SDIFF called on Slow Food Urban San Diego to help provide the right accent, that is, Italian with an American twist. All who love food had to love Italian food. For the entire weekend celebration, beginning Thursday, the branding firm of Miriello Grafico poured out attention- grabbing design work, and the web design firm of Alonso Creative delivered seductive messages online at a fast pace.

The first event, a Thursday evening show of Italian shorts on food, was an unexpected hit, with people having to be turned away. SDIFF Program Director Dr. Pasquale Verdicchio said, “We did not expect this many people for this evening. We tried to put together just a little aperitivo for what was to come. People acted like it was the main course.” For the first night, guests came from many of the southern California counties to see the five short films intended to be an introduction.

These five included restored short films of Vittorio De Seta, made about Sicilian life in the 50's, a recently produced film about an Italian farmer who knows that even the smallest creature must be cared for, and two Giuseppe Gagliardi shorts based on Italian food myths. Several long distance visitors stayed in the lobby to talk about Italian food with the board members who could not find seats.

Leaving the theater a visitor from Buffalo, New York, said, “This is amazing. I am so proud to be Italian.” At the suggestion of Paolo Romano, President of the Los Angeles based Patrons of Italian Culture, and the help of Nina and Mario Renda, strong supporters of the festival, the SDIFF organized a gala dinner to bring together many of the San Diego Italian organizations at a new Italian restaurant in Del Mar, “Tommy V's Italian Chophouse”.

Vice Consul Roberto Ruocco said, “I was very happy to help gather those groups which have the most members and are the most active in the city.” Retired Navy Captain Don Santamaria helped in recruiting representatives of the Italian Film Festival, the Little Italy Association, the House of Italy, the Italian Cultural Center and the Italian American Civic Association. Maria Maestrini Williamson, Language Education Manager at the Italian Cultural Center, said “This is an important opportunity for the ICC, and we hope to work more frequently with all these groups in the future. Our Italian language courses are critical in maintaining our Italian culture so we’re very happy to be here.”

As a result of this dinner, the SDIFF is already working with the Little Italy Association and with the Italian Cultural Center to encourage broader participation in Italian culture. On Saturday evening a line for the theater formed around the block. The start time had to be delayed over 20 minutes to get most people in the theater. The numbers were again a surprise to the event organizers, who expected a good turnout, but not a completely full theater. L

aruccia said, “We expected to have a good crowd, but this is way beyond our expectations. I think this shows how much need there is for the kind of cultural event that brings together many different people, all of whom love Italian culture, and who enjoy and appreciate good and healthy food, and who love cinema.” People still streamed in for the first 20 minutes of the event, which began with the compelling images, movies and presentation by Douglas Gayeton.

When Gayeton's presentation finished, the audience cheers filled the theater, and the enthusiastic audience bought up all his books during the intermission. Ron Miriello took the stage after the intermission to introduce the director, crew and cast of the short film Finding Strange, which Miriello Grafico produced through a grant won by the SDIFF from the Linnie Cooper Foundation to help teach adolescents about food choices.

All the film participants, most from Los Angeles, were cheered for several minutes. The feature film Focaccia Blues also charmed the audience, and as everyone left the theater, excitement lingered like the conversations after a fine Italian meal.

The SDIFF cordially invites all readers to come see its films and to join in all its parties. They leave a wonderful and lingering taste of both Italy and San Diego. Visit their website at www.sandiegoitalianfilmfestival.com to find some of those great flavors.

The San Diego Italian Film Festival begins its next movie festival Oct. 23 with a retrospective of famed director Marco Bellocchio, and its delicious Gala takes place Nov. 5. Everyone is invited. All are welcome to become members to help support this Italian cultural institution, named by the Commission on the Arts for the City of San Diego as a “model arts organization.”