BlaxploItalian: 100 Years of Blackness in Italian Cinema

On the occasion of Black History Month 2017: New York Premiere Preview Screening of Blaxploitalian: 100 Years of Italian Cinema (2016; documentary; 65 min.) In English and Italian with English subtitles. Directed by Fred Kudjo Kuwornu.

BlaxploItalian is a diasporic, hybrid, critical, and cosmopolitan dimension documentary that uncovers the careers of a population of entertainers seldom heard from before: Black actors in Italian cinema starting from 1915 when the first black actor appeared in an Italian film. BlaxploItalian cleverly discloses the personal struggles classic Afro-Italian; African-American; Afro-Caribbean and African diasporic actors faced, correlating it with the contemporary actors who work diligently to find respectable and significant roles. Thus our alternative aim is for the stories in BlaxploItalian to serve as a call-to-action with the intention of challenging worldwide mainstream filmmakers and audiences into calling for an enhancement and practicing of ethnic and racial diversity in casting for important roles within the international film/media industries.

Followed by a panel discussion with the director and special guests.

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From Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò.