STONEBREAKERS

2022 / 70’ / USA/Italy


Watch now:

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“Stonebreakers” chronicles the conflicts around monuments that arose in the United States during the George Floyd protests and the 2020 presidential election. As statues of Columbus, Confederates and Founding Fathers fall from their pedestals, the nation’s triumphalist myths are called into question. By exploring the shifting landscapes of American monumentality, the film interrogates the link between history and political action in a nation that must confront its past now more urgently than ever.


> To organize a university or educational screening event, contact us at info@awenfilms.net
> To license the film for ongoing classroom use, visit Grasshopper Film




FESTIVALS & ACCOLADES


Festival dei Popoli 2022 (World Premiere)
> Winner, Imperdibili Award
> Winner, MYmovies.it Audience Award
> Winner, Special Mention, Best Italian documentary

Workers Unite! Film Festival
> Best Documentary Feature

IFFBoston 2023 (USA Premiere)
> Official Selection

Brooklyn Film Festival 2023
> Official Selection

Nastri d’Argento 2023
> Official Selection

Festival Mente Locale - Visioni sul Territorio
> Winner, Suono e Territorio Award

Roxbury International Film Festival
> Official Selection

Filmteenth Film Festival
> Official Selection

Magna Graecia Film Festival
> Official Selection

History Film Festival
> Winner, Best Independent Production Documentary
> Winner, Best Film Editing

Richmond International Film Festival 
> Official Selection

Festival della Comunicazione e del Cinema Archeologico
> Official Selection

PerSo Film Festival
> Official Selection

Clorofilla Film Festival
> Official Selection

Documentaria
> Official Selection

Honolulu African American Film Festival
> Official Selection


Follow Stonebreakers on social media: Facebook / Twitter / Instagram


> SCREENINGS CALENDAR <
 > PRESS INFO & MATERIALS <



PRESENTED AT

Mercato Internazionale Audivisivo (MIA)  /  Italy
DOC NYC Only in New York  /  USA
Southern Producers Lab / USA


DISTRIBUTED BY

Grasshopper Film
GA&A

TEAM

Director: Valerio Ciriaci
Producer/Cinematographer: Isaak Liptzin
Producer: Curtis Caesar John
Editor/Co-Producer: Andrea Fumagalli
Composer: Francesco Venturi
Sound editor: Stefano Di Fiore, Luigi Porto
Re-recording mixer: Stefano Di Fiore a.i.t.s.
Colorist: Susi Dollnig
Visual Effects: Giovanni Pompetti
Music producer and engineer: Jake Lummus
Guitarist: Silvia Cignoli








IN TRANSIT: THE CINEMA OF ELVIRA NOTARI
In production / 75’ / USA/Italy




“In Transit” chronicles the life and work of Elvira Notari, Italy's first woman film director. Despite directing hundreds of silent films that captivated from Naples to New York, Elvira was relegated to the margins of film history for half a century. Her films, poised between realism and staged drama, were deeply rooted in Neapolitan folklore. A woman in a man’s world, her works were targeted by Fascist censorship yet found the embrace of audiences on both sides of the Atlantic. The documentary interweaves voices of those who celebrate her legacy today – from the experts who rediscovered her films to new generations encountering her work for the first time – to resurrect Elvira’s singular vision. More than a biography, "In Transit" is a prismatic portrait of an artist who continues to inspire new creative pathways.


In co-production with Parallelo 41 Produzioni and Luce Cinecittà






STONEBREAKERS

Events & Screenings

UPCOMING:

Minneapolis, MN | University of Minnesota, Twin Cities |  Jan. 18 2025
Film Screening and Q&A with Curtis Caesar John (producer)


PAST:

Firenze, Italy | Festival dei Popoli Nov. 12 2022, 5pm  |  Spazio Alfieri
World Premiere
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer/cinematographer)

Bergamo, Italy | Nov. 14 2022, 4pm  | Università di Bergamo
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci director), Isaak Liptzin (producer/cinematographer)

Roma, Italy Nov. 21 2022, 7pm | Cinema Troisi 
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci director), Isaak Liptzin (producer/cinematographer), Giulia Grechi (anthropologist), Sergio Cararo (Director of Contropiano) and Kwanza Musi Dos Santos (activist, co-founder of QuestaèRoma)

Roma, Italy | Nov. 22 2022, 6pm British School of Rome
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci director), Marla Stone (Occidental College; American Academy in Rome) and Luca Peretti (BSR; Warwick).

Independent Film Festival Boston Apr. 29 2023, 4pm  |  Somerville Theatre
USA Premiere
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer/cinematographer)

Genova (Italy)  May 2 2023, 10:00  |  Palazzo Tursi, Salone di Rappresentanza
Press conference - Italy spring 2023 screenings tour
In attendance: Francesca Ghio (Genoa City Council), Amina Gaia Abdelouahab (University of Genoa), Alessandro Ferraro (Università di Genova), Luca Celada (journalist), Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer/cinematographer)

Genova (Italy)  May 2 2023, 21:00  |  Cineclub Nickelodeon
Film Screening and Q&A with , Luca Celada (journalist), Valerio Ciriaci (director), Francesca Ghio (Genoa City Council), Isaak Liptzin (producer/cinematographer)

Milano (Italy)  May 3 2023, 21:30  |  Il Cinemino
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer/cinematographer), Andrea Fumagalli (editor), Marilisa Palumbo (Corriere della Sera)

Prato (Italy)  May 4 2023, 18:00  |  Monash University Prato Centre
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer/cinematographer), Matteo Dutto (Monash University, “Deconolonising Cities”), Simone Grassi (Monash University, “Deconolonising Cities”); introduction by Cecilia Hewlett (Director, Monash University Prato Centre)
Open to the public

Como (Italy)  May 6 2023, 18:00  |  Cinema Astra
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer/cinematographer); in collaboration with FuoriFuoco
MORE INFO

Milano (Italy)  May 7 2023, 21:30  | Nuovo Armenia
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer/cinematographer), Sara Troglio (Laboratorio Lapsus), Simone Pisano (Laboratorio Lapsus)
Virtual screening for Nuovo Cinema Armenia members: COMING SOON

Torino (Italy)  May 8 2023, 20:30  |  Cinema Massimo
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer/cinematographer), Lisa Parola (author, “Giù i monumenti?”); moderated by Valentina Noya (Associazione Museo Nazionale del Cinema); in collaboration with Museo Nazionale del Cinema
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Milano (Italy)  May 9 2023, 10:30  |  Il Lazzaretto
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer/cinematographer), Lisa Parola (author, “Giù i monumenti?”)
Event reserved for student groups

Milano (Italy)  May 9 2023, 18:30  |  Il Lazzaretto
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer/cinematographer), Lisa Parola (author, “Giù i monumenti?”); moderated by Francesca Guerisoli (MAC Lissone)
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Firenze (Italy)  May 10 2023, 21:00  |  Cinema La Compagnia
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer/cinematographer), Justin Randolph Thompson (The Recovery Plan, Black History Month Florence); moderated by Vittorio Iervese (Festival dei Popoli); in collaboration with Festival dei Popoli
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Modena (Italy)  May 11 2023, 15:30  |  UNIMORE (Aula B04)
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer/cinematographer), Vittorio Iervese (Festival dei Popoli), Mirco Carrattieri (Istituto Storico di Modena); in collaboration with Istituto Storico di Modena

Modena (Italy)  May 11 2023, 21:15  |  Sala Truffaut
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer/cinematographer), Metella Montanari (Istituto Storico di Modena); in collaboration with Istituto Storico di Modena
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Jesi (Italy)  May 12 2023, 21:30  |  Il Piccolo
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer/cinematographer), Marta Gara (public historian); in collaboration with Associazione Culturale Res Humanae
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Festival Mente Locale  |  Vignola (Italy)  May 13 2023, 18:00  |  Teatro Ermanno Fabbri
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer/cinematographer)

Firenze (Italy)  May 14 2023, 15:00  |  Cinema La Compagnia
Film Screening

Roma (Italy)  |  May 15 2023, 11:00  |  Università Tor Vergata (Aula Cinema - T19, Edificio A)
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer/cinematographer), Lucia Ceci (Tor Vergata), Luca Mazzei (Tor Vergata)

Firenze (Italy)  
May 15 2023, 21:00  |  Cinema La Compagnia
Film Screening

Roma (Italy)  |  May 16 2023, 21:00  |  Nuovo Cinema Aquila
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer/cinematographer), Yasmin Riyahi (Sapienza Università di Roma); moderated by Matteo Berardini (Sindacato Nazionale Critici Cinematografici italiani); in collaboration with Sindacato Nazionale Critici Cinematografici Italiani

Firenze (Italy)  May 16 2023, 19:00  |  Cinema La Compagnia
Film Screening

Napoli (Italy)  |  May 17 2023, 10:00  |  Cinema Modernissimo
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Giulia Grechi (Accademia di Belle Arti di Napoli)
Event reserved for students of Accademia di Belle Arti di Napoli

Napoli (Italy)  |  May 17 2023, 19:00  |  L’Asilo (Sala Cinema)
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Giulia Grechi (Accademia di Belle Arti di Napoli), Carmine Conelli (Libreria Tamu), Tiziana Terranova (autrice); in collaboration with Libreria Tamu

Boston (USA)  |  May 19 2023, 7pm  |  Emerson Paramount Center
ArtsEmerson and Roxbury International Film Festival present: Shared Stories
Film Screening and Q&A with Isaak Liptzin (producer/cinematographer), Curtis Caesar John (producer), Karin Goodfellow (Director of Public Art, City of Boston), Elizabeth Tiblanc (Deputy Director of Programs, Embrace Boston), Tran Vu (Artist and Cultural Organizer); Moderated by Lisa Simmons (Artistic/Executive Director, RoxFilm)
MORE INFO & TICKETS

Roma (Italy)  |  May 19 2023, 17:00  |  Università Rome Tre (DAMS, Aula Parco)
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Ivelise Perniola (Università Rome Tre), Giacomo Ravesi (Università Rome Tre); moderated by Leonardo De Franceschi (Università Rome Tre)

Firenze (Italy)  May 23 2023, 19:00  |  Cinema La Compagnia
Film Screening

Milano (Italy)  |  May 24 2023, 18:30  |  Fondazione Memoriale della Shoah
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Sara Troglio (Laboratorio Lapsus), Simone Pisano (Laboratorio Lapsus)

Padova (Italy)  |  May 25 2023, 21:00  |  Cinema Lux
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Annalisa Frisina (UNIPD), Mariam C. Rechchad (UNIPD), Gustavo Alfredo García Figueroa (UNIPD)

Verona (Italy)  |  May 26 2023, 20:30  |  Cinema Nuovo San Michele
Festival del Giornalismo di Verona
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Stefania Pontrandolfo (Università di Verona)
MORE INFO

Brooklyn Film Festival Jun. 3 2023, 6pm  |  Windmill Studios
New York Premiere
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer/cinematographer), Joseph Sciorra (folklorist), Roberto Mukaro Borrero (Kasike, Guainía Taíno Tribe).
MORE INFO


Lucca (Italy)  Jun. 14 2023, 21:00   IMT School for Advanced Studies (Cappella Guinigi)
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer/cinematographer); moderated by Anna Pirri Valentini and Felicia Caponigri (IMT); part of the program: Law and Cultural Heritage across the Atlant

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Firenze (Italy)  Jun. 15 2023, 21:30  Cinema di Castello, Arena Estiva
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director)


ImageNation Outdoors  Harlem, NY |  Jun. 17 2023, 7:45pm  |  F. Douglass Blvd bet. 119th & 120th St
Film Screening
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Filmteenth Film Festival  Bethesda, MD |  Jun. 19 2023, 12pm  |  Landmark Bethesda Row
Maryland Premiere
Film Screening
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Magna Graecia Film Festival  Catanzaro (Italy)  |  Aug. 3 2023, 21:00  |  Chiostro del San Giovanni
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director)
MORE INFO

New York, NY  |  Sept. 7 2023, 7pm  |  Maysles Documentary Center
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer), Roberto Mukaro Borrero (Kasike, Guainía Taíno Tribe).
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Rijeka (Croatia) | History Film Festival | Sept. 16 2023, 6:30pm  | Art-kino Croatia
Film Screening
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Richmond International Film Festival Sept. 27th 2023, 6:15pm  |  Byrd Theatre
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer/cinematographer), Curtis Caesar John (producer), Ana Edwards (public historian and activist)
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Virginia Commonwealth University | Sept. 28th 2023, 6:00pm  |  Temple Building 1164 - 901 W Main St, Richmond, VA
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer/cinematographer), Rohan Kalyan (VCU), Michael L. Dickinson (VCU) and Ana Edwards (public historian and activist)
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New York, NY  |  Oct 2nd 2023, 6.30pm  |  Casa Italiana Zerilli Marimò NYU
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer), Joseph Sciorra (folklorist), David Forgacs (NYU), Ruth Ben-Ghiat (NYU), Roberto Mukaro Borrero (Kasike, Guainía Taíno Tribe).
MORE INFO

Perugia (Italy)  |  Oct 4th 2023, 7pm  |  Perso Film Festival | Cinema Zenith
Film Screening
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Licodia Eubea (Italy) |  Festival della Comunicazione e del Cinema Archeologico | Oct. 14th 2023, 9pm | Teatro della Legalità
Film Screening
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New York, NY |  Workers Unite Film Festival | Oct. 27th 8.30pm | Cinema Village
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer), Roberto Mukaro Borrero (Kasike, Guainía Taíno Tribe), Joseph Sciorra (folklorist)
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Grosseto, Italy |  Nov. 2 2023, 7pm | Cinema Stella
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer)
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Carbonia, Italy |  Nov. 3 2023, 9pm | Fabbrica del Cinema
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer)
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Noto, Italy |  Nov. 3 2023, 6.30pm | Festival Documentaria
Film Screening
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Ales, Italy |  Nov. 4 2023, 6pm | Casa Natale A. Gramsci
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer)
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Cagliari, Italy |  Nov. 5 2023, 7pm | Associazione ARC / Laboratorio 28
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer) Valeria Deplano (historian)
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Bergamo, Italy |  Nov. 7 2023, 4pm | Università di Bergamo
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer), Anna Chiara Cimoli (Unibg), Federica Sossi (Unibg), Giuseppe Previtali (Unibg)
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Carpi, Italy |  Nov. 8 2023, 9pm | Biblioteca Loria
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer)
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Modena, Italy |  Nov. 9 2023, 9am | Sala Truffaut (riservata agli studenti)
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer)
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Cesena, Italy |  Nov. 9 2023, 9pm | Cinema Eliseo
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer)
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Cesena, Italy |  Nov. 10 2023, 8.30am | Cinema Eliseo (riservata agli studenti)
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer),
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Milano, Italy |  Nov. 14 2023, 10.30am | Anteo Palazzo del Cinema (riservata agli studenti)
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer)
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Milano, Italy |  Nov. 14 2023, 7.30pm | Casa della Memoria
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer),
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Pisa, Italy |  Nov. 15 2023, 8.30pm | Cinema Arsenale
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer), Arnaldo Testi (historian)
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Roma, Italy |  Nov. 16 2023, 6.30pm | Università Luiss (riservata agli studenti)
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer), Anna Pirri Valentini (Università Luiss).
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Roma, Italy |  Nov. 16 2023, 9.30pm | CSOA Forte Prenestino
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer)
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Roma, Italy |  Nov. 20 2023, 7.00pm | Temple University (riservata agli studenti)
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer), Lorenzo Rinelli (Temple University)
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Trento, Italy |  Nov. 20 2023 | 6.00pm Harpolab + 8.45pm Treatro Cuminetti
Virtual Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer), Giorgio Lucaroni (historian) at Harpolab + Film Screening at Teatro Cuminetti
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Montclair State University |  Nov. 30 2023, 6pm | Presentation Hall 1040 - School of Communication and Media
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer)
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Santa Barbara, CA |  Dec. 5 2023 , 7pm | The Carsey-Wolf Center at UC Santa Barbara
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer), and prof. Stephanie Malia Hom (UCSB)
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Bassano del Grappa |  Jan 15 2024, 8pm | Metropolis Cinemas
Rassegna cinematografica “Rovine d’America”
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director)
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Venezia |  Jan 16 2024, 9pm | Multisala Rossini
Rassegna cinematografica “Rovine d’America”
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director)
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Brescia |  Jan 17 2024, 9pm | Cinema Nuovo Eden
Rassegna cinematografica “Rovine d’America”
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director)
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Bologna |  Jan 22 2024, 9pm | Pop Up Cinema Arlecchino
Rassegna cinematografica “Rovine d’America”
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director) and Mariana Califano (Resistenze in Cirenaica)
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Roma |  Jan 29 2024, 8pm | Cinema Troisi
Rassegna cinematografica “Rovine d’America”
Film Screening and Q&A with Alessio Marchionna (Internazionale)
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Honolulu, HI |  Feb 17 2024, 2pm | HOMA
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director)
MORE INFO

Padova, Italy |  Feb 19 2024, 8.45pm | Spazio Stria
Rete Yekatit 12 - 19 Febbraio
Film Screening

Stony Brook University, NY |  Feb 22 2024 , 1pm
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer), prof. Loredana Polezzi (SBU) and prof. Simone Brioni (SBU)
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Napoli, Italy |  Feb 23 2024, 7pm | Cinema Astra
Rassegna AstraDoc
Film Screening

Honolulu, HI |  Feb 24 2024, 7pm | HOMA
Film Screening
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Fordham University at Lincoln Center, NY |  Feb 27 2024, 6pm | Room 334
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer), prof. Steve Cerulli (Fordham)
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Milano, Italy |  Feb 27 2024, 8.30pm | La Scighera, circololo ARCI
Rete Yekatit 12 - 19 Febbraio
Film Screening and online Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer)
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Torino, Italy |  Feb 29 2024, 5pm | Università di Torino
Rassegna cinematografica “Rovine d’America”
Film Screening and online Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer), prof. Matteo Rossi (Università di Torino)

Perugia, Italy |  Mar 7 2024, 21:00 | Cinema Postmodernissimo
Rassegna cinematografica “Rovine d’America”
Film Screening
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Bristol, UK |  Mar 11  2024, 18:00  | Watershed
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer), Amy King (University of Bristol), Cleo Lake (Artist and Engagement Professional), and Edson Burton (Writer and Historian).
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London, UK |  Mar 12 2024, 17:00 | School of Advanced Study (Senate House, Woburn Suite)
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer), Sarah Churchwell (School of Advanced Study), Gianmarco Mancosu (School of Advanced Study), and Charles Burdett (School of Advanced Study).
Organized by the Institute of Languages, Cultures and Societies (ILCS).
MORE INFO & RSVP

Mestre, Italy |  Mar 13 2024, 21:00 | Cinema Dante
Rassegna cinematografica “Rovine d’America”
Film Screening and Q&A with Federica Timeto.
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Coventry, UK |  Mar 13 2024, 15:30 | Warwick University (FAB0.21 Cinema Room)
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer), Alison Cooley (Classics), Lara Ratnaraja (Cultural Consultant), Jessica Underwood (Politics and International Studies), Trevor McCrisken (American Studies).
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Coventry, UK |  Mar 13 2024, 19:30 |  Coventry Cathedral Chapter House
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer), Ras Emmanuelle Henry-Cottrell (I&I Collective), Lydia Plath (University of Warwick), David Wright (University of Warwick), and Luca Peretti (University of Warwick).
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Cambridge, UK |  Mar 14 2024, 17:00 | Newnham College, U. of Cambridge (C. Beerbower Room)
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer), Amy Morris (Professor of English, Cambridge), Saleyha Ahsan (PhD Student, Cambridge), Marjorie Osagie (First Year, Cambridge), and Jenny Mander (Professor of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics, Cambridge)
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Genova, Italy |  Mar 15 2024, 20:00 | Cineclub Nickelodeon
Rassegna cinematografica “Rovine d’America”
Film Screening
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Paris, France |  Mar 16 2024, 17:15  | Institut national d'histoire de l'art (Lichstenstein Auditorium)
Symposium: New Monuments
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer), and Martyna Majewska (Art Historian)
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Torino, Italy |  Mar 18 2024, 6:15pm | Cinema Massimo
Rassegna cinematografica “Rovine d’America”
Film Screening
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Princeton University, NJ |  Mar 21 2024, 5:00pm  |  Rocky-Mathey Theater
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer), Prof. Kinohi Nishikawa (English and African American Studies, Princeton University).
Organized by Prof. Anna Cellinese (French and Italian Department, Princeton).
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Santarcangelo di Romagna, Italy |  Mar. 26, 21:00 | C'Entro - Supercinema Santarcangelo
Rassegna cinematografica “Rovine d’America”
Film Screening
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Mantova, Italy |  Mar. 27, 21:00 | Cinema Mignon
Rassegna cinematografica “Rovine d’America”
Film Screening
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Torino, Italy |  Mar. 29, 20:30 | Cinema Massimo
Rassegna cinematografica “Rovine d’America”
Film Screening
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Rochester Istitute of Technology, NY |  Apr. 3 
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer), prof. Elisabetta D’Amanda (RIT)
More info coming soon

Hostos Community College |  Apr. 11 2023, 2pm + 5:30pm  |  Room B–501
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer/cinematographer)
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Watertown, MA |  Apr 11 2024, 6:30pm | Watertown Free Public Library
Film Screening
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Calandra Institute, New York  |  Apr 16 2024, 6pm
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer), Joseph Sciorra (Calandra Institute)
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Arizona State University  |  Apr 19 2024, 5pm  |  ASU Art Museum
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer), Gabriella Soto (ASU)
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City College of San Francisco - Mission Center  |  Apr 22 2024, 7pm  |  Room 106
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer), James Tracy (CCSF)MORE INFO

UC Berkeley |  Apr 23 2024, 12:30pm  |  Nestrick Room, 142 Dwinelle
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer), Prof. Mia Fuller (UC Berkley), Rhiannon Welch (UC Berkley) and Laura Ruberto (Berkley City College)
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Paris, France  |  May 18 2024, 17:30  |  POUSH
Presented in connection with the exhibition-event “Nord-Est” by Thomas Hirschhorn
Film Screening, preceded by a talk with Martyna Majewska (Université Paris Nanterre)
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Calandra Institute, New York  |  Jun 14 2024
Creative Spaces/Contested Spaces Workshop (FIT)
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer)
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Calandra Institute, New York  |  Jun 21 2024
Creative Spaces/Contested Spaces Workshop (FIT)
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer)
MORE INFO

Bologna, Italy | July 17 2024, 9.30pm | Giardino Graziella Fava (Parsec)
Film Screening 

Chicago, IL  |  Siskel Center  |   Oct. 15 2024, 6pm
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director), Isaak Liptzin (producer/cinematographer), Mechtild Widrich (School of the Art Institute of Chicago) and Rebecca Zorach (Northwestern University)
TICKETS & INFO

New York, NY | Fashion Institute of Technology |  Nov. 22 2024, 3:10pm
Film Screening and Q&A with Valerio Ciriaci (director)

IF ONLY I WERE THAT WARRIOR

2015 / 72’





If Only I Were That Warrior is a feature documentary film focusing on the Italian occupation of Ethiopia in 1935. Following the recent construction of a monument dedicated to Fascist general Rodolfo Graziani, the film addresses the unpunished war crimes he and others committed in the name of Mussolini’s imperial ambitions. The stories of three characters, filmed in present day Ethiopia, Italy and the United States, take the audience on a journey through the living memories and the tangible remains of the Italian occupation of Ethiopia — a journey that crosses generations and continents to today, where this often overlooked legacy still ties the fates of two nations and their people.


Watch on:  
Vimeo on Demand  /  Amazon  /  Apple TV  /  Google Play /  YouTube
FESTIVALS & AWARDS
Italian Golden Globes 2016  /  Winner, Best Documentary
Festival dei Popoli  /  Winner, Best Italian Feature Doc
New Italian Cinema Events  /  Special Mention
Big Sky Documentary Film Festival  /  Official Selection
African Diaspora International Film Festival  /  Official Selection
Addis International Film Festival  /  Official Selectio
Africa World Film Festival  /  Official Selection
Italian Film Festival of Minneapolis-St. Paul  /  Official Selection

AIRED ON
Rai Storia (Italy)
RSI LA2 (Switzerland)

CREDITS
Director:  Valerio Ciriaci
Producers:  Isaak Liptzin, Valerio Ciriaci
Cinematographer:  Isaak Liptzin
Editor:  Giovanni Pompetti
Original Score:  Francesco Venturi
Sound Design:  Luigi Porto

To purchase an educational license and show this film at your school or academic institution in the U.S., click here.



MISTER WONDERLAND

2019 / 53’



Mister Wonderland recounts the remarkable story of Sylvester Z. Poli, a humble artisan who emigrated from Italy to America at the end of the 19th century — only to become the greatest theater impresario of his time. The film chronicles his journey from rural Tuscany to the bright lights of the Roaring Twenties, revealing how a migrant’s ingenuity shaped the movie-going experience as we know it. Crossing continents and generations, Mister Wonderland sets out to find what remains today of Sylvester’s theaters and the communities they used to serve

EDUCATIONAL LICENSE
To buy a digital copy of the film for educational purposes, contact info@awenfilms.net

FESTIVALS & AWARDS
Festival dei Popoli  /  ‘Il Cinemino’ Award
New Haven Documentary Film Festival  /  Official Selection
Lucca Film Festival & Europa Cinema  /  Special Screening
New Italian Cinema Events  /  Official Selection
Rassegna del cinema archeologico  /  Official Selection
AegeanDocs International Film Festival  /  Official Selection
Waterloo Historical Film Festival  /  Official Selection

AIRED ON
CPTV/PBS (USA)
Rai 3 (Italy)
Rai 2 (Italy)

CREDITS
Directed by Valerio Ciriaci
Written by Valerio Ciriaci and Luca Peretti
Cinematographer: Isaak J. Liptzin
Editor: Andrea Fumagalli
Original Score: Francesco Venturi
Animation: Avansguardi
Sound design: Luigi Porto
Executive Producer: Nicola Borrelli
Producers: Isaak Liptzin, Valerio Ciriaci, Luca Peretti,
Maurizio Bernardi, Cristina Gianni

In collaboration with Infinity Blue, Lucca Film Festival e Europa Cinema

With the support of Fondazione Paolo Cresci per la Storia dell’emigrazione e italiana, Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Lucca

With the support of Programma Sensi Contemporanei Toscana per il Cinema

Fiscally sponsored by Independent Filmmaker Project (The Gotham)

WITH THE SUPPORT OF:
Italian Cultural Institute, New York
The John D. Calandra Italian American Institute (Queens College)
Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò (New York University)
Provincia di Lucca
Comune di Coreglia Antelminelli
Comune di Gallicano
Associazione Lucchesi nel Mondo