Chapman Italian Studies News

Susanna Nicchiarelli spoke to students from Wilkinson and Dodge in Dr. Pacchioni’s class “Italian Cinema: Politics, Art, and Industry” on the creative use of archival footage and the power of visual poetry in contemporary Italian cinema. Later in the evening she presented her second feature film, The Discovery of Dawn. In the photograph below Ms. Nicchiarelli answers questions from students and members of the community during the Q&A after the screening. 

During a well-attended lecture (80 guests), Italian Islands: A Cinematic Journey, professor Fulvio Orsitto from CSU at Chico, offered an analysis of the most famous cinematic portrayals of the Italian islands, focusing on the contemporary film Respiro.

Wilkinson College of Humanities and Social Sciences and The Italian Studies Program present, Italian Islands: A Cinematic Journey, on Thursday, April 17, 7:30 – 9 p.m. in Argyros Forum, 209C with Fulvio Orsitto, Associate Professor of Italian, California State University, Chico.

The first part of this lecture will offer a chronological overview of the most famous cinematic portrayals of the Italian islands, highlighting stylemes and stereotypes that recur in most Italian films and television productions.

The second part of the talk will focus on a case study: Grazia’s Island, a film directed by Emanuele Crialese in 2002. The islander community depicted in this film will be used as a tool to explore Italian identity and its relationship to the Mediterranean.

This event is free and open to the public.

During Ties that Bind: The Folk Roots of Italian Music in March, Professor Alessandro Carrera from the University of Houston provided an extensive and interactive lecture on Italy’s ancient musical regional traditions to a mixed audience of about 60.

Wilkinson College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Italian Studies Program present, Ties That Bind: The Folk Roots of Italian Music with Alessandro Carrera, Professor of Italian, The University of Houston, Thursday, February 27, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. – 9 p.m. in  Salmon Recital Hall.

Italian folk music is one of the peninsula’s best-kept secrets. Italy has dozens of musical regional traditions, many of them ancient, little known outside the country, yet very much alive and constantly evolving. Alessandro Carrera will show how the best songwriters, popular musicians and classical composers have often incorporated key elements of fold and traditional music into their work.

Come to learn and sample the folk roots of Italian music.

This event is sponsored by the Musco Chair in Italian Studies and is free and open to the public.