Italian Language Students Attend Nuovo Cinema Italiano Film Festival

Over the weekend of November 3-5, a group of Italian language students at Meredith embarked on a field trip to Charleston S.C., with their instructor, Adjunct Professor Sandra Pesoli to attend the 17th NCIFF – Nuovo Cinema Italiano Film Festival. 

This field trip to the festival, which Pesoli organizes every year, offers numerous benefits for the students who go, both academically and personally. 

“Experiencing real-world applications of what they learn in class can boost students’ motivation and engagement with their studies,” Pesoli said. “Also, having the chance to bond with their peers and teachers outside the classroom, can foster stronger relationships and communication skills.”

The Nuovo Cinema Italiano Film Festival, sponsored by the College of Charleston, “is a showcase of extraordinary creativity, and it’s an opportunity for the audience to better their acquaintance with the many facets of Italian life” as described by Giovanna De Luca, the artistic director of the festival. Students can learn a great deal from watching Italian movies, as these films offer not only entertainment but also insights into the Italian culture, language, literature, history, geography, and society as a whole. 

This year there were 13 films presented and one of the common themes of the films selected was migration and the stories of migrants. Three highlights of the festival were the films No Dogs or Italians Allowed, The Circle, and Maka. The first is a claymation film about the migration during the last century of Italians to France in search of a better life. The Circle is about students in an elementary school in Rome, many of whom come from families of migrants. Finally, Maka is a documentary about a Cameroonian-Italian writer who explores how the perception of race has changed in Italy since the 1990s.

• Tristan Smith, one of the students who went on the trip, said they appreciated learning about the experiences of people who migrated to Italy at a young age or later in life (Maka), but also about the difference in how people from southern and northern Italy are perceived (No Dogs or Italian Allowed).
• Eve Medvetz, another participant, said she appreciated learning about the format of Italian elementary schools and how severely Italy was hit by Covid (The Circle).

One thing is sure, every film was able to promote critical thinking and ignite discussions between the students. What is even more important is that all of this will continue in the classroom in the days to come.