il Messaggero (The Messenger) tells the story of an Italian man from a small village in Italy and his idea to bring messages of hope and joy to the United States as an immigrant in 1966. In doing so, he unknowingly immortalizes a generation of Italians through rare audio recordings and more than 50 years later we see its impact on the next generation living in the U.S. The film explores the amazing true history of one man's mission and his unique way of capturing the stories of those left behind in Italy. It revisits turbulent times in recent world history as well as local history, including the rise of the HJ Heinz company, a Pittsburgh area Italian DJ, and the migration of Italians to the Pittsburgh area.
Director Pete Ferrar will be present for Q&A
All films are sponsored by the History Center's Italian American program and the University of Pittsburgh's European Studies Center and Italian Nationality Room (part of the Nationality Rooms & Intercultural Exchange Programs). Film screenings are free to the public and will take place in the Frick Fine Arts Auditorium on the University of Pittsburgh campus.
