WTI Magazine #28    2014 May, 1
Author : Sandra Tornberg      Translation by:

On March 28 the Italian Heritage Society and the Federazione Abruzzese del Michigan (FADM) sponsored the Michigan première of the film La Mia Strada ("My Road"), a beautiful feature-length documentary by Michael Angelo DiLauro.

Mr. Di Lauro is a distinguished director and producer of documentaries, television programs, commercials, and corporate productions. He has earned five regional Emmys, a Blue Ribbon at the American Film Festival, several American Advertising (ADDY) awards and the Gabriel award for outstanding television programming. In addition, Mr. DeLauro's previous documentary film entitled Prisoners Among Us: Italian American Identity and WWII earned him the Grand Jury Prize at the New York International Independent Film Festival in 2004. Mr. DiLauro is the Director if the Academic Media Center and Associate Professor in the Media Arts Department at Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His family is from Ascoli Satriano, in the province of Foggia in the region of Puglia, and San Potito Sannitico in the province of Caserta in the region of Campania.

During the six years it took to complete, La Mia Strada, clearly a labor love, Mr. DiLauro interviewed dozens of people in Italy and the United States, poured through family photographs, explored historical sites, and examined archaeological artifacts. The music, poetry and oral histories of the Abruzzo, Molise, and Puglia regions took on great significance for Mr. DiLauro as the film uses the historic shepherd trails (tratturi) that connect these regions to examine the diffusion of culture and identity. La Mia Strada features the beautiful music of DisCanto, an Abruzzese folk group.

Mr. DiLauro's film links ancient and modern Italian life with Italian-American life. There are telling and amusing interviews in which Italians give their opinions of Italian-Americans, and vice-versa. Most importantly La Mia Strada demonstrates the ways in which families endeavor to maintain traditions and the delicate bonds that exist across generations and continents.

The audience at Wayne State University was delighted when Mr. DiLauro told them that after having screened the film approximately seventy times, "this audience really got it", laughing and reacting to the film where he would expect it. The film clearly resonated with the audience, which was comprised largely of Italians, Italian-Americans, and students of Italian language at WSU. The audience had the opportunity to meet Mr. DiLauro and socialize at a reception immediately following the film in the Italian Heritage Room.

The film trailer for La Mia Strada can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zQKubXdK7Q. For more information about the film, or to purchase a copy, visit http://lamiastrada.org.