Last  July, my nephew and accomplished filmmaker, John Urbano, invited me to write the script and do the Italian voice-over for a film project he was working on. I was thrilled to be a part of this project and to collaborate with John!

John Urbano directed this film for Arhaus. Arhaus sells furniture crafted by traditional artisans in Italy.

“Every brushstroke, every carving, every detail is beautiful.” -John Reed, Arhaus Co-Founder

Our new Amalfi Collection displays the passion of generations of traditional artisans-each piece carefully carved, painted, detailed, and distressed by hand.

It’s from Italy, with love.

The film centers around the question, “What does it mean to be Italian?”  For this project, John used film footage he shot while on assignment in Northern Italy, working for the company Arhaus. On assignment, John documented the life of a family of traditional, artisanal furniture makers. This film also uses other footage John filmed on his various trips to Italy.

In our joint project, John interspersed footage he inherited from my dad with the footage from the work assignment mentioned above.

My dad also loved filming! He had a 1970 Sony AVC-3200 CE Video camera, which he brought with him to Sicily in 1972. This 1972 trip to Rome and Sicily was my family’s first return trip to Europe after their immigration to the States in 1959. It was my first trip to Italy and my first time to meet my Nonna Antonia in Sicily. This 1972 trip to Italy shaped the lives of Toni, Jeanie, Zina, and me.  Nora, our eldest sister, was already married and missed out on this trip! My other sisters were lovely teenagers. Jeanie, tall and slim, hovered over most men in the village. Many men were infatuated with my sisters.  I was the awkward 10 year old child, trying desperately to figure out who I was.

At my cousin’s wedding in Sicily. Jeanie designed and made the bridesmaids’ dresses. Zina is on the left in the bridesmaid dress and Jeanie on the right, also in a bridesmaid dress.

John so artistically blended present-time images of Northern Italy with 1972 images of our family trip, as documented by my dad. Images of my mother, child-like on a swing with her brother, bring the viewer to wonder at the fun whimsical character of these adults. Images of my family enjoying a post-Easter outing in the Sicilian countryside, picnicking on ancestral lands, under almond trees in fragrant spring blossom are juxtaposed with a family enjoying a meal in present-day north Italy. With pure joy, we watch both families, of past and present, of the south and the north, enjoying each others’ company and a meal al fresco.

As you watch the film, you might look for the fleeting and beautifully haunting image of Jeanie. My dad captured his daughter in her ephemeral beauty. There she is, for a few seconds, descending a set of marble steps in Rome.  Her long hair swaying. Her face confident. This 16 year-old is ready to face the world.  Little did she know she would later become mother to two fabulous boys who would become remarkable men, one of whom put this film together.

Jeanie

John captures life. My life, your life, life as it unfolds. John captures the essence of what it is to be Italian through his film imagery. Together we capture the essence of what it means to be Italian through imagery, script, and voice.

The film captures a feeling: to love, to be with those you love, to create beautiful works of art (including Arhaus furniture), to produce and enjoy delicious foods, to live and love as if today were your last day.

Together John and I present a gem of a film.  This film was bought by the company Arhaus. It was launched today! John and I are so proud to present this film to you. Oh, yeah, that’s me doing the voice over. Many people have said, “That doesn’t sound like you!” But it’s me. When you speak another language, you take on another persona. When I speak Italian, I speak from my diaphragm and I use my hands more. My tone changes and this is what you have when you view the film below.

The film below will be sent to your downloads and viewed there.

View the Film