Italian American Baseball Family

1101 Milford St,Houston TX 77006

22 February, 2022

Description

Award-winning documentary screening with producer Roberto Angotti followed by panel discussion. Join us on Tuesday, February 22 to meet the producer of the award-winning documentary Italian American Baseball Family, which won the Russo Brothers Italian American Film Forum Award at the National Italian American Foundation 42nd Anniversary Gala in Washington, DC in 2018. Most recently, the film received international accolades when it screened and was selected as a Finalist at the World FICTS (Fédération Internationale Cinéma Télévision Sportifs) Sport Movies & TV Challenge 2018 in Milan, Italy. Other film screenings have taken place in Rome, Chicago, Cleveland, Las Vegas, San Francisco, San Diego, and St. Louis at Fox Sports Midwest Live. The documentary will be followed by a panel discussion. Italian American Baseball Family tells the story of the Italian Americans’ role in baseball and in the culture of American sports. The movie documents an ethnic group’s rise from adversity and celebrates its triumphs in breaking into a game that was originally dominated by English, Irish and German immigrants. While some immigrants chose to change their names to mask their Italian identity, most felt the need to preserve and hold on to familiar things such as language, customs, and beliefs as a way of tolerating the discriminatory practices and injustices they encountered in America. Children of immigrants felt stuck in the middle between protective parents who did not want the foreign ways of America to affect the close-knit Italian family, and their own desire to blend into the culture in which they were born. These children lived dual identities, conflicted by the rich Italian traditions of their parents inside their homes and the outside world which existed in the streets and in the schools, where they were taught to become American. The solution to the stigma of being labeled as outsiders was to discover a way to become less different by assimilating into American culture. As a staple of mainstream American life, baseball presented Italians a viable point of entry as players and fans. By instilling the values of fair play, opportunity and democracy, baseball taught the children of immigrants how to become American. About the movie director: Roberto Angotti is a cultural historian, writer, film director, curator, and radio DJ who blends his love of baseball, Italian American arts and culture, and music into multi-media creations. Angotti is an official Team Italy media representative for Federazione Italiana Baseball Softball (FIBS), and he reports first-hand from international competitions such as the World Baseball Classic and other tournaments. He was first inspired to write about baseball in Italy and the USA, Italian American arts and culture, and music through his blog: www.mlbforlife.com. In 2013, he curated the Artists' Tribute to Italian Americans in Baseball in San Diego, California. This exhibit paid homage to Italian American baseball players and Team Italy players and coaches from the World Baseball Classic through artwork from renowned artists of Italian descent. Artists' Tribute to Italian Americans in Baseball opened with art and baseball memorabilia honoring such big-league players as Mike Piazza, Jason Grilli, Frank Catalanotto, Chris Denorfia, Nick Punto, Drew Butera, Anthony Rizzo, Chris Colabello, and Alex Liddi. A graduate of the prestigious Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, California with a bachelor's degree in Film Studies, Angotti began his filmmaking career with documentaries on The English Beat and UB40. As a radio deejay on KNAC in Long Beach and KROQ in Los Angeles, he launched the career of Grammy nominee Pato Banton in America. Angotti enlisted the services of Pato Banton on his latest film, Introducing Team Italy Manager Mike Piazza, to produce a musical odyssey documentary on the iconic career of the National Baseball Hall of Famer and the new leader of the Italian national baseball program. Angotti served as international sister city ambassador between Fullerton, California and Tollo (Abruzzo), Italy in honor of long-time Orange County, California resident Tommy Lasorda and the birth place of his parents in Italy. The Italian American Baseball Family was featured at the Tommy Lasorda Day celebration in Fullerton on September 22, 2021. In addition, the film (with Italian subtitles) will screened at the reciprocal Tollo sister city celebration in 2022. This program was made possible in part with a grant from Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. - The ICCC is funded in part by the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance. Experience Italy in the heart of Houston, Texas. The Italian Cultural & Community Center's mission is to advance, celebrate and preserve Italian culture and heritage through educational, cultural and social offerings for everyone: those of Italian descent, Italian expatriates living in Houston and Italophiles, non-Italians who are interested in Italy and its culture. It is our vision to be recognized as the Houston destination for all things Italian. The Italian Cultural & Community Center of Houston is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.