In this podcast we discuss Giani Amelio's neglected 1994 film on Albanian migration to Italy, 'Lamerica', multi award winning at the time and still resonant. The conversation moves from the opening, a fascist propaganda film about Italy colonising Albania in the 1930s, to a discussion of the mass migration that followed the collapse of the repressive communist regime at the end of the 1980s. We talk about the two lead performances, one by an extraordinary first time actor aged 80. We discuss the historical background and various scenes, particularly a rusting freighter loaded with thousands of migrants (Albanian extras) and a closing sequence worthy of projecting as a contemporary artwork. A great but hard to find film even more relevant today than when it was made.

Participants:

Russ Kilbourn, Professor of Literature and Film, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario (Canada) http://rjakilbourn.com/

Ken Barrett, visual artist, writer, podcaster and former neuropsychiatrist (UK) http://www.kenbarrettstudio.co.uk/

The film:https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110299/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_in_0_q_lamerica

Theme music: Tarantella composed by Stephen Brown.

Portrait print by KB illustration.

A Brainland Collective production.

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