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After over 10 years of struggle by immigration advocates and a number of public officials, New York City will officially become a multi-lingual city! On July 22, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg issued Executive Order 120, which acknowledges that there are at least six languages besides English that are spoken by large numbers of residents. These are Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Korean, Italian and French Creole.

According to the Order, all city agencies must translate pamphlets, forms and all essential public documents into the six languages.

To Chung-Hwa Hong, Executive Director of the New York Immigration Coalition, Bloomberg's Order is "a landmark step toward inclusion". Anthony J. Tamburri, President of the American Association of Teachers of Italian and Dean of the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute (CUNY) rejoices at what he defines an "unprecedented decision" in relation to NYC citizens of Italian descent.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, over 15 million American citizens reported Italian as their first ancestry in 2000, one million of whom are able to speak Italian. The 2005 American Community Survey found that Italian was spoken by 800,000 people. Among younger Americans (age 5-17,) 55,000 speak Italian. The vast majority of Italian-speaking Americans live in the New York-New Jersey area. One every two Newyorkers come from a home where the main language spoken is not English.

The Mayor assures that the new rules will represent only a "relatively small" extra cost to the city finances, while giving a true meaning to all the money spent to create and implement laws and regulations. City agencies must submit a detailed plan on how to implement the new rules by January 1st 2009. Once fully implemented, this Executive Order is expected to improve communication between residents and public offices, hopefully diminishing the endless queues in front of every single city bureaucrat's window.

Six years ago, during a medical examination for military service, Danilo Giuffrida told doctors he was gay. The hospital passed the information to the transport ministry, which ultimately declared him mentally unfit to hold a driving license. He was obliged to repeat his driving test, which he successfully did, but his license was issued for only one year, instead of the regular 10 years. The only reason for this decision was his homosexuality.

After a six-year long legal battle, an Italian court finally ruled the Italian government – represented here by the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Transportation – must pay 100,000 euros in damages to Mr. Giuffrida. The case was tried in Catania, one of the most important Sicilian cities. The judge who ruled on the case declared that the behavior of the two convicted Ministries showed "evident sexual discrimination" and violated the basic constitutional rights of a citizen. According to 26 year-old Mr. Giuffrida, this sentence represents "a step forwards for civil rights because from now on what happened to me can't happen again".

Mr. Giuffrida's attorney declared that it was the first time that the Italian government was convicted for sexual discrimination. He hopes that Prime Minister Berlusconi will personally apologize to his client "on behalf of the state and all Italians". Since the court ruling affirmed that the behavior of the Ministries caused Mr. Giuffrida to lose confidence in the Italian state and institutions, official apologies might be appropriate.

Vinicio Capossela returns to New York City with a July 2, 2008 concert at Chelsea’s Highline Ballroom.  No stranger to US audiences, Capossela’s 2007 debut shows were completely sold-out and showcase performances at the 2008 editions of GlobalFEST in New York City and SXSW in Austin, Texas brought him numerous offers from North American venue bookers.

 

For his Highline debut, this “theatrical underground visionary” will mix songs from his forthcoming studio album with some of his best-known compositions.   Accompanied by a band that includes noted Italian guitarist Alessandro Stefana and NYC trumpeter Frank London of the Klezmatics, Capossela’s Highline concert offers an intimate preview of the 10th album by the multiple Tenco Prize (Italy’s equivalent to the UK’s Mercury Prize) winner.  His most recent New York performance at Joe’s Pub in March, an unannounced midnight set, was a sell-out.  

 

March also saw Capossela mixing his yet untitled new album, recorded in Italy and New York, in Brooklyn with legendary producer JD Foster. The album features a moving duet between Capossela and NYC-based organ maverick Cameron Carpenter who performed on a vintage 1923 Might Wurlitzer located in the historic Middletown Paramount Theater in upstate New York.


Vinicio Capossela is at the forefront of a new generation of singer-songwriters re-inventing Italian song.  The work of this musical auteur pays homage to the influences of both Paolo Conte and Tom Waits.  But Capossela’s own magic lies in his ability to break the boundaries of a song and to evoke, though the use of images, entire worlds inhabited by demons, shadows, lost souls and losers.  Lyrics play a crucial role while the music — free from any genre restraints — is at the complete disposal of the musical world Capossela conjures up.


In his early pieces, Capossela’s music was informed by the American underground culture and road myth embodied by Jack Kerouac and Charles Bukowski and by the “Italo-American” identity of the work of Martin Scorsese.  His songwriting continues to explore the many facets of the Italian cultural diaspora from the Argentine tango of Astor Piazzolla to the American swing of Louis Prima.  A dramatic and bewitching ‘circus artist’, Capossela is known for his theatrical live performances.


Vinicio Capossela has released nine albums in Italy.  His latest studio set  “Ovunque Proteggi” (Everywhere Protect) topped the country’s album charts achieving platinum sales status and was described as “...the best side of pop...” by Vanity Fair Italy.  The album is steeped in historical, biblical and mythological references.  In fact, the artist took a sort of archaeologist’s approach to the project, writing and recording in the very places the songs led him to, from a prehistoric cave in Sardinia to a Renaissance-era church in Sicily to a 19th century theater in the Veneto and to other significant locations.


Capossela has collaborated with artists as diverse as Macedonia’s Kocani Orkestar, American jazz crooner Jimmy Scott and New York City guitarist Marc Ribot.  He is also an award-winning novelist in Italy whose work “Non si muore tutte le mattine” (You Don’t Die Every Morning) has been adapted for radio broadcast and for the stage.

 

Wednesday July 2, 2008 @ Highline Ballroom

431 W 16th St (Between 9th and 10th Ave), New York, NY

9:00pm  Tickets: $20


Info.: http://www.highlineballroom.com/bio.php?id=507

or (212) 414-5994

In its eighth edition, Open Roads is a leading American showcase that promotes a new, fresh generation of Italian filmmakers. The real common factor between these young artists is their "independence". They are not part of a particular political movement, and their aesthetic approach to filmmaking varies greatly. Nonetheless, all their works represent an interesting rupture with genres and paradigms from the past.

This series has been organized by the Film Society of Lincoln Center together with the Ministero per i Beni e le Attivitá Culturali (Direzione Generale per il Cinema), Filmitalia, Cinecittá Holding in collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute of New York and SNGC. Special thanks to Alitalia, American Continental Properties, Apulia Film Commission, Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimó, Comune di Cesena, 41 Parallelo and Rai Corporation for their generous support.

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