Skip to main content

TIFF15- Federica Foglia's Courageous Plight of Immigration


Federica Foglia posing for a selfie with child refugees
Immigration is a very hot topic across the globe right now. Whether the headline is about young Syrians escaping their war-torn homeland to seek refuge in Europe and build new lives for their families- or the boatloads of North African refugees populating the shores of southern Italy and Lampedusa- or leaders of the United States looking to build a wall at the border of Mexico, it seems that immigration is affecting just about everyone these days.

Indie filmmaker, Federica Foglia, took her own story of immigration and turned it into a film that was selected for the Short Cuts Program of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. Foglia is an Italian who immigrated to Canada. The process of assimilating was not an easy task. So she delve into her love of art and film to set some roots and feel at home. That experience inspired her to make the short film, Exit/Entrance about a young artist who wanders the streets of his new town, exploring the nostalgia he feels for the home he left behind and the desire to belong to the home that he is trying to build.

I spoke with Federica Foglia about the inspiration behind this film and why the topic of immigration is so close to her heart.

What inspired you to tell this story of immigration?
Leaving home, finding my place in a new country, and trying to belong without losing myself. Immigration is not just physical relocation, it's also the process of finding your emotional center. Therefore the title of the short... For three years, I wrote and wrote and wrote many poems, letters and stories that dealt with my feelings of displacement, the way I looked at someone in the street and thought I was seeing my best friend...the brain made this association between familiar faces and foreign physiognomies. You constantly feel in limbo and you miss all the certainties of your old life. You wait and wait till you get an approval for a visa and then in the meanwhile you feel that you don't belong to this new land yet....and that your old homeland is slowly forgetting you. It brings a lot of mental distress. It's the hardest thing I've ever done. This short was my way of getting all the struggles of immigration out. It was my little contribution in raising awareness about what goes on in an immigrants' heart. I hope it will resonate with many people. 


Is it a true story, in a documentary-style?
It's inspired by a true experience, my three years as an "immigrant" in Canada. 
It's not a documentary and it's not an ordinary short for sure. I tried to use symbols, allegories and metaphors to represent a universal state of mind, the state of mind of someone who is in between two or more places, always migrating, and trying to find a way to belong.

In your film, is the subject a clandestine immigrant?
The very act of immigration is clandestine. There is a lot of guilt associated with the decision to leave your land of birth. Nobody wishes to leave their homeland. If we do so, it's because we are not finding the ideal conditions to grow and develop and flourish.

What are the special aspects of your main character, this artist?
The artist is a symbol, a symbol of free expression that is finally dependent on the largesse of others to legitimize their creative spirit. Art is also the "tool" with which I managed to keep myself together during these years away from home. When you are in a place where you have no roots, you hold on to something that you can carry with you and that is part of your heritage. For me that was art, my photography, my writing, films...these are things that are universal and make me feel at home.

As an Italian, what are your thoughts on the illegal immigration crisis.. in particular, the situation with all these boats oversizing lately and lives lost.
It is something that hurts me deeply and that angers me. I am in shock mainly because we are all responsible for this, and yet very few people are proactively doing something to fix the situation. Small humanitarian organizations, especially in Italy, are being an example of generosity, compassion and "pietas" that is very instilled into Italian genes - but this is not enough.
I am amazed how the first world countries can be effective when it comes to "fix" first world problems. I see a lot of hypocrisy and increasingly scary racism as well. My heart is broken - and I am personally feeling ashamed and responsible for this situation and I know I am not doing enough to fix it. When you see dead bodies of kids washed up on the shores by the waves of the ocean, what else is there to say?


How has becoming an immigrant yourself, in Canada, given you insight and/or empathy on this subject?
Coming to Canada was the greatest journey I have ever undertaken. When I first arrived in Toronto, I was very excited and unaware, but then I realized that it was very different than what I expected, maybe because I am a little naive too. The discomfort started growing when I realized how career and job oriented everyone is here, which is great but made me feel as if I was losing my human side. I have to say I also experienced racist comments, because I did not belong here...and I felt marginalized many times. I feel this happened because there is not enough awareness around immigrants in Canada. Canadians should be made aware about the emotional journey of an immigrant and the stress that they undergo. It's not simple and most of the time people think :"Oh well, in your country you had no job and no house. Here you have a house and a job, so what is there to complain about?" But, trust me... that's just the tip of the iceberg. An immigrant brings a lot of emotional distress, a lot of nostalgia, hopes, the desire to belong and be embraced... the melancholy. Their families and birth places are in their heart every single day. So, the next time you face an immigrant, be kind and embrace his/hers challenges. Making this movie has changed, and is changing my perception of Canada though. I am amazed at the number of people that genuinely helped me make this movie. It has been made BY CANADA. Starting with Deepa Mehta and David Hamilton, the professionals at Technicolor, Tattersall sound studio. All these people are huge professionals and they treated me with great respect, willing to mentor and support a young artist. What is great about Canada is that it nourishes and cultivates its talents...and the more ,the merrier. I felt at home finally and I felt that I would never trade this country for any other in the world, despite its many controversies. Also what's great about Canada is that it lets you continue to embrace your indigenous culture while immersing yourself in Canadian culture. For me it's a place where you can still dream and make your dreams happen.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Federico Fellini: A Look into the Life and Career of an Icon

A Fellini family portrait  “The term became a common word to describe something on the surface you can say is bizarre or strange, but actually is really like a painter working on a film,” said Martin Scorsese when asked to define “Felliniesque,” an adjective inspired by one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. The oldest of three children, Federico Fellini was born in the seaside town of Rimini in 1920. His father was a traveling salesman, so his mother was left to do the bulk of raising the children. One can argue that Fellini was born for his destiny. “You could tell that even as a child, he was different and unique. He was very intelligent, well above average. He was always the one to organize things, direct the others, make up games. He could control the other kids with just a look, said Fellini’s sister, Maddalena, in an interview with journalist Gideon Bachmann.  Not only was Fellini directing the children, but he was also putting on shows and charging ...
Post a Comment
Read more

'Salvatore Giuliano' blends documentary realism with dramatic storytelling

"Salvatore Giuliano" is a 1962 Italian crime drama directed by Francesco Rosi that dramatizes the real-life events surrounding the life and death of the legendary Sicilian bandit and folk hero. Giuliano rose to notoriety after the liberation of Sicily from fascist control in 1943, when he formed a gang that joined a separatist army. When the army dissolved, he and his gang intensified their outlaw activities. One of their most significant crimes was the Portella della Ginestra incident, during which dozens of men, women, and children were killed or wounded. This act prompted the authorities to launch an all-out war against Giuliano. His defenses slowly crumbled, and on July 5, 1959, his body was discovered in the courtyard of a house in Castelvetrano. That moment serves as the starting point for Rosi's film. Giuliano's fame is tied to his involvement in the Sicilian independence movement and his battles against both the Italian government and the Mafia in the 1940s a...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Timeless Talent of Stefania Sandrelli

On screen since the tender age of 14, she has captivated audiences for more than 50 years with a compelling combination of strength and vulnerability. She achieved stardom at just 14 years old playing the angelic cousin of a love-struck Marcello Mastroianni in Pietro Germi’s “Divorce Italian Style.” More than half a century later, she is still going strong and remains one of Italy’s most esteemed actors. Stefania Sandrelli was born on June 5, 1946, in Viareggio in the province of Lucca in northern Italy. As a child, she studied music and dance. Then in 1960, she won a beauty pageant and was featured on the cover of Le Ore magazine. Her purity captivated the country and shortly thereafter, movie offers began pouring in. Just one year later, she made her cinema debut in three feature films: Mario Sequi’s Gioventù di notte , Luciano Salce’s The Fascist, and Pietro Germi’s Divorce Italian Style . She instantly became a star and before long was a key figure in Italy’s legend...
Post a Comment
Read more

Gianfranco Rosi to premiere 'Sotto le nuvole' at Venice Film Fest, exploring Naples' history

Documentary filmmaker Gianfranco Rosi will premiere his much-anticipated latest film at the upcoming 82nd Venice International Film Festival , which runs August 27 - Sept. 6. "Sotto le nuvole" (Below the Clouds)  takes a deep dive into the rich history and culture of Naples and the area surrounding Mount Vesuvius. There has not been much information revealed but so far, we know that the film will focus on themes similar to those explored by Rosi in his previous works, such as the examination of Roman culture in "Sacro GRA" (2013) and Lampedusa's refugee crisis in "Fuocoammare" (2016).  The film's synopsis reads, “The land around Vesuvius is a vast palimpsest. On the surface, underground and even beneath the sea of the modern city of Naples and its surroundings, the memory of history is etched into tunnels, walls and fissures, the remains of women, children and men — statues, buried cities. Only thin layers separate contemporary and ancient life, an...
Post a Comment
Read more

"Roma 11:00" – The Tragic True Story of Desperation in a World of Poverty

There couldn’t have been a more perfect couple than Lucia Bosè and Raf Vallone in Giuseppe De Santis’ 1952 “Roma 11:00.”  A tragic story based on true events, the film follows several young women in post-WWII Rome as they answer a job listing for a typist. When 200 women are in line on one staircase over several floors, a crack leads to the collapse of the entire staircase. Dozens were injured and one was killed. The tragedy spoke to the poverty and desperation that existed for so many Italians in the early 1950s before the ‘58 industrial boom began.  Cesare Zavattini was one of the screenwriters. Elio Petri was the assistant director who interviewed many of the victims and cast a few in supporting roles. In addition to Bosè and Vallone, the film stars Carla Del Poggio, Massimo Girotti, Maria Grazia Francia, Lea Padovani and Delia Scala. The film is set in Largo Circense 37, while in reality the collapse took place in via Savoia 31, in the Salario district, on J...
Post a Comment
Read more