Skip to main content

Director Anton Evangelista Talks About His Film 'Il Signor Jackson'

Born in Matera, Italy and raised in New York, filmmaker Anton Evangelista is about to take his films full circle. 

A longtime filmmaker in New York City, Evangelista has made six films over the years that have been screened at festivals throughout the world. His latest, Il Signor Jackson was funded by the The National Italian American Foundation (NIAF), Italian Sons and Daughters of America (ISDA) and the Russo Brothers Italian American Film Forum, and was a co-winner in their competition. The film documents the life of Edward Jackson, a former professor and Italophile who grew up in the Bronx around Italian families. Assimilating into their culture on a professional level, Edward was faced with obstacles and prejudices that with his love and passion for the Italian culture, was able to overcome. The film is an ode to dreams, resilience and nostalgia. 


Il Signor Jackson has a number of screenings coming up that will take the filmmaker and his subjects back to their beloved land, and Evangelista to his Basilicata roots. The film will be shown tomorrow, May 4 at the Manhattan Film Festival and then during the Harlem International Film Festival, which runs May 16-19. At the end of the month, he will travel to his birthplace of Matera, where the film will be shown in competition at the Voce Spettacolo Film Festival on May 31. Following that screening, he and Jackson will present the film at the Uffizi in Firenze.


I spoke with Evangelista about the inspiration behind Il Signor Jackson as well as a documentary called Umberto E that he made about plight of his beloved father, and will also be presenting during his trip to Matera. 

Tell me about the inspiration behind Il Signor Jackson.
My inspiration was/is Edward Jackson. He is the embodiment of the true Italian spirit. He is the face of the future of Italy. His story portrays truth about how the world could be a better place if we are taught at a young age to love and respect all cultures and nationalities. Eddie is a great inspiration not only because of his determination and accomplishments, but he shows us if we open our hearts to one another and see beyond the differences, there may be hope for a kinder world.

What was it like for you to shoot in Italy with Edward?
Shooting in Italy was very special. It was my first time visiting Perugia and discovering this magnificent Etruscan landscape. Following and filming Eddie and meeting some of the long friendships he had formed over the many years of his visits there was very inspiring. I witnessed Eddie feeling right at home, and you'll see and feel his love for Perugia in the movie.

What has this nostalgic journey been like for him?
The nostalgic journey begins and ends when Eddie is not in Perugia. He parallels his time and experiences in Perugia much to the wonderful bond and experiences he formed as a child when growing up in the Bronx. It was the same feeling 'of coming home'. 

Tell me about Umberto E.
Umberto E is a documentary I made on my father. A heroic story of personal triumphs over childhood abandonment, harsh treatment in orphanages and a rejecting stepmother. In spite of all of his adversities, Umberto chose love and forgiveness as weapons of “revenge” which led to finding the love of his life - his wife Luisa, and the new life they would have with their children in coming to America. 


Anton Evangelista and his father

What are your thoughts on going back to Matera to present it?
The reality of going back to Matera hasn't quite hit me yet. I have not been there in 21 years, and because there's so much going on for me now, I haven't totally processed it yet. When I really give it some thought, I get excited. I know this will be a very special trip for me. To be re-united with my place of birth, with extended family who I'm so looking forward to seeing and meeting the children of my cousins, and to also share my stories during this milestone period for Matera' title of European Capital of Culture, is a milestone in my life.

If you're not able to attend the screenings, you can watch Il Signor Jackson on Vimeo by following this link.. https://vimeo.com/287842334
.

Click here for more information about the Manhattan Film Festival screening and here for details on the Voce Spettacolo Film Festival. The film will screen at the Harlem International Film Festival on May 17. Click here for the schedule. Follow Anton Evangelista on Instagram for all the latest news and screenings. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Anna Foglietta: Actress and Activist with Old School Elegance

One look at actress Anna Foglietta in her any of her roles, and the Golden Age of Italian cinema comes to mind. Among Italy’s most sought-after actresses today, Foglietta brings to the table a classic eloquence of yesterday while representing Italy’s modern woman. Born in Rome in 1979, Foglietta began her career in 2005 with a role in the RAI television series La squadra . Her character Agent Anna De Luca had a two-year run on the series as she was transitioning to cinema with Paolo Virzì’s 2006 ensemble project 4-4-2- Il gioco più bello del mondo . Since then, she has become one of Italy’s most diverse actresses, transforming herself into interesting, layered characters for comedies and dramas alike. Aside from a small part in Anton Corbijn’s 2010 film The American starring George Clooney, Foglietta’s work began reaching mainstream American audiences in 2015. As Elisa in Edoardo Leo’s 2015 comedy Noi e la Giulia , Foglietta showed her funny side playing a goofball pregn

The Life and Work of Monica Bellucci

Monica Bellucci as Malèna Born in Umbria in 1964, Monica Bellucci is one of the most recognizable faces of international cinema. But she didn't always have her sights set on the spotlight. She went to college to study law and modeled to pay her tuition. Her success in the fashion world coupled with the offers that were pouring in to appear on the big screen eventually took over, changing her fate. Bellucci made her on-screen debut in the 1990 television movie, " Vita coi figli." Just two years later, she scored her first American role in Francis Ford Coppola's "Dracula."   In addition to her native language, she speaks fluent English and French, which has made for a smooth transition from Italian to international cinema. Stateside, she has acted in blockbusters such as "The Matrix-Reloaded,"     " The Passion of the Christ" and " The Sorcerer's Apprentice." She has also appeared in several French films, a

Marco Giallini's latest film headed to America

He's an intense, articulate actor with dozens of diverse roles to his credit, and his latest film, Perfetti Sconosciuti (Perfect Strangers) is set to make its North American premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. Roman-born actor, Marco Giallini shines in the roles he takes on, whether he is the oddball in a comedy, the sexy mystery man in a drama or the bad guy you’d love to hate in a thriller.   In each case, Giallini reels us into his character’s fascinating world with his impressive range of performing. Born in Rome in 1963, Giallini grew up with a number of interests including music, motorcycles and soccer. Before he discovered his call to act, he explored his passion for music, starting his own band in the early 80’s called, I Monitors. Then in 1985, destiny knocked at his door, and Giallini enrolled in acting school. He studied theater and for nearly a decade, participated in local productions in Rome’s many venues. It was in 1995 that he made his debut in cinema wit

Michelangelo Frammartino's "Il buco" — Unearthing our past

When a team of speleologists descended 700 meters into the Bifurto Abyss in Cosenza, Calabria, in 1961, they discovered that the underground caverns were the third deepest in the world and the deepest in Europe. Italian filmmaker Michelangelo Frammartino retraces that mission six decades later with a cast of locals and their livestock in his latest documentary, “Il buco” (“The Hole”). Inspiration for the film came while he was on location shooting his 2007 documentary, “Le quattro volte” (“Four Times”). Officials in the Pollino mountains, which stretch between Calabria and Basilicata, showed him what appeared to be just another sinkhole. Frammartino failed to understand their enthusiasm until they tossed a large stone into the void. It disappeared without making a sound. He was so overcome by the experience and the eerie landscape, he was haunted for years, compelling him to make his current film, one of many rooted in nature. “I was born in Milan, but my family is from Calabria. My pa

7 Days - 7 Women: Interview with Actress Sabrina Impacciatore

  Photo by Rossella Vetrano On Day 6 of our series, 7 Days - 7 Women, in which we are profiling seven strong, talented women working as filmmakers, writers or visual artists, we talk with actress Sabrina Impacciatore about the diversity of her roles. Whether she's playing a devoted mother trying to protect her child, Jesus Christ's "Veronica" in Mel Gibson's controversial film, "Passion of the Christ" or a young woman coming of age, Impacciatore escapes into the life and mind of each character she takes on, sometimes so deeply that she believes she is actually them.   It's a fine line between reality and fiction, but she treads it carefully and anyone watching her performance benefits from her emotional connection to the character that she becomes. I spoke with Impacciatore at the 2010 Open Roads: New Italian Film series in New York City. We talked about her lifelong dream of becoming an actress. She also gave me some insight into the diff