“I am from Basilicata, Italy, and I owe my entire career to this magical region.” With those words begins the charming documentary short, The Beauty of Basilicata . Washington, D.C.-based chef-turned-director Luigi Diotaiuti brought together the worlds of food and film to document the origins of a special dinner he prepared at the James Beard Foundation. The documentary — which follows his quest to find the best of the region’s products, like peppers from Senise, cheese from Moliterno and beans from Sarconi — also shines a spotlight on his non-profit, Basilicata Way of Living . It was presented at the Lucania Film Festival in Basilicata. Diotaiuti is one of six children. His town of Lagonegro is nestled in the mountains of Basilicata in the province of Potenza, where his family grew their own crops and raised farm animals. “The only items we bought at the store were sugar, salt and coffee,” Diotaiuti explains. “The day started when the sun came up. First, I had to mil...
100+ YEARS OF THE GREAT ITALIAN MOVIEMAKERS