Giuseppe Gagliardi and Peppe Voltarelli Take San Diego
Giuseppe Gagliardi and Peppe Voltarelli Take San Diego
(November 8, 2009)
Pasquale Verdicchio
Voltarelli and Gagliardi at Caffe' Calabria, San Diego
Film maker Giuseppe Gagliardi and actor/musician Peppe Voltarelli visit the San Diego Italian Film Festival in occasion of the screening of their film, La vera leggenda di Tony Vilar.
The San Diego Italian Film Festival, in its 3rd edition, keeps growing by leaps and bounds. And it has never shown more bounce than this year. The festival reached a peak with the visit of director Giuseppe Gagliardi and actor/musician Peppe Volta
relli. The screening of Gagliardi’s La vera leggenda di Tony Vilar took place in the restored North Park Birch Theatre in front of a record crowd of 600.
The screening was followed by a question and answer period in which Gagliardi and Voltarelli illustrated in person the magic that is so apparent in their collaborations on film (they have worked together on a number of shorts and music videos in addition). Funny, intelligent, entertaining, captivating, full of life and energy, they engaged an audience who would have gladly spent the rest of the night in dialogue with them. And some had the opportunity to do so as the events moved to a nearby establishment, Caffè Calabria, where owner Arne Holt had prepared the space for a performace by Peppe Voltarelli. With wine, refreshments and espresso flowing the evening turned even more electric as Peppe took the stage.
Playing selections from his most recent recording, Distratto ma però, alongside a cover of a Paolo Conte piece and the most inventive rendition of Nel blu’ dipinto di blu’ I have ever heard, Peppe Voltarelli filled in the musician portion of the actor/musician equation to the max. Including Gagliardi into his music extending the collaboration beyond the screen, Peppe invited the director to the stage for a duet that evolved further to include the over-capacity crowd.
After the performance some of us left in search of watering holes, chasing them into the night as the 2 am closing time for most of them neared. Peppe continued his performace at the bar moon-walking across the floor, clapping hands and generally attempting to energize the drinkers in the place as last call came around.
We continued to drive San Diego as incredulous Peppe and Giuseppe finally realized that in many ways the city is still a sleepy border town.
The next morning Giuseppe Gagliardi presented his short film Belly Button Broth at the Italian Cultural Center in Little Italy. This was followed by a conversation/interview with Laura Bianconcini of the ICC and a Q & A with the audience. Voltarelli and Gagliardi continue to other dates in the US and elsewhere with their film, music and all around “good vibrations”.
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Belly Button Broth.
I really enjoyed Belly Button Broth . It was smart and cleaver.
Andy Friedenberg, director of the SD Cinema Society, was at the IFF Gala, but I do not know if he stayed for the movie. He has over 800 members who I think might enjoy seeing Belly Button Broth ,at one of their monthly screenings.
Bravo for a job well done!!!!!!
For few hours it felt like
For few hours it felt like being in Italy again... surrounded by a lively and energetic audience enthusiastic of the talented performance of two italian artists that well represent the new generation of the "Panorama artistico italiano". An authentic piece of Italy: the synergy and interaction between Giuseppe Gagliardi and Peppe Voltarelli, both in the theater and in the Cafe', was spontaneous, comic and with no filters. Their sense of humor was contagious and yes, we would have loved to spend more time with them. Both very professional and prepared in their field (cinema and music), they are in the same time, as Clarissa mentioned, able to use one of the qualities that best characterize Italians: create something excellent with little. The SDIFF did an outstanding job this year. I can foresee how this is going to be only better and better... You got new fans out there!
Gagliardi and Voltarelli in San Diego
This one was a VERY special event in the cultural scenario of San Diego. The San Diego Italian Film Festival brought a breath of live culture, reinforcing and generating more and more the interest and passion for Italian movies and artists. In particular La vera leggenda di Tony Vilar, was a perfect success rewarding our crave for fresh new creativity. Absolutely funky, excellent setup, full of character (and characters) and the feeling that the art inside it is for the audience, naturally and generously. Giuseppe and Peppe were actually able to share their fun with us. The performance at Caffe’ Calabria was a real gift. We discovered that Peppe is the chansonnier of the third millennium, with a special talent to entertain the most assorted audience with his italo-calabro-american (and more..) vocabulary.. and his music full of energy, passion and sincerity. Bellissimo. Grazie a SDIFF.
One of the most memorable
One of the most memorable evenings in recent times for San Diego's Italian communities. Another spin of the night could be "Everybody loves Peppe". The Q&A after the film and the concert at Caffe' Calabria were simply an extension of La Vera Leggenda di Tony Vilar, just live! The synergy between Peppe Voltarelli and Giuseppe Gagliardi and the way they seduce the audience with excellent cultural products that redefine the meaning of Italians in the diaspora seem to indicate to me that Italian independent culture is alive and kicking and that sometimes less (means and power) is really more (creativity, humanity, fun).