Martyrs for the Anti-Mafia Cause: An Italian Film Legacy

Join us for a talk on the history of Mafia movies by Professor Penny Marcus of Yale University! This presentation will challenge the romanticizing and sensationalizing of Sicilian Mafia history through cinematic means. It will also focus on a strong, grass-roots anti-Mafia movement that has been enshrined in a series of films since the 1990s.  The lecture will include an overview of this important body of work, culminating in a detailed analysis of the most recent installment in the genre—a film which boldly incorporates a love story into its urgent plea for an activist response to the Mafia scourge.  Clips will be shown at key points during the presentation.    

Patrons have the option of attending a tie-in screening of the 2013 Italian comedy-drama The Mafia Kills Only in Summer, to be held on Saturday, Oct. 14th at 2:30 pm at the SML. No additional registration is required for the screening. 

This program is presented through the generosity of an anonymous donor in honor of parents Domenico Pellicano and Melina (Savino) Pellicano, originally from San Panteleone, Reggio, and San Giovanni Rotondo, Puglia, Italy.

Please sign up below!