In the late 1930s, up-and-coming Italian American singer Giovanni DiTommaso is offered the record deal of a lifetime, but only if he Americanizes his name. Surrounded by his loving and opinionated family, sparks fly as Giovanni must choose between his dream and his Italian identity.
Cassese -- my last name is Italian, but we pronounce it wrong. When my family immigrated through Ellis Island, they dropped the Italian pronunciation of "Cah-SAY-zay" in favor of the more American-sounding "Cah-SESS." While this change shielded them from some discrimination and seemingly made them more employable, it came at the cost of hiding a key part of their heritage and cultural identity. I've written my film L'intervallo in their honor about a character facing a similar dilemma.
Set in the 1930s, the film follows up-and-coming singer Giovanni DiTommaso who's offered the deal a lifetime -- but only if he Americanizes his name. According to the Hollywood producers, doing so would make him more "accessible" to the broader American public and make him a bigger star. This same line has been fed to countless Italian American performers over the years. Some took this advice and Americanized their names. Dino Crochetti became Dean Martin. Anthony Benedetto became Tony Bennett. Others refused, like Frank Sinatra, who would have otherwise become Tony Satin.
My goal for L'intervallo is to shine a light on this conflict. Our Italian identity is not something to hide; it's something to be celebrated. My vision is to portray a realistic Italian American family, partially inspired by my own -- not without flaws and not without conflict, but one full of love and support, and one that confronts discrimination and adversity with resilience and dignity.
Aesthetically, I simply love this era. The big band orchestra. The smoke-filled theaters. It's always been a dream of mine to create a film like this one, and I can't wait to bring L'intervallo to life.
Set in the 1930s, the film follows up-and-coming singer Giovanni DiTommaso who's offered the deal a lifetime -- but only if he Americanizes his name. According to the Hollywood producers, doing so would make him more "accessible" to the broader American public and make him a bigger star. This same line has been fed to countless Italian American performers over the years. Some took this advice and Americanized their names. Dino Crochetti became Dean Martin. Anthony Benedetto became Tony Bennett. Others refused, like Frank Sinatra, who would have otherwise become Tony Satin.
My goal for L'intervallo is to shine a light on this conflict. Our Italian identity is not something to hide; it's something to be celebrated. My vision is to portray a realistic Italian American family, partially inspired by my own -- not without flaws and not without conflict, but one full of love and support, and one that confronts discrimination and adversity with resilience and dignity.
Aesthetically, I simply love this era. The big band orchestra. The smoke-filled theaters. It's always been a dream of mine to create a film like this one, and I can't wait to bring L'intervallo to life.