Categories: Podcast

The Undesirables: Help Bring the Untold Story of Italian Immigration to Life

THE UNDESIRABLES

Help Bring the Untold Story of Italian Immigration to Life

DOCUMENTARY IN PROGRESS

They came to America seeking a better life. What they found was hardship, discrimination, poverty, and a struggle for acceptance.

The Undesirables tells the powerful, often overlooked story of early Italian immigrants and the sacrifices they made to build a future for themselves and their families.

These were our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. They left their homeland, faced prejudice, endured difficult working conditions, and struggled to establish a place in a country that did not always welcome them.

Their stories deserve to be told. Their sacrifices deserve to be remembered.

Help Preserve Our History

Your contribution will help bring this important documentary to completion. More importantly, you will be helping preserve a legacy that belongs to all of us.

This is about more than making a film. It is about ensuring that future generations understand what their ancestors endured, the obstacles they overcame, and the lasting contributions Italian immigrants made to America.

Many of these personal stories have never been told. Some are in danger of being lost forever.

Help us keep their memories alive. Help us tell their story. Help bring The Undesirables to the screen.

Every contribution, large or small, brings us one step closer to completing this documentary and preserving this important chapter of American history.

To Contribute Contact

Michael Cavalieri
My name is Michael Cavalieri, I’m an Actor/Writer/Director originally from New York. My Directorial Debut was a short film called “RITORNATO ” https://ritornatothemovie.com/ (which I also star in) was awarded a special grant by the Russo Brothers, the Directors of Avengers: Endgame (the highest grossing film of all time), the National Italian American Foundation and the Italian Sons and Daughters of America. Based on a true story about finding my roots, “Ritornato” was shot entirely on location in Limina, Sicily, the hometown of my Grandfather Agatino Alibrandi.  “Ritornato” went on to win many film festivals worldwide and was one of the only American films selected for the prestigious Taormina Film Festival in 2020. It continues to touch people worldwide. “Ritornato” was recently handpicked  by the Instituto di Cultura of Miami for a special screening to represent Italian Heritage and culture all over the country for the month of October.
In addition to the press below, I just received the premio “Siciliani nel mondo”, “Ambassador of Sicilian Culture and Roots” and “Custode dell’ l’identita“, for my film work and dedication to The Sicilian/Italian culture around the world. I just returned from Sicily where we had events in several cities including Caltanissetta, Sant’Alessio, Valguarnera, Messina, Siracusa & Agrigento.

My latest film “Sulfur Road” is the emotional story of two men in their final years of life, reuniting, and coming to terms with their difficult youth, growing up as child labor in Sicily’s sulfur mines.  They were “Carusi”, adolescent miners sold to the mining industry by their impoverished families.  Basilio, who had emigrated to America, comes home to Italy, to find his friend Antonino, and with the assistance of their adult children, Louis and Laura, the men return to the site of the mining facility they once called home.  In a parallel flashback story, we learn how young Basilio and Antonino first came to meet and how they survived their terrible circumstance.  It’s a heartbreaking yet inspiring revelation for Louis and Laura as they come to understand the poverty, impossible conditions, and abuse their fathers survived yet never spoke of.  The men silently suffered so their families could thrive and realize their true dreams. As the old men and their families reconcile their past, so does the Sicilian community, as we look back on a generation of real-life, forgotten heroes who survived the mines and at long last are celebrated for the work they did and what they endured.   At its heart “Sulfur Road” is a story of friendship, family, humility, and heroism.

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Researching Limina Sicily

Visit Our Shop Actor/Write/Director Michael Cavalieri talks about finding his roots in Limina Sicily and the production of his award winning film “Ritornato The Movie“. Michael Cavalieri is an Actor and first time Writer/Director originally from New York. His Directorial Debut “Ritornato” which he also stars in was awarded a special grant by the Russo Brothers, the Directors of Avengers: Endgame (the highest grossing film of all time), the National Italian American Foundation and the

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December 19, 2021 No Comments
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