The Island of Roses, Tragedy in Paradise
| The Island of Roses, Tragedy in Paradise | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Rebecca Samonà |
| Produced by | Claudia Pampinella |
| Written by | |
| Starring |
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Release date |
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Running time | 57 minutes |
| Country | Italy |
| Language | Italian |
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The Island of Roses, Tragedy in Paradise (Template:Langx) is a 2008 documentary written and directed by Rebecca Samonà. Produced with support from the National Fund for the Victims of Nazism, it is the first Italian film to narrate the deportation of the Jewish community of Rhodes.[1]
Produced with the contribution of the National Fund for the Victims of Nazism, it was the first Italian film to tell the story of the deportation of the Jews of Rhodes. [2]
Through the director's own family history, the film tells the story of the Jewish community living in Rhodes, an Italian colony, and destroyed in Auschwitz in the summer of 1944. The documentary also recalls the resistance of the Italian military to the Germans following the Cassibile armistice with the Allies, after general Pietro Badoglio announced it on the radio on 8 September 1943 (Battle of Rhodes).
Filmed in Belgium, Italy and Greece, "L'isola delle rose, la tragedia di un paradiso" has a predominantly female narration, with testimonies, archive footage, photos and diaries of the director's family and friends, including Stella Levi's.[3]
It is distributed internationally with the title of The Island of Roses, Tragedy in Paradise.[4]
Historical context[edit]
In 1912, during the Italo-Turkish War, Italy took control of the Dodecanese Islands, including Rhodes, from the Ottoman Empire. Rhodes, the capital, was celebrated as the "pearl" of the new colony. With the rise of Fascism in 1922, Mussolini sought to speed up the Italianization of the island's ethnic minorities, including Greeks, Turks, and Jews. The regime propaganda promotes the image of the "island of roses", Rhodes, as a glamorous paradise, a bridge towards the Middle East and the Italian colonial dream.
With the introduction of the Italian racial laws first, WWII and the advent of the Italian Social Republic (Repubblica di Salò), life on the island turns from paradise to tragedy for thousands of Italian soldiers (Battle of Rhodes) and for the ancient Ladino speaking Sephardic Jewish community, destroyed in Auschwitz in August 1944.
Rebecca Samonà[edit]
Rebecca Samonà is a journalist, television author, and director based in Rome. A graduate in Political Science, she has worked as an interviewer for the USC Shoah Foundation and as a journalist at RAI, Italy’s national public broadcaster, where she has produced documentaries and worked on investigative programs. In the United States, she collaborated with the Primo Levi Center in New York, organizing cultural events, including the multimedia installation "Los corassones avlan".[5]
First screenings[edit]
Italian premiere: Casa della Memoria e della Storia, Rome, November 22, 2007; [6]
International premiere: Primo Levi Center, New York, January 27, 2008;[7]
TV premiere: The History Channel Italy, January 27, 2008.
Screenings and Recognition[edit]
The documentary received significant attention in various international venues. It was screened at multiple festivals and institutions, including the Centro Primo Levi in New York, where a post-screening conversation was held with Erminia and Gloria Licitri. The film, in addition to recounting the history of the Jewish community of Rhodes, intertwines this narrative with the personal story of the director’s family, offering a unique perspective on the historical events. This personal approach helped to raise awareness about the fate of the Rhodes Jewish community globally.[8]
The documentary was also screened at the Embassy of Italy in Ottawa during the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, highlighting its cultural significance and the importance of remembering the Jewish community's tragic history during the Holocaust. This event helped to further raise awareness about the film and its subject matter among a diverse audience.[9]
References[edit]
- ↑ "The Island of Roses, tragedy in paradise (L'Isola delle Rose - La tragedia di un paradiso)". Filmitalia. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
- ↑ "Quando il mondo ti abbandona". Corriere della Sera. 2008-01-29. Archived from the original on 2008-02-09. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
- ↑ Frank, Michael (2019-11-15). "She Grew Up on a Remote Italian Island. Then Came the Holocaust". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
- ↑ "Jerusalem International Film Festival - festivals". Filmitalia. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
- ↑ "Los Corassones Avlan – Centro Primo Levi New York". Retrieved 2024-07-29.
- ↑ "DOCU-FILM L'ISOLA DELLE ROSE. LA TRAGEDIA DI UN PARADISO". Casa della Memoria - Comune di Milano.
- ↑ "The Island of Roses".
- ↑ "The Island of Roses – Centro Primo Levi New York". Centro Primo Levi. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
- ↑ "Holocaust Remembrance Day - Embassy of Italy, Ottawa". Retrieved 2024-10-12.
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