Dall' Italia All' Australia

Silent Film and Live Folk Music'

Touring January 2009 - Ulladulla to Sydney!

In 1924, the Italian film director Angelo Drovetti embarked on an epic 8,000-nautical-mile voyage with his movie camera. The result, Dall'Italia All'Australia (From Italy to Australia), is regarded by many as the most comprehensive film ever made of a migrant voyage. ‘Dall’Italia All’Australia’ chronicles the voyage of the Regina d’Italia (Queen of Italy) - one of three passenger ships first built for the Lloyd Sabaudo Line at the turn of last century. The film showcases the panoramic views witnessed by Italian, Yugoslav, Greek, Arabic and Jewish migrants as they stood atop the deck of the old steamer during their seven-week world odyssey from Genoa to Australia, by way of Egypt & Sri Lanka, arriving in September 1924.

Author Anthony De Bolfo, who discovered the film, introduces and commentates on the film, with Italian folk music by acclaimed musicians Kavisha Mazzella (singer, guitar, accordion) and Irini Vela (bouzouki, guitar) and the Viaggiatori - David De Santi (accordion) and Mark Holder-Keeping (saxophone, clarinet).

David De Santi
Illawarra Folk Club Project Facilitator and accordion player!
desanti@illawarrafolkclub.org.au

LINKS:

Kavisha Mazzella | Zumpa | 1924 Sydney Regina De Italia Passenger List

Co.As.It Australian National Maritme Museum

NEWS

The film and live music performance returns to Sydney and the South Coast of NSW in January 2009.

David De Santi is organising performances leading up to the 24th Illawarra Folk Festival to be held at Bulli from 15-18 January.

Don't miss this amazing performance of music and fascinating black and white footage of the journey from Italy and around Australia

Here's the schedule:

Friday 9 January 2009, 7.30pm - Fraternity Club, Fairy Meadow Click here to buy tickets

Saturday 10 January, 7.30pm - Milton Theatre Click here to buy tickets

Sunday 11 January - Australian Maritime Museum, Darling Harbour, mid-afternoon Click here to buy tickets

Monday 12 January, 7.30pm - Gerringong Town Hall Click here to buy tickets

Tuesday 13 January, 7.30pm - Chauvel Cinema, Paddington Town Hall Click here to buy tickets

Thursday 15-18 January - Illawarra Folk Festival Click here to buy tickets

more informtion: David De Santi - desanti@illawarrafolkclub.org.au tel: 0409 57 1788

About Kavisha Mazzella

Click here to download a high res. version of the Kavisha Mazzella picture above.

It was after a chance meeting in a derelict church hall with members of The Amicizzia Club of Fremantle in 1989, that Kavisha Mazzella discovered a wonderful group of elderly Italian women. Through their friendship, Kavisha started researching songs that were dying out, resulting in the formation of a choir of sassy, earthy matriarchs who sang these songs with a vibrancy never heard before. They were the “Joys Of The Women”, whose story was recorded in Franco Di Chiera’s memorable documentary The Joys Of The Women on the ABC in 1993.

Kavisha continues to sing these songs and her own compositions.

“My songs are about true stories. About celebrating life, love, journeys and displacement, physical and spiritual. They are about the search for home, earthly and mystical .They are about hope in spite of dark times. I mix country with gypsy, folk with blues, social commentary and comedy. It’s a mix of Mediterranian soul with Country roots. We were migrants from Britain to Australia in the sixties. Our family grew up with “sing songs “ around a piano. I grew up in a house where my Irish /Burmese grandma played Woody Guthrie songs on the banjo and where my Italian Uncle was singing Neapolitan Opera in the kitchen of the family restaurant... so that explains the weird mix of influences in my songs I guess! And that’s why I like to get the audience singing along too....” Kavisha

Click here to see the full list