Pack One Bag
Where: NYU Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò
24 W. 12th St.
212-998-8739 Price: Free
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How do we understand the past? How do we read letters our grandparents wrote? How do we understand truth in our exploration of the life of people who are close to us and yet far removed in time and space? Film maker David Modigliani ventured on a journey sparked by his grandparents’ correspondence during Fascism and World War II. The result is a multi-installment history podcast open to all. Listen to the story https://www.packonebagshow.com/ and join us for a conversation with the director!
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This Tribeca-winning podcast series tells the epic true story of an Italian family, split apart by love, fascism and war. Through shocking discoveries – and Stanley Tucci’s artistry – an enthralling personal history comes to life.
When documentarian David Modigliani was a kid, his grandfather, Franco, won the Nobel Prize. But, David’s always been more fascinated by the love story that made it possible — his grandparents’ romance on the run from Fascist Italy. When he digs into their story, he uncovers a darker side to their fairytale escape: a brother left behind to face the Nazi occupation – and startling personal connections between his family and Benito Mussolini.
In PACK ONE BAG, he returns to Italy to investigate his family’s past, carrying a pressing question: if Fascism takes over your country, do you stay or do you try to flee? And what happens if you can’t?
On the ground, David discovers his family’s war experience through the voices of cousins who survived the Nazi occupation of Rome as young children, and reconciles surprising truths about his grandparents’ story through conversations with those who knew them best, including former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi. Along the way, he discovers troves of secret Fascist spy documents, personal diaries, blocked bank accounts — and a love story of his own. Now, he brings it all to life with the help of Signore Stanley Tucci.
The podcast’s first episode won the Jury Award for Nonfiction Audio at the Tribeca
Festival in 2023, where the Jury cited its “unexpectedly moving narrative that blends the personal, political and comical” as it takes listeners “on a journey across generations and continents.”