Film showing of Stonebreakers (2022) followed by Q&A with film director Valerio Ciriaci. Sponsored by the D'Amato Chair in Italian and Italian American Studies, Center for Italian Studies, HISB, English, and Languages and Cultural Studies.

Stonebreakers chronicles the conflicts around monuments that arose in the United States during the George Floyd protests and the 2020 presidential election. As statues of Columbus, Confederates and Founding Fathers fall from their pedestals, the nation’s triumphalist myths are called into question. By exploring the shifting landscapes of American monumentality, the film interrogates the link between history and political action in a nation that must confront its past now more urgently than ever.

Originally from Rome, Valerio Ciriaci moved to New York City in 2011 to attend the New York Film Academy. In 2013 he co-founded Awen Films, with which he has directed independent documentaries, news and editorial videos, and other audiovisual projects. “Stonebreakers” is his third feature film after “If Only I Were That Warrior” (‘Imperdibili’ prize at Festival dei Popoli and Globo d’Oro 2016) and “Mister Wonderland” (‘Il Cinemino’ prize at Festival dei Popoli).