“Down there,” in French “là-bas,” for many Africans is simply a password for Europe, the place that has attracted so many of them in the past decades. One of those caught in web is Yusouf, a talented young artist promised a job by an uncle already established in Italy. Unable at first to find his uncle, Yusouf makes his way to Castel Volturno, about 18 miles from Naples and home to about 20,000 African immigrants, the vast majority clandestine. Discovering the various legal, semi-legal and outright illegal ways these people struggle on day-by-day, Yusouf also gets to witness the role of the Camorra, Naples’ deadly version of the Mafia, in their use and exploitation. For his first film, Guido Lombardi relied heavily on Kader Alassane, the singer who plays Yusouf and served as Lombardi’s guide into the shadowy world of Africans in Italy.  Winner of a “Lion of the Future” award at the 2011 Venice Film Festival.

This screening will be preceded by an Olympic clip from the Instituto Luce Archive:
Roma: Divise Per Le Atlete Olimpioniche – 09/1964
Uniforms for Olympic athletes
(Caleidoscopio Ciac 1656)