Fred Kudjo Kuwornu

Last updated
Fred Kudjo Kuwornu
Born
Fred Kudjo Kuwornu

(1971-09-06) September 6, 1971 (age 52)
Bologna, Italy
Nationality Italian
United States american
Alma mater University of Bologna
Occupation(s)Director, producer, writer, educator, author, civil activist
Years active1998–present
Parents
  • Perviss Kuwornu (father)
  • Alessandra Giacomelli (mother)

Fred Kudjo Kuwornu (born 6 September 1971), is an Italian-Ghanaian filmmaker, [1] producer, film curator and educator who holds both Italian and American citizenship, based in New York. [2] [3]

Contents

He is best known as the director of critically acclaimed documentaries such as Blaxploitalian 100 Years of Blackness in Italian Cinema, Inside Buffalo and 18 IUS SOLI. His documentaries deal with political and social themes, such as racism, interracial relations, diversity, Afro-Italians and Black diasporic identity in Italy and the African diaspora in the world. [4] He is the first Italian of African descent to become director. On 31 January 2024, it was announced that Kuwornu was invited at the 60th Venice Biennale in 2024 organized by Adriano Pedrosa.

Personal life

Kuwornu was born on 6 September 1971 in Bologna, Italy to a Ghanaian father and an Italian mother. [5] His father Perviss Kuwornu is from a village in Volta Region, Ghana, who arrived Italy in 1965 to study medicine. [6] His father specialized in cardiac surgery and general medicine and later graduated from university. His mother Alessandra Giacomelli is an Italian Sephardic Jew from Bologna. Kuwornu grew up in Bologna, then moved to Ghana, Ferrara and Rome. [7]

Career

After attending high school in Italy and USA, Kuwornu obtained a degree in political science and mass media, from the University of Bologna. [6] At 16, he worked as speaker for Radio Estense, a local radio in Ferrara, hence refining his creative skills along with his passion for music, during the years of the success of Rap and House in Italian culture. His career as DJ continued for the next 15 years for different radio stations, such as Radio Bologna International and Radio Jam FM. Under the pseudonym “Freddy Goes To House” he worked as producer for the label Mantra Vibes, producing the dance single tracks “The Whistle” (1998) and “Sun Train” (1999). He then interrupted his radio career when he moved to Rome to work in cinema and TV.

In Rome, Kuwornu conducted the TV program Zengi on La7 in 2001 to 2002. He debuted as an actor in the television serial Un papà quasi perfetto directed by Maurizio dell’Orso. [5] He also worked as television writer for RAI for a TV travel show called Italia Che vai . [7]

In 2003, he directed his short film, Natale in Autogrill. The film became a finalist at the Festival dei Due Mondi of Spoleto as well. In 2008, he quitted television to pursue a career in filmmaking. [5] In 2008, he started his film career as a production assistant on the set of Miracle at St. Anna , a film based on the Nazi massacre in St. Anna di Stazzema, Italy, directed by Spike Lee . After that experience, he made his own documentary, "Inside Buffalo" in 2010 about the African-American soldiers who helped liberate Italy from the Nazis. The documentary includes interviews with African-American Veterans and Laz Alonso, Omar Benson Miller, Derek Luke and writer James McBride. The film received critical acclaim and later won the award for Best Documentary at the Black International Cinema Berlin festival. Meanwhile, the film was highly praised by former presidents Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Giorgio Napolitano. [7]

In 2011, during a ceremony at the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, honored Fred Kuwornu with a certificate from the U.S Congress in recognition of the work done to preserve the memory and the contributions of African-American soldiers during WW2. [8]

Other acknowledgements were received from the US Department of Veteran Affairs, the Governor of Oklahoma Brad Henry, Frank Jackson the mayor of Cleveland and Michael Nutter mayor of Philadelphia, and United States senator Raphael Warnock that organized a special screening of Inside Buffalo at the historical church of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Ebenezer Church in Atlanta in 2019.

Inside Buffalo was also presented, among others, at the Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles, Texas Black Film Festival in Dallas, African Diaspora Film Festival in New York, Atlanta Black DocuFest, Mid-Atlantic Black Film Festival, Black Harvest Chicago Film and Series, Sidewalk Moving Pictures Film Festival.

In 2011, Kuwornu became a civil right activist for the so-called "Second Generation Italians" – children of immigrants born in Italy but who, because of the Ius Sanguinis law, are not allowed to automatically earn citizenship until they are 18. [1] His 2018 film 18 Ius Soli deals with multiculturalism in Italy and the immigrants born and raised in Italy but are not yet Italian citizens. [9] The film later became one of the first documentaries for social change produced and distributed in Italy which later won the 2012 Ilaria Alpi prize. With the help of an independent and self-created platform, between 2012 and 2106 18 Ius Soli was shown in Italy more than 800 times, at events hosted by cultural associations, schools, universities, and towns, hence fostering the debate on citizenship for children of immigrants, including writer Roberto Saviano, who praised 18 Ius Soli as a unique testimony of the events. It was also shown abroad, especially in the US, inserting itself in the heated discussions about Global Immigration. [5]

In 2013, Kuwornu moved his production company, Do the Right Films, to Brooklyn. Here, in 2016, he produced Blaxploitalian, another documentary for social change this time focusing on media representation. In this work, Kuwornu uncovers the hidden story of African, African-American and Caribbean actors in Italian cinema. It starts with the 1915 silent film Salambò, continues with Neorealism and the 1970s cinema, to reach the contemporary age. Partially inspired by his own experiences as a cinema viewer, Kuwornu's intention with this work was to give voice to actors who had historically been reduced to silence and to stereotypes (according to which ethnic actors are only given roles as illegal immigrants, drug dealers, prostitutes, cleaning ladies, etc). Among the interviews, there are former Miss Italia Denny Mendez, the Dominican female actor Iris Peynado, and the African-American Harold Bradley and Fred Williamson, an icon of "Blaxploitation." [10]

The documentary became part of the campaign #DiversityMediaMatters, initiated by Kuwornu and aimed at promoting diversity in the global film and TV industries, which Idris Elba, Will Smith and Spike Lee raised addressed the following year. [11] Commenting on Blaxploitalian, Sheril D. Antonio, Dean of the NYU Tisch School of the Arts said: "“Blaxploitalian is such an important work. It continues the conversation about Blacks in the west. It joins forces with W.E.B. DuBois (Double Consciousness); Paul Gilroy (Black Atlantic); Stuart Hall and many other scholars and filmmaker who speak about “Black being both inside and outside the West.”

In 2016, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, president of the Academy Awards, invited Kuwornu and the actor-activist Danny Glover to host an event on diversity in the film industry. That same year, at the Festa del Cinema di Roma, Kuwornu launched the initiative "United Artists for Italy," [12] which supports Black Italian actors and their struggle for more visibility. [13] Between 2016 and 2017, Kuwornu attended many international events on the film industry, such as in Brasil, al Encontro de Cinema Negro Zózimo Bulbul, in Ghana at The National Film and Television Institute, in Spain at the festival Cine Africano, as well as in South Africa, Tanzania, Netherlands, U.K., France, hence becoming an internationally renowned figure on diversity and inclusion. [14] Blaxploitalian was presented at film festivals such as the San Francisco Black Film Festival, Pan African Film Festival Los Angeles, Festa del Cinema di Roma, Baltimore International Film Festival, Eko International Film Festival Lagos, Atlanta Docufest, Martinique Film Festival, Canada World International Film Festival, Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival, New Voices in Black Cinema BAM, Zanzibar International Film Festival.

In 2016-17, Kuwornu discovered the young author Antonio Dikele Distefano (who will later become writer and producer of the Netflix series Zero). Kuwornu helped him promoting his first book Fuori Piove Dentro Pure Passo a Prenderti. (2015). [15]

With the concept multimedia project series Blaq•It 'The Black Italians Timeline' started in 2020, Kuwornu experimented the hybridization of documentary with the esthetic storytelling of social media. The series was featured on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Youtube and others, and details the historical presence of African descent in Italy, hence presenting not only the recent history of refugees and migrants of the 1990s, but also the broad and incredibly rich universe of Italians of African descent who have been influencing Italian mass culture (through music, social media, Tv, sport, arts, publications, activism). [16]

It became a trend and as part of the new philosophy "Blaq Stars," dedicated to celebrate the Black Diaspora in the world. In September 2020 Netflix chose Fred Kuwornu to do the Italian voiceover for Karamo Brown in the episode "I am perfectly designed" of series Bookmarks- Celebrating Black Voices. [5]

In 2021 Kuwornu produced the documentary of Laila Petrone Mothers & Daughters: Stories of women from Latin America in Italy.

Public Speaking

Since 2014, Fred Kuwornu has given about 250 lectures and presentations on Diversity in Contemporary Italian Culture and on Black Diaspora at numerous international universities, among which Oxford University, Yale, NYU, Columbia University, University of California, Berkeley University, University of Chicago, Princeton University, Brown University, Cornell University, Stanford University, and many more.   He was an invited guest speaker at conferences, such as:  Black Portraiture[s] II: Imaging the Black Body and Re-staging Histories New York University - 2015 Conference in Florence, Italy 2016 ALA African Literature Association Annual Conference in Atlanta, USA 2017American Association for Italian Studies and the Canadian Society for Italian Studies Annual Conference at Ohio State University, USA 2017 Annual API (Association of Professional Italianist in South Africa) Conference in Johannesburg, South Africa 2018Afro/Black Paris – Future/Past- Dartmouth College. [17]

He also teaches courses on production and digital filmmaking, on Black Diaspora in Contemporary Italy and Europe. He has taught for University of Toronto, University of Minnesota, James Madison University, Middlebury College [18] and Colorado College. At Colorado College, Fred Kuwornu and professor Amanda Minervini taught the first course entirely dedicated to Black Italian Cinema and Digital Performance. [19] He founded and managed Teaching Black Italy a collective of scholars, artists, activists who are devoted to refresh the Academy's curricula about the history of Black Italy.

Filmography

YearFilmRoleGenreRef.
2002Un papà quasi perfettoActorTV series
2003Natale in AutogrilDirectorShort film
2005Miracle at St. AnnaProduction assistant, Actor: uncredited roleShort
2007Virgin TerritoryStuntsFilm
2008AmatemiActorShort
2008Discovering the BuffaloproducerDocumentary
2010Inside BuffaloDirector, executive producer, writerDocumentary
201118 IUS SOLIDirector, executive producerDocumentary
2016Blaxploitalian:100 Years of Blackness in Italian CinemaDirector, executive producer, writerDocumentary [20]
2021Mothers & Daughters: Stories of women from Latin America in ItalyProducerDocumentary short
2024We Were Here: The Untold History of Black Africans in Renaissance EuropeProducer, executive producer, director, writerDocumentary

See also

Related Research Articles

Jus sanguinis, meaning 'right of blood', is a principle of nationality law by which nationality is determined or acquired by the nationality of one or both parents. Children at birth may be nationals of a particular state if either or both of their parents have nationality of that state. It may also apply to national identities of ethnic, cultural, or other origins. Citizenship can also apply to children whose parents belong to a diaspora and were not themselves citizens of the state conferring citizenship. This principle contrasts with jus soli, which is solely based on the place of birth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marcello Mastroianni</span> Italian actor (1924–1996)

Marcello Vincenzo Domenico Mastroianni was an Italian film actor and one of the country's most iconic male performers of the 20th century. He played leading roles for many of Italy's top directors in a career spanning 147 films between 1939 and 1996, and garnered many international honours including two BAFTA Awards, two Best Actor awards at the Venice and Cannes film festivals, two Golden Globes, and three Academy Award nominations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Greaves</span> American documentary filmmaker

William Garfield Greaves was an American documentary filmmaker and a pioneer of film-making. After trying his hand at acting, he became a filmmaker who produced more than two hundred documentary films, and wrote and directed more than half of these. Greaves garnered many accolades for his work, including four Emmy nominations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinema of Africa</span>

Cinema of Africa covers both the history and present of the making or screening of films on the African continent, and also refers to the persons involved in this form of audiovisual culture. It dates back to the early 20th century, when film reels were the primary cinematic technology in use. As there are more than 50 countries with audiovisual traditions, there is no one single 'African cinema'. Both historically and culturally, there are major regional differences between North African and sub-Saharan cinemas, and between the cinemas of different countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sohrab Shahid-Saless</span>

Sohrab Shaheed Salles or Sohrab Shahid-Saless was an Iranian film director and screenwriter and one of the most celebrated figures in Iranian cinema in the 20th century. After 1976 he worked in the cinema of Germany and was an important component of the film diaspora working in the German industry.

Sir Horace Shango Ové was a Trinidadian-born British filmmaker, photographer, painter and writer based in London, England. One of the leading black independent filmmakers to emerge in Britain in the post-war period, Ové was the first black British filmmaker to direct a feature-length film, Pressure (1976). In its retrospective documentary 100 Years of Cinema, the British Film Institute (BFI) declared: "Horace Ové is undoubtedly a pioneer in Black British history and his work provides a perspective on the Black experience in Britain."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Jean-Louis</span> Haitian actor (born 1968)

Jimmy Jean-Louis is a Haitian actor and producer. Born in Pétion-Ville, he moved to Paris at a young age with his family in search of a better life. His early roles were in French television commercials and Spanish musical theatre. Eventually settling in Los Angeles in the late 1990s, he had small roles in The Bourne Identity, Tears of the Sun and Arliss before breaking into larger roles in American television and film. He played the character of "the Haitian" on the NBC television series Heroes from 2007 to 2010. He played the title character in the 2012 French telefilm Toussaint Louverture. In 2024, he co-produced and acted in the Indian film The Goat Life alongside Prithviraj.

<i>Kisapmata</i> (film) 1981 Filipino psychological horror film

Kisapmata is a 1981 Filipino psychological horror film directed by Mike de Leon, co-written with himself, Clodualdo del Mundo Jr., and Raquel Villavicencio. It stars Vic Silayan, Charo Santos, Jay Ilagan, and Charito Solis. The plot was inspired by the crime reportage "The House on Zapote Street" written by Nick Joaquin. The piece chronicles the events leading up to the highly publicized familicide committed by Pablo Cabading, a retired policeman.

Danny Ben-Moshe is a documentary film maker and an associate professor at Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia. He has produced and directed several critically praised documentaries.

Joel Zito Araújo is a Brazilian film director, writer and producer of films and TV programs. Since 1984, Araújo has produced one feature film, two short films and 25 documentaries. Some of these works have won prizes or been selected for screenings at film festivals throughout the world. From 2006 to 2007, Araújo was president of the Brazilian Filmmakers Association. He received his Ph.D. in Communication Sciences from the Escola de Comunicações e Artes at the University of São Paulo in 1999. He was postdoctoral fellow and visiting professor in the Departments of Radio, TV, and Film and Anthropology as well as the Center for African & African-American Studies at the University of Texas at Austin from August 2001 to May 2002.

<i>The Creators</i> (film) 2012 South African film

The Creators: South Africa Through the Eyes of Its Artists is a 2012 South African documentary film produced and directed by Laura Gamse which interweaves the lives of diverse South African artists including Faith47, Cashril+, Warongx, Emile Jansen of Black Noise, Markus Wormstorm and Spoek Mathambo of Sweat.X, Blaq Pearl, and Mthetho Mapoyi.

Sylvia D. Hamilton is a Canadian filmmaker, writer, poet, and artist. Based in Grand Pre, Nova Scotia, her work explores the lives and experiences of people of African descent. Her special focus is on African Nova Scotians, and especially women. In particular, her work takes the form of documentary films, writing, public presentations, teaching, mentoring, extensive volunteer work and community involvement. She has uncovered stories of struggles and contributions of African Canadians and introduced them to mainstream audiences. Through her work, she exposes the roots and the presence of systemic racism in Canada. She aims to provide opportunities for Black and Indigenous youth through education and empowerment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antony Hickling</span> French film maker and actor

Antony Hickling is an English independent film maker, actor, writer and voiceover actor.

The filmography on immigration in Italy is a phenomenon started with the arrival of the first migratory flows in Italy, since the 1990s.

Ruben Maria Soriquez is a Filipino-Italian film actor, director and producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tracey Anarella</span> American documentary film maker

Tracey Anarella is an American documentary film maker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Africa-Italy Excellence Awards</span>

The Africa-Italy Excellence Awards (AIEA), formerly known as Ghana-Italy Excellence Awards, is a cultural-diversity oriented award scheme aimed at celebrating exemplary African individuals for their significant difference in the African community in Italy and other European countries. The event brings to light notable Africans that have genuinely excelled in various spheres of life, hence contributing to the advancement of Africa from the diaspora. The Africa-Italy Excellence Awards is organized and powered by Divino Friends Organization.

Cinema of Sudan refers to both the history and present of the making or screening of films in cinemas or film festivals, as well as to the persons involved in this form of audiovisual culture of the Sudan and its history from the late nineteenth century onwards. It began with cinematography during the British colonial presence in 1897 and developed along with advances in film technology during the twentieth century.

The Toronto Black Film Festival is an annual film festival in Toronto, Ontario. Held in February each year as part of Black History Month, the festival programs a selection of African, Caribbean, African American and Black Canadian films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African American cinema</span> Films made by, for, or about black Americans

African American cinema is loosely classified as films made by, for, or about Black Americans. Historically, African American films have been made with African-American casts and marketed to African-American audiences. The production team and director were sometimes also African American. More recently, Black films featuring multicultural casts aimed at multicultural audiences have also included American Blackness as an essential aspect of the storyline.

References

  1. 1 2 "Film: '18 Ius Soli: The Right To Be Italian'". OkayAfrica. 2013-02-18. Retrieved 2021-02-28.
  2. ↑ "Fred Kudjo Kuwornu". filmatique. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  3. ↑ "Event Highlights: National Identity, Multiculturalism in Contemporary Italy – Film Screening and Discussion with Fred Kudjo Kuwornu". Boston University. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  4. ↑ "A Conversation With Filmmaker And Activist Fred Kudjo KUWORNU About "Inside Buffalo": The Story Of Unsung African American Heroes Of The 92nd Division In World War II". weloveitalian. Archived from the original on 23 November 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Full Biography Fred Kudjo Kuwornu" (PDF). dotherightfilms. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  6. 1 2 "Fred Kudjo Kuwornu bio". dotherightfilms. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  7. 1 2 3 "The incredible story of Fred Kuwornu, film director born and raised in Italy who now lives in America and looks to Africa". nuoveradici. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  8. ↑ "Buffalo Soldiers and the Italians who welcomed them get a Houston night". CultureMap Houston. Retrieved 2021-02-28.
  9. ↑ "18 Ius Soli: Addressing Citizenship in Modern Day Italy". iitaly. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  10. ↑ "Fascinating Doc "Blaxploitalian" Surveys the History of Blackness In Italian Cinema". The Village Voice. 2017-05-01. Retrieved 2021-02-28.
  11. ↑ "Fred Kuwornu". Diversity Matters. Retrieved 2021-02-28.
  12. ↑ Boccato, Angelo. "United Artists for Italy celebrate diversity in Italian cinema". Cafébabel. Retrieved 2021-02-28.
  13. ↑ John, Curtis Caesar. "Trailer: 'BlaxploItalian' (Documentary on History of Blacks in Italian Cinema)". Shadow and Act. Retrieved 2021-02-28.
  14. ↑ "Encontro de Cinema Negro 2017 – ODEON CCLSR" (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2021-02-28.
  15. ↑ dizionidiasporiche (2015-07-07). "Fred Kuwornu presenta Antonio Dikele Distefano". dizionidiasporiche (in Italian). Retrieved 2021-02-28.
  16. ↑ "Blaq Italiano: Exploring Culture, Race, Identity, Citizenship in Contemporary Italy - Wake Forest University Events". events.wfu.edu. Retrieved 2021-02-28.
  17. ↑ "AFRO/BLACK EUROPE FILM & LECTURE SERIES & – AFRO/BLACK PARIS SYMPOSIUM". sites.dartmouth.edu. Retrieved 2021-02-28.
  18. ↑ "Italian Faculty and Staff | Middlebury Language Schools". www.middlebury.edu. Retrieved 2021-02-28.
  19. ↑ "Faculty by Department & Program - Colorado College". www.coloradocollege.edu. Retrieved 2021-02-28.
  20. ↑ "Blaxploitalian, a Documentary and a Call to Action". iitaly. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.