La Mia Strada (My Road) is a compelling exploration of ethnicity and culture, linking ancient and modern Italian life with its Italian-American counterpart. DiLauro uses the historic shepherd trails (tratturi) as both reality and metaphor for the transmission of culture and identity. We are invited along a journey of discovery, examining the ways in which family and tradition strive to maintain a fragile bond across generations and continents despite the demands of an ever-changing world.



Over a period of years, DiLauro immersed himself in the music, poetry, and oral histories of Abruzzo, Molise and Puglia, three regions of Italy connected by the path of the shepherd. He conducted dozens of oral histories, sifted through family photographs, explored historical sites, and sifted through archaeological artifacts, yielding a story linking both the ancient and contemporary history of families divided by an ocean, yet united by familial and ethnic bonds. DisCanto, an Italian folk music group produced the soundtrack for the documentary. www.discanto.net/

La Mia Strada was screened at the Palestrina Film Festival in Italy, Atlantic City Film Festival, received “Special Recognition” at the Salerno Film Festival and was awarded a Silver Medal from the Media Communications Association-International Film Festival along with several cultural centers and universities throughout the United States. In November 2013 the documentary kicked off the Chicago Catholic Immigrant Conference and the “Faith in Film Series”, sponsored by Loyola University, Casa Italia and Italian Cultural Institute Chicago.

Watch the film trailer here: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zQKubXdK7Q

Watch full program here: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lwwbm9XiCsw&feature=youtu.be 

This is not DiLauro’s first foray into ethnic identity. A previous documentary, Prisoners Among Us: Italian American Identity and WWII was awarded the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the New York International Independent Film Festival. This was due in part, with the generous support of the da Vinci Society of Delaware, Order Sons of Italy in America, National Italian American Foundation, UNICO and the Pennsylvania Public Television Network.

A celebrated director and producer of documentaries, television programs, commercials, and corporate productions, Michael DiLauro has earned five regional Emmy’s, a Blue Ribbon at the American Film Festival, several ADDY awards and the Gabriel award for outstanding television programming.

Mr. DiLauro served as the Director of the Academic Media Center and Associate Professor at Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  He retired with Emeritus honors.

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Email: michaelangelodilauro@gmail.com