Antonio Dikele Distefano will work for Hollywwod

Stsitting on the stage of the theatre “James Bridges” of UCLA (University of California – Los Angeles), Antonio Dikele Distefano answers students’ questions, calm and concentrated. They just screened his film, Autumn Beat (streamed on Prime Video), story of two brothers who dream of breaking into the world of rap.

The cast consists predominantly of actors of African ancestry. In the room there are Asian, black and white students, all very interested in his cinema, in the stories he writes, and in his own, that of a black Italian filmmaker who tells the reality of young Afro-Italians in our country.

Super resume

Antonio – sweater with gray geometric designs and a matching cap – could be one of them, if it weren’t for the extraordinary curriculum, at just 30: rapper, director, actor, novelist (published five books for Mondadori), video producer, founder of digital magazine They Magazine (about music and culture urban in Italy)creator of the Netflix series Zero (based on his novel I’ve never been my age and with a predominantly black cast), host with Carlotta Vagnoli of the talk Basement Café (on the Web). Invited to prestigious universities, cultural centers and museums, he presents Autumn Beat in 22 American cities: after Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and Santa Barbara, it will be in Detroit, Toronto, Baltimore, just to name a few. In New York he will be a guest of the Cinema Museum, in Philadelphia of the Afro-American Museum.

Activist revival

Such an extensive tour of meetings, screenings, debates with young people is certainly unique (I don’t remember any other Italian directors who, in recent decades, have participated in so many initiatives) and takes on a special relevance precisely for the historical period we are living in. Black History Month is celebrated in America, the month dedicated to African American intellectual heritage; the debate on black culture courses has become heated, appreciated by scholars (they would like it as an integral part of the high school curriculum) and criticized by conservative politicians and commentators.

Recent events against citizens of color, including the murders of George Floyd and Tire Nichols, have given rise to movements such as Black Lives Matterwith a resurgence of activism in communities of color and greater awareness in general. Hollywood, traditionally the cradle of progressive and radical forces, is however accused of ignoring and excluding black filmmakers and artists, and is working on all fronts for a policy of inclusion, with stories and characters that reflect social reality. But the recent Oscar nominations have once again disappointed expectations: the defeat of two favorites like Viola Davis for The Woman King and Danielle Deadwyler for Till they resolved the issue #OscarSoWhite of 2015. How to justify – the more controversial press makes matters worse – that no black director has ever been nominated? So is America, for Dikele, a dream or a threat? «I don’t believe in the American Dream, but if they like some of my proposals it’s worth a try, isn’t it?».

Rap music

And the tour paid off: Dikele has already started collaborating with Macro, a major American multimedia company which represents “voices and perspectives of black people and people of color” (in just a few years it has won 15 Oscar nominations and three statuettes). He will be the creative producer of a new TV series (which he wrote)which will be filmed in Italy and the United States over the next two years .

From an Angolan family, born in Busto Arsizio, raised in Ravenna, living in Milan, Dikele faces this tour of the States with a cultural rather than a political approach: he wants to know and understand, listen and see, participate and learn. His commitment is to tell Afro-Italian stories, show the multicultural realities of Afro origin and the battles to overcome. Without marches, threats or violence but with an inclusive work: with actors, writers, artists and young people of color.

How did the story of Autumn Beat?
From my novel. I wasn’t very happy with how things were going, one day I took a train and started writing the script. I sent it to two producers: they answered me the next day. As an intruding spectator, I wanted to tell about a family that changes over time, using elements I knew well such as rap music, my parents’ culture, and Milan. The protagonists of this story want to exist, and it is not easy to exist in Italy especially if you are a black boy.

“I’m okay”

You belong to the second generation of black Italians.
No, I consider myself from the first generation: we are the first, we are many and we are trying to change our country. For me, collective relevance is important, not existing alone. It’s what I do for every day, starting with the magazine, books and films: trying to give a voice to those who don’t have one, telling stories that are never told. Testimony is important to eradicate stereotypes, it is important to tell the new generations that it is possible. I grew up with nothing, in middle school they suggested that I enroll in professional studies; now my grandchildren know they can be directors, actors, psychologists. Testimony helps to change the imaginary, narrows possible destinies.

Is it important to do political activism?
I don’t care, and they criticized me a lot for it. I see it as something of a failure, it has always been done, but things haven’t changed. I appreciate it, but it’s not for me to go to the streets, shout, convince.

And what does it propose?
The only thing I can do is contribute small changes where I operate. With the little power I have, I’ve brought new people into my circle: already being three black writers working on a series is a huge revolution. Two black directors talking to each other… I want to do this, not convince the white man that I’m okay, because I’m okay. Rather I want to convince a black boy and tell him: “You can do it, together we can do it”.

The fears of Antonio Dikele Distefano

With what state of mind do you approach the collaboration with America?
I will always try to keep a foot and a half in Italy. The United States scares me because I have the feeling that they are a meat grinder, but at the same time working here means drawing on their budgets, collaborating with people who have a vision “inclined” towards great things: I envy this attitude. I like the meetings here, they last ten minutes: you go, you talk to someone, and away you go.

And in Italy?
You have to like him, right? You have to go to the aperitif, do public relations. Here it is enough to be good, to have a story to propose.

Do you notice different reactions when you present your film?
Yes: adults always ask me things related to racism, kids ask me things related to characters. The fact that we are black is metabolized, it shows that young people are one step ahead. When you can do this, you win.

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