Cabrini screening - Cristiana Dell'Anna
/
4:53
/
MP4
/
359.6 MB
Download

Edited News | UNOG

Cabrini screening - Cristiana Dell'Anna

'Cabrini' film lead and Gomorrah star Cristiana Dell’Anna travelled to Geneva on Friday to highlight the age-old dangers confronting migrants – and the astonishing Italian missionary who travelled to New York City's slums at the turn of the last century, determined to protect them.

“Being from southern Italy, the migration issue is very close to my heart. Southern Italians have always emigrated throughout history, especially during the Second World War and I have in my family people who have emigrated and I am an emigrant myself,” Ms. Dell’Anna said, ahead of a special screening of her film at the Palace of Nations in the Swiss city.

Inspired by the true story of Italian nun, Mother Francesca Cabrini, who Pope Leo XIII tasked with helping vulnerable migrants arriving in the United States at the turn of the last century, her gripping account offers an uncomfortable perspective on the discrimination and racism reserved for impoverished and dark-skinned Italian migrants yet to learn English in the already booming city – where Italian street children are denigrated as “monkeys”.

Painfully accurate

“It is very accurate – in fact, this one particular shot I'm thinking of, of some children, sitting on just by a little wall - it's inspired by a picture that was taken during those times,” Ms. Dell’Anna said.

“So, it is very accurate and everything you see in the movie’s actually happened at some point.”

Despite serious lifelong sickness and with the help of other Italian nuns and volunteers in the notorious and often dangerous Five Points slum, Mother Cabrini took in orphans, fed, clothed and educated them.

She was canonized for her work in 1946 – the first US citizen to be made a saint.

“We've forgotten how to be inspired and I just think that Cabrini could very much aid that idea because it's a true story, it's a very compelling one,” Ms. Dell’Anna told UN News at the event, co-organized by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), the Permanent Mission of Italy and the Permanent Observer of the Holy See.

“And I just thought that starting a dialogue in that sense and being here, it could be a good starting point to maybe try and ground again certain ideas, or ideals and principles that should be our guidance through our daily life for everyone.”

Trading places

She added: “I often ask myself, ‘Where does the migrant stand today in a world where we - it's easier to trade merchandise and it's easy for things to travel around the world rather than human beings?’ We should probably reflect on these issues and understand where we place humankind compared to objects.”

Latest UN estimates indicate that there are at least 281 million international migrants around the world, a number that has increased over the past five decades, with people continuing to move from their homelands driven by poverty, conflict and climate change.

To accept the divisive and hateful rhetoric that this age-old phenomenon continues to generate is to forget our humanity, Ms. Dell’Anna maintains.

“I think we should probably learn a lesson from this movie: migrants are not really doing well, especially in southern Italy, in the whole country, I'm afraid to say. The way we treat migrants has changed radically and they've become more of a threat rather than an integral part of society.”

Dignified approach

Thanks to a painstakingly researched backstory that covers the arc of Mother Cabrini’s life and campaigning work in rural northern Italy to her struggles against authority – and rank hostility in New York, Cabrini “gives us an opportunity – gave me an opportunity - to tell a little bit of what we went through when we were the ones migrating. Now, we are the ones actually denying the right of dignity, which in my opinion, is a universal right and should be recognized as such”, Ms. Dell’Anna explained.

Asked what Mother Cabrini herself might have made of the film depicting her mission, with its sumptuous and at times soul-destroying cinematography, Ms. Dell’Anna replied confidently: “She would be really pleased that we are telling the story. Not because of her, but because of the other huge main character that is in the story, which is the migrant.

“She’d be really pleased, because this is a very pertinent and contemporary issue…she was very pragmatic [so] she probably would say something like, ‘Press on.’”

TRT: 04’53”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 17 January 2025 – UN GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
RESTRICTIONS: NONE



SHOTLIST

  1. Exterior medium shot: UN flag alley.
  2. Exterior medium-wide, Cabrini lead actress Cristiana Dell’Anna walking with Daniel Johnson from UNTV Geneva in flag alley.
  3. Exterior wide, Cristiana Dell’Anna with Daniel Johnson in flag alley.
  4. Exterior medium-wide, Cristiana Dell’Anna with Daniel Johnson in flag alley.
  5. SOUNDBITE (English) Cristiana Dell’Anna: “Being from southern Italy, the migration issue is very close to my heart. Southern Italians have always emigrated throughout history, especially during the Second World War and I have in my family people who have emigrated and I am an emigrant myself.”
  6. Wide, Cristiana Dell’Anna walking past UN Palace of Nations under renovation with Daniel Johnson.
  7. Medium-wide, Cristiana Dell’Anna walking inside grounds of UN Palace of Nations with Daniel Johnson.
  8. SOUNDBITE (English) Cristiana Dell’Anna: “This movie gives us an opportunity – gave me an opportunity - to tell a little bit of what we went through when we were the ones migrating and now we are the ones actually denying the right of dignity, which in my opinion, is a universal right and should be recognized as such.”
  9. Medium-wide, Cristiana Dell’Anna walking inside UN Palace of Nations with Daniel Johnson and posing for a photograph.
  10. SOUNDBITE (English) Cristiana Dell’Anna: “I often ask myself, ‘Where does the migrant stand today in a world where we - it's easier to trade merchandise and it's easy for things to travel around the world rather than human beings; I wonder, we should probably reflect on these issues and understand where we place humankind compared to objects.”
  11. Wide, Cristiana Dell’Anna addressing audience in Room XIX.
  12. Medium-wide, trucking shot of Room XIX audience with Cristiana Dell’Ana shown speaking on big screen.
  13. Medium-wide, Room XIX audience applauding.
  14. SOUNDBITE (English) Cristiana Dell’Anna: “I think we should probably learn a lesson from this movie. Migrants are not really doing well, especially in southern Italy, in the whole country, I'm afraid to say. The way we treat migrants has changed radically and they've become more of a threat rather than an integral part of society as it should be.”
  15. Various, scenes from official Cabrini trailer.
  16. SOUNDBITE (English) Cristiana Dell’Anna: “It is very accurate - in fact, this one particular shot I'm thinking of, of some children, sitting on just by a little wall - it's inspired by a picture that was taken during those times. So, it is very accurate and everything you see in the movie’s actually happened at some point.”
  17. Medium, audience in profile.
  18. Medium-wide, Cristiana Dell’Anna holding flowers, applause.
  19. SOUNDBITE (English) Cristiana Dell’Anna: “We've forgotten how to be inspired and I just think that Cabrini could very much aid that idea because it's a true story, it's a very compelling one.”
  20. Various, scenes from official Cabrini trailer.
  21. SOUNDBITE (English) Cristiana Dell’Anna: “I just I just thought that starting a dialogue in that sense and being here, it could be a good starting point to maybe try and ground again certain ideas, or ideals and principles that should be - they should be - our guidance through our daily life for everyone.”
  22. Various, scenes from official Cabrini trailer.
  23. SOUNDBITE (English) Cristiana Dell’Anna: “I think she would be really pleased that we are telling the story. Not because of her, but because of the other huge main character that is in the story, which is the migrant. She’d be really pleased, because this is a very pertinent and contemporary issue that she would still address and she would still fight for, so the sole fact that we are talking about it, she probably be saying something like - she was very pragmatic - she would say, ‘Press on.’”
  24. Various, scenes from official Cabrini trailer.


Audio Files 1
Download Cabrini screening - Cristiana Dell'Anna (Edited Story)
Download

Similar Stories

Uganda UN Human Rights Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani  urges president to reject bill allowing trials of civilians in military courts

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR

Uganda UN Human Rights Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani urges president to reject bill allowing trials of civilians in military courts ENG FRA

UN Human Rights Office Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani today urged Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to reject a bill that was recently endorsed by parliament allowing trials of civilians in military courts. The Uganda People’s Defence Forces Amendment Bill 2025, which was passed on 20 May and now awaits presidential signature to become law, among others broadens the jurisdiction of military courts, authorising them to try a wide range of offences against civilians.

UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango: South Sudan: UN human rights chief decries escalating hostilities, arbitrary arrests and hate speech

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR

UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango: South Sudan: UN human rights chief decries escalating hostilities, arbitrary arrests and hate speech ENG FRA

UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango today warned of a further deterioration in the human rights situation in South Sudan at the bi-weekly briefing in Geneva.

Syria humanitarian update OCHA - WHO 23 May 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | OCHA , WHO

Syria humanitarian update OCHA - WHO 23 May 2025 ENG FRA

Syria: ‘Staggering’ needs amid insecurity, health care crisis  - UN humanitarians

Millions of people in Syria continue to face mortal danger from unexploded munitions, disease and malnutrition and urgent support is required, UN humanitarians said on Friday.

Gaza health update - UNRWA - OCHA - WHO

1

1

1

Edited News | UNRWA , OCHA , WHO

Gaza health update - UNRWA - OCHA - WHO ENG FRA

UN life-saving aid allowed to trickle into Gaza as civilian needs mount

Amid calls for more humanitarian trucks to enter the food and medicine-deprived Palestinian enclave of Gaza, UN humanitarians have received permission from Israel for “around 100” more aid trucks to cross into the Strip after only five were let in yesterday,  But the scale of relief efforts allowed remains entirely insufficient to meet the urgent needs of people there, humanitarian workers say.

Press vests becoming a target - war reporter Christina Assi

1

1

1

Edited News

Press vests becoming a target - war reporter Christina Assi ENG FRA

A war reporter from Lebanon who lost a limb in the line of duty is calling for an end to impunity for attacks against journalists.

ITU 160th Anniversary - 17 May 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | ITU

ITU 160th Anniversary - 17 May 2025 ENG FRA

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) commemorated 160 years dedicated to connecting the world on Saturday, 17 May in Geneva, Switzerland, during the annual World Telecommunication and Information Society Day.

Gaza humanitarian update – WHO, OCHA 16 May 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | WHO , OCHA

Gaza humanitarian update – WHO, OCHA 16 May 2025 ENG FRA

Gazans ‘in terror’ after another night of deadly strikes and siege

Amid reports that Israeli strikes across Gaza into Friday killed at least 64 people, aid teams once again pushed back strongly at allegations that aid is being diverted to Hamas and pleaded for the blockade to end.

UN Human Rights raises human rights concerns about deportations from the United States of America

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

UN Human Rights raises human rights concerns about deportations from the United States of America ENG FRA

Deportations over recent months of large numbers of non-nationals from the United States of America, especially to countries other than those of their origin, raise a number of human rights concerns, the UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk warned on Tuesday.   

Gaza health update - WHO

1

1

1

Edited News | WHO

Gaza health update - WHO ENG FRA

Gaza: Over 50 child malnutrition deaths amid aid blockade; entire generation will be ‘permanently affected’ - WHO

In the aid desert of Gaza, malnourished children are dying while survivors can expect a lifetime of dire health problems, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.

Gaza aid update - UNICEF, UNRWA, WHO 09 May 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | WHO , UNICEF , UNRWA

Gaza aid update - UNICEF, UNRWA, WHO 09 May 2025 ENG FRA

Israel’s aid plan will force Gaza families to choose ‘between displacement and death’ – UN humanitarians

Israel’s plan to take control of relief assistance in Gaza risks increasing the suffering of families already exhausted by 18 months of war by putting their lives in danger and inciting more displacement, using aid as “bait”, UN humanitarians said on Friday.

Gaza humanitarian blockade  OCHA - WHO

1

1

1

Edited News | OCHA , WHO

Gaza humanitarian blockade OCHA - WHO ENG FRA

UN Humanitarians reject Israeli plan to take over aid delivery

The reported Israeli proposal to deliver humanitarian supplies through hubs controlled by the military would be a breach of the core principles of neutral, impartial and independent aid delivery, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, said on Tuesday.

 

Gaza two months blockade - OCHA 02 MAY 2025

1

1

1

Edited News , B-roll | OCHA

Gaza two months blockade - OCHA 02 MAY 2025 ENG FRA

Gaza: ‘Worst-case scenario’ unfolds as two-month aid blockade deepens suffering - OCHA

Two months into a devastating aid blockade of Gaza food has run out and people are fighting over water amid relentless bombing, the UN’s humanitarian affairs coordination office (OCHA) said on Friday.

/Includes OCHA footage from Gaza City/