Wednesday, February 22, 2017, 6pm The Barese Ice Men of New York (2015), 80 min. Carlo Magaletti, dir. The Barese Icemen of New York follows the story of the Italian immigrants from the region of Apulia who from the 1920s to the 1960s dominated the making and delivery of ice in New York City. Interviews with former icemen and their families as well as individuals who currently work in the ice business shed interesting light on this niche occupation. What was it like lugging 100 pounds of ice up four flights of tenement stairs? Why did this trade remain lucrative throughout the Great Depression? How did many of these icemen transition into coal and oil delivery after household refrigerators became the norm? Director Carlo Magaletti, himself Barese, looks at these topics in this exploration of how Apulians came to dominate the ice business. Post-screening discussion led by Mark Naison, Fordham University.

Wednesday, April 19, 2017, 6pm Sicily Jass: The World's First Man in Jazz (2015), 73 min. Michele Cinque, dir. Sicily Jass, an intermingling of fiction and documentary, uses the Sicilian puppets and narrating voice of Mimmo Cuticchio to tell the story of musician Nick La Rocca and his problematic role in jazz history. La Rocca, born to Sicilian immigrants in New Orleans at the end of the nineteenth century, made the first jazz record, "Livery Stable Blues," in 1917 with his Original Dixieland Jazz Band. A self-taught trumpet player, La Rocca went from the dizzying heights of success to an embittered decline. Interviews with critics, historians, and La Rocca's son Jimmy, as well as remastered archival recordings, illuminate the Sicilian American's controversial place in the historiography of jazz. Post-screening discussion with the director led by independent scholar George DeStefano.

All events are free, open to the public, and held at the Calandra Institute. RSVP by calling (212) 642-2094.