Week 2 – Discovering a stop motion animated film at Cinéma ABC in Toulouse

For our cultural activity on Thursday June 22, we went to Cinéma ABC to watch the film Interdit aux Chiens et aux Italiens.  Cinéma ABC is the oldest arthouse cinema in Toulouse.  As an independent movie theater, the ABC’s mission is to defend culture, promote cinematographic works, defend local cinema, and encourage encounters with film professionals.

Directed and narrated by Alain Ughetto, the film Interdit aux Chiens et Italiens (No dogs or Italians allowed) is a stop motion animated film that tells the story of Ughetto’s grandparents and family who emigrated to France in the early 20th century from a small town in Italy.  Ughetto's grand-parents and family moved to France not only in search of work but also to flee fascism in Italy.  Ughetto’s film depicts the experience of immigrants who flee to another country to work or to escape political situations and then struggle with racism, xenophobia, and prejudice.