Il Moro, The Moor: Alessandro de’ Medici, from Florence to the US (Featuring Daphne Di Cinto)

“Il Moro aims to be an ode to self-love for Black-Italians, Afropeans and the African diaspora, a reminder that we are an integral part of European history beyond the way it has portrayed us up until now.” Daphne Di Cinto, Il Moro – The Moor: a Real Black Duke, Beyond Fiction. The Los Angeles Tribune, April 19, 2022.   In this very special episode, recorded via Zoom, I speak with Daphne Di Cinto, director, screenwriter, and producer of the ground-breaking short film Il Moro - The Moor, winner of the Oscar Qualifying Reel Sisters Film Festival. Il Moro - The Moor, Di Cinto’s directorial debut, is an enthralling film that explores the extraordinary life of the first Duke of Florence in 1530, Alessandro de' Medici, the first black man to ascend to the position of head of state in early modern Western Europe. The film presents a compelling narrative and sheds light on an often-overlooked historical figure and his significant role in European history.  Join Daphne di Cinto and me for a truly interesting conversation about Il Moro -The Moor, and its significance and relevance to the present, and to the lives of generations of Afro-Europeans. The film speaks to critical issues that still plague our society today and we touch on crucial questions related to identity and belonging, to what diversity in Italy looks like right now, and to the importance of ensuring that these missing historical key players, their stories, and their truth, are finally told and brought to light.   Useful Links and Background Information  Support the film www.ilmorofilm.com   Il Moro has partnered with Creative Visions in its race to the Awards!    Read more about the project and how you can support Il Moro with a tax-deductible donation here: https://creative-visions.networkforgood.com/projects/204674-il-moro-the-moor-s-fundraiser   Daphne Di Cinto Biography Daphne Di Cinto is a Black-Italian screenwriter, director, actor, and producer born and raised in the North of Italy. She begins her film and theatre studies in Rome, where she focuses on acting at the Scuola di Cinema, while getting her degree in Communication Science at Roma Tre University. She attends the faculty of cinema at the Sorbonne in Paris before moving to New York for her master’s in fine arts at the Actors Studio Drama School. She is currently based in London.  Il Moro-The Moor, her directorial debut, has won several accolades at international film festivals, including Best Short Film at the Italian Black Movie Awards and at the Fabrique du Cinema Awards, Best Acting Ensemble at Venezia Shorts and Best Director of a Foreign Language Short at Madrid International Film Festival, in addition to winning the Academy Awards Qualifier Reel Sisters Film Festival.  Daphne received the Cultured Focus Visionary in Film Award during the 79th Venice Film Festival and the Leader of Change in Creativity Award at the 2023 Black Carpet Awards.  As a screenwriter, she is interested in themes of identity, belonging, migrations and the female gaze.  Daphne played Sarah Bassett, the Duchess of Hastings in the Netflix series Bridgerton.  Daphne di Cinto on Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/daphnedicinto/ Daphne di Cinto’s Linkedin Profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/daphne-di-cinto/ Il Moro on Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/ilmorofilm/ Il Moro Official Trailer https://vimeo.com/573594129 Il Moro Linktree https://linktr.ee/Ilmorofilm