Documentary about Italian citizenship for children of immigrants
Currently, the main path to Italian citizenship is through ius sanguinis (the ‘right of blood’), meaning filiation, whereby children with one or both Italian parents are automatically Italian citizens. Birth in Italy to foreign parents confers no privileges other than the possibility of naturalising after one’s 18th birthday, with many additional conditions required, and following a long and arduous bureaucratic process.
The documentary 18 Ius Soli (2011, 50′) by Fred Kuwornu investigates the current debate about introducing ius soli – the ‘right of the soil’, meaning citizenship through birth on Italian soil – into Italian law for children of immigrants. The film explores the issue through the eyes of 18 young people affected by current citizenship law.The director will be present and will give a talk about the themes of the film.There will be another screening of the film at 575 McCone Hall, Berkeley, on the 14th of March at 5 PM, after which the filmmaker will lead a critical conversation about race, national identity, and multiculturalism in contemporary Italy. Please click here for more information about the Berkeley screening.
For more information about the project, please visit its website.
Please click here to register for the screening of this film here at the IIC on the 17th of March.