1993 55 mins Rated G Dir: Franco di Chiera
A group of Italian women from Fremantle, Western Australia, formed a choir called 'The Joys of the Women’ (Le Gioie Delle Donne), to sing traditional and contemporary songs. Choir member Kavisha Mazzella is a singer/songwriter wanting to learn more about her musical heritage. The film follows her journey to Italy to record traditional music and bring it back to the choir to keep the music alive. Some of the choir members recall their experiences as post-war immigrants in Western Australia.
A joyful musical experience involving real-life characters, full of light and shade, laughter and tears as it captures the larger than life characters in the Fremantle Italian Women’s chorus.
Did you find this film uplifting?By pursuing a passion did the women find empowerment?
1 comment:
I found the story of the creation and journey of this Italian choir totally inspirational. Firstly the discovery that ordinary women leading ordinary lives can turn out to be talented and extraordinary - given the opportunity! There was the joy of the singing itself, the cameraderie,the keeping alive of old Italian folk songs that would otherwise be lost, being a venue for the expression of these women's migrant experiences in contemporary songs, the emancipation and empowerment and life changing effect of the choir for many of the women. What a result! Some of the women's stories were hilarious but it also made me ponder the many issues it raised about how women can be imprisoned by culture, generation,war,society, poverty and so on. It was marvellous to have the actual choir singing at the end of the film and to feel the exhuberance of the women. I loved the way a little old Italian lady in the audience just had to spontaneously dance in the aisle joined by Kavisha.
Maggie
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