JULY 28

Biography

In 2012, a group of young people (in Italian, ragazzi) in their twenties saved the Cinema America in Trastevere from demolition, founded the association "Piccolo Cinema America", now known as "Piccolo America", and began to enliven Rome, from San Cosimato to Ostia, with large free summer cinema arenas. The screenings marked the birth of “Il Cinema in Piazza”. «We want to bring cinema where there is no cinema. We want to reopen cinemas, saving them from demolition and speculation. By using our projectors, we want to introduce the silver screen to the new generations. We are a group of friends and we are currently working to reopen the Cinema Troisi in via Induno».

29-year old Valerio Carocci comes from the urban zone of Rebibbia, Rome. He is the president of the Piccolo Cinema America Association and the driving force behind the group, which, since 2011, has been calling for an increase in the number of cultural spaces dedicated to young people in Rome through various forms of initiatives and demonstrations. He is in charge of relations with institutions and the Italian film industry.  He wrote the letter through which Roberto Benigni was convinced to support them (also) in memory of Massimo Troisi, to whom the association’s cinema for young people is dedicated.

Giulia Flor Buraschi is 24 years old and grew up in Cinecittà. She was the youngest member of the Piccolo America Association, almost a mascot. Today she is of age and is studying Education Science at the Sapienza University, but when she started her activity with the others she was only 14. Her role in the group is to ensure that each member carries out the task he or she has taken on, like a coordinator/supervisor who makes it possible to optimise everyone’s skills.