From Cinema of Reality to Tragicomic Laughter: Stefano Giannini Highlights “Meaning” in a Cultural Encounter in Alexandria

Alexandria is not just a city; it is a state of being. Once you approach it, you fall deeply in love, consumed by an obsession with its ancient and modern history. It captures your mind completely—like a lover who inflicts pain, promises flirtation, and indulges you with her hidden riches, which in truth are her heritage, her people, and her unique cultures. Here, the Levantine and the Maghrebi, the Eastern and the Western, the European and the African have all come together. Alexandria possesses bridges connecting it with ancient civilizations in Egypt, Greece, and of course Italy. It is said to be the Egyptian head that breathes the Mediterranean air. Here, poets, artists, intellectuals, and academics meet—not just to present their work but to draw inspiration from the meanings of plurality, openness, and acceptance. Many leave their mark here, making it more eternal and impactful than anywhere else.

On its land, numerous significant institutions and events dedicated to arts, heritage, and diverse cultures born from and because of this city have been established. Among these is the “Alexandrina Cultural Foundation” (ANPIEMED), officially founded by Dr. Francesco Gerico and Dr. Ayat Al-Mihy to preserve Alexandria’s tangible and intangible heritage. “Alexandrina” strives to revive, raise awareness of, and present this heritage to new generations. It also focuses on cultural exchange across the Mediterranean shores. Within this framework, the foundation organizes important cultural and artistic events attended by specialists, intellectuals, and active participants in Alexandria’s public sphere and the broader Mediterranean community, both from Egypt and abroad.

A Distinguished Guest on a Cinematic Visit:

STEFANO GIANNINI

In this context, Alexandrina hosted Professor Stefano Giannini, one of the most prominent contemporary Italian academics in the fields of literary criticism. He holds a Ph.D. in Italian literature from Johns Hopkins University in New York, with a dissertation centered on local contexts and literary cafés in his native land. Currently, he is an Associate Professor at Syracuse University in the U.S., specializing in languages, literature, and linguistics. He visited and studied at Alexandria University starting in 2024 through a Fulbright scholarship for cultural exchange and literary studies.

Title of the event: “Italian Cinema Between Realism and Comedy”

Giannini’s fame stems from his research interest in modern Italian literature, particularly regarding migration, identity, and cultural spaces. Among his notable works:

• Spatiality at the Periphery in European Literature and Visual Arts (2023), a collective volume exploring representations of margin and center in European literature and visual arts.
• Tradition and the Individual Texz, a commemorative collection of essays honoring critic Pier Massimo Forni.
• An article titled “Memory and the Realization of Nothingness” (2018), which discusses the relationship between Italian poets Vittorio Sereni and Giuseppe Ungaretti, with special emphasis on the city of Alexandria as a place of memory and absence.

Remarkably, Dr. Giannini does not treat Italy as a European center but considers it—like Sicily and Naples—as part of a broad “South” that extends to the shores of Alexandria, Algiers, and Beirut. In some of his earlier studies, he explored the concept of the “Mediterranean South” as a shared aesthetic space where colonial memory intersects with the search for identity, and where the “margin” becomes a source of innovation.

Italian Neorealism: Cinema Emerging from the Rubble

Therefore, the meeting with artists, writers, and interested parties from Alexandria was not merely an academic discussion but a call to a long history of cultural exchange between the two shores of the Mediterranean. This is particularly true as the event focused on two important aspects of Italian cinema:

• Post-World War II Neorealism, illustrated by the film Riso Amaro (“Bitter Rice”), produced in 1949. Set in the Piedmont region during the rice harvest season, it follows a large group of poor women working in the rice fields. Among them is Francesca, who is fleeing the police after participating in a theft with her boyfriend Walter. She meets Silvana, a hardworking but rebellious young woman, and a tense, emotionally charged relationship develops among the three characters.

The rise of Italian neorealism marked a shift where the camera moved from the studios of Rome to the streets and working-class neighborhoods, documenting the struggles of Italians facing destruction, unemployment, and loss of meaning. Films like Roberto Rossellini’s Rome, Open City and Vittorio De Sica’s Bicycle Thieves were not just cinematic events but artistic documents of a transformative era that influenced and changed many human concepts and ethics, reshaping perceptions of the contemporary world.

This dialogue likely raised questions about how this realism shaped new social consciousness, created a cinematic language parallel to literature, and built a relationship between identity and place—opening doors for comparison with the “Arab margin” cinemas that experienced similar moments after independence or revolution.

Postmodern Comedy: Laughing on the Ruins of Meaning

The second theme focused on Postmodern Comedy, highlighted by Giannini through the 2017 film Come Un Gatto In Tangenziale (“Like a Cat on the Motorway”). The film tells the story of Giovanni, an economic thinker living in an upscale neighborhood in Rome, and Monica, a single mother from a working-class district. They meet unexpectedly when their children begin a teenage romance. Despite the class and cultural gap between the families, Giovanni and Monica find themselves forced to work together to protect their children. This leads to a series of impactful comedic situations that reveal social stereotypes and contradictions, raising smart questions about social justice, prejudice, and class integration.

In Conclusion

The Mediterranean may be what connects the lands of the North and South. Yet the art spoken of by Professor Stefano Giannini is part of a broader and deeper culture uniting those with sensitive feelings and strong sensibilities, alongside those aspiring to a genuine cinematic art that ignites minds, moves souls, and achieves full sensory enjoyment for the creators, recipients, and followers of the seventh art worldwide. Schools of thought may differ, but creativity remains eternal and surprising, casting light upon humanity.