The Streets of Little Italy documentary adds Armand Assante
Armand Assante will narrate the San Gennaro centennial film, now shooting in New York’s Little Italy ahead of the September feast.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
2 min read
The Streets of Little Italy documentary has found its voice: Armand Assante will narrate The Streets of Little Italy: 100 Years of San Gennaro, Deadline reported.
Assante, known for Gotti, has joined the feature-length documentary from director Paul Borghese, whose credits include Once Upon a Time in Brooklyn. The film is now in production.
The project follows the Feast of San Gennaro from its beginnings as a small immigrant religious procession on Manhattan’s Mulberry Street to what the production describes as the world’s best-known and most-attended Italian feast.
CIAO USA is producing the documentary with Figli di San Gennaro, Inc., the organization behind the annual celebration.
What is The Streets of Little Italy documentary about?
The Streets of Little Italy: 100 Years of San Gennaro is a documentary about the history, faith and immigrant story tied to the Feast of San Gennaro. According to the film’s synopsis, it will use rare archival material, historic photographs, interviews and vérité footage from the centennial celebration.
The documentary also connects the feast’s story to Italian immigration through archival material from Ellis Island, according to the synopsis. It frames San Gennaro’s place in Little Italy alongside the experience of millions of Italians who came to the United States in search of a new life.
Production has already traveled to Italy for filming in Naples, Benevento and Pozzuoli, Deadline reported. Benevento is identified by the production as the birthplace of San Gennaro, while Pozzuoli is identified as the place where he was martyred.
Filming is now taking place in New York’s Little Italy. The crew is expected to continue shooting during this year’s 100th anniversary Feast of San Gennaro, scheduled for Mulberry Street from September 17 through September 27.
Who is making the San Gennaro film?
Borghese is directing the documentary, with Fred Gardaphé writing it. Deadline identified Gardaphé as one of the founders of Italian-American Studies and a Distinguished Professor of English and Italian-American Studies at Queens College, CUNY.
George Mitas is serving as cinematographer on the film.
In a statement reported by Deadline, Borghese called the Feast of San Gennaro “so much more than a festival,” describing it as “the heartbeat of Little Italy” and a testament to Italian-American faith, pride and resilience.
Borghese also said that, as an Italian American whose work has been closely tied to New York and its people, he considers it a privilege to help preserve the feast’s story while marking a century of the tradition.
No release date was reported for the documentary.
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.