February 22, 2011

Zampogna: The Soul of Southern Italy (DVD)

Zampogna from the Metropolitan Museum of Art 
Photo by New York Scugnizzo
Zampogna: The Soul of Southern Italy. A feature length documentary film about Southern Italian culture told through its indigenous folk music. The film focuses on how these traditions are dealing with the rapid changes in local economy and the homogenizing effect globalization has on local culture. Filmed by an Italian American rediscovering his family's roots, the film takes the viewer on an odyssey through remote regions in Sicily, Calabria, Campania and Molise introducing the people who carry on these ancient traditions that most Italian Americans are completely unaware of. The Zampogna - the Italian bagpipe is the physical manifestation of this culture, its music represents the spirit and vitality of the Southern Italian.

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(Reprinted from Zampogna: The Soul of Southern Italy press release)