Cine-ONU in Italy

Rome, 4 July, 2017 - UNRIC's Cine-ONU began a new chapter in Italy, when the Italian film "Slaves - the routes of new forms of exploitation" was screened at the prestigious setting of the "Casa del Cinema" in Rome.

Jointly organised by UNRIC and Cinemonitor, Rome University "La Sapienza" cinema portal, the "numero zero" of the Italian edition of UNRIC's successful initiative saw some 200 people watch the 62-minute film by director Stefano Mencherini, shedding light on how politics, the economy and media in Italy have approached migration, causing a deterioration of migrants' rights and ushering in a season of new slavery.

The Italian judge Ms. Maria Grazia Giammarinaro, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Trafficking and Mr. Roberto Zuccolini, spokesperson for the Rome-based Community of Saint Egidio, completed a panel that engaged the public in the debate following the screening.

These are crucial days for the destiny of European and national migration policies, while the pressure from the Libyan corridor through the central Mediterranean continues unabated, with Italy bearing the brunt (85%) of the 101,000 migrants and refugees that have fled to Southern European countries in the first half of the year. Against this scenario, marked by diverging national interests and priorities as well as lack of cooperation and political of the EU Member States, the speakers agreed that factual international solidarity and a full and effective implementation of existing norms could help reverse the current trend. 

The UN Special Rapporteur described the appalling dynamics of human trafficking, with an overview of her activity and an outline of her next agenda, while the Spokesperson for the Community of Saint Egidio explained the mechanisms and virtues of the humanitarian corridors and their potential for an effective integration of migrants and refugees. However, the corridors have only allowed for the safe channelling and integration of a few hundred people so far, as the project is totally self-financed. Were it to be adopted by countries, numbers could drastically increase, also contributing to debunking the populist argument that migration flows pave the way for terrorists' access into the EU Member States.  

This theme is deeply felt today in Italy, which explains the success of this first Cine-ONU screening in Rome. UNRIC and Cinemonitor agreed to capitalise on the support of partners such as RAI Cinema and ANAC, the association of film authors, and consider a regular monthly activity starting in October. Also, ANAC floated the idea that  one of the slots that the association manages within the context of the Venice Film Festival could open up for UNRIC to present Cine-ONU/Italy to the larger public in early autumn. To be continued...