A.P. Giannini: Bank to the Future is an insightful documentary that tells the incredible true story of Amadeo Peter Giannini, the son of Italian immigrants in San Francisco, the man who revolutionized the world of finance by lending money to low-income workers and migrants during the worst economic crises of all times. He embraced the idea of ethical finance, fighting against usury and speculation.
Here is my interview with A.P. Giannini Co-Directors Valentina Signorelli and Cecilia Zoppelletto:
Nigrin: Your feature documentary film A.P. Giannini: Bank to the Future focuses on the true story of a man who revolutionized the world of finance. Tell us about how you got involved in making this film.
Signorelli/Zoppelletto: We were not familiar with the story of A.P. Giannini, but a video online during the pandemic gave us our first clue. During the lockdown, we worked from three continents apart—us in London, Rome, Kinshasa, and our story in California. Then, finally, we were able to move forward and make this film with joint forces from our companies Daitona (IT) and Preston Witman Productions (UK).
A.P. Giannini is truly the man who enabled millions of migrants to live the American Dream and to build America as we know it today as the son of Italian immigrants in San Francisco himself and founder of the Bank of Italy, later transformed into Bank of America. On one hand, we opted for the historical and biographical reconstruction—from Italian migration across the ocean to the Gold Rush and the San Francisco earthquake, through the Great Depression, World War II, and the Marshall Plan. On the other hand, we included the true stories of Italian-Americans who still today recognize A.P. Giannini's revolutionary vision for its contribution to creating a fairer society. We also feature unseen materials from the Academy, Library of Congress, Bison Archives, Istituto Luce, and personal family archives. Giorgio Cantarini (Life is Beautiful, The Gladiator) is “Dago”, the stereotype of the Italian immigrant in the United States, as an exceptional narrator.
In October 2023, the film premiered in America, with a sold-out tour through New York, San Francisco, Berkeley, Niles, Chicago, and Washington, DC. It also participated in the annual gala of the NIAF - National Italian American Foundation, attended by U.S. President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden. In June 2024, the film was released in Italy on the occasion of the 120th anniversary of the founding of the Bank of Italy.
Nigrin: I really like the opening first person monologue given by the actor Giorgio Cantarini who talks about Italian immigrants. Why did you decide to open the film this way? How were you able to get Giorgio, who is known for his role in Life is Beautiful and other films, to act in yours?
Signorelli/Zoppelletto: Valentina has known Giorgio Cantarini professionally for a long time, but had never had the opportunity to collaborate with him until now. As we reviewed the footage and interviews, it became clear that the story needed a narrator to connect with the audience. Cecilia thought that we could capture this by creating a character who would reflect the stereotypes faced by Italians in the U.S. and Italian-Americans. This led us to the creation of 'Dago,' a character named after one of the many derogatory terms used against Italians. Giorgio had not only worked in American films before but was also living in NYC and knew the Italian-American community well. While casting for this role, we invited him to audition, and his performance was amazing. We feel he has enriched the character with both his talent and first-hand experience.
Nigrin: Giorgio leads us through Amadeo Peter Giannini’s story and the “American Dream” while you intercut interviews and archival footage. Was it difficult piecing all this together? How long did it take? Were there any challenges that you had to overcome?
Signorelli/Zoppelletto: The editing phase lasted almost a year. We first pieced together all the interviews and archival footage, and then we added Giorgio’s contribution last. It was a complex and time-consuming process, as we had to strike a delicate balance between staying true to the documentary’s authenticity and conveying the emotional narrative of migration. Ultimately, our commitment to telling this story is what kept the film in focus.
Nigrin: I think the editing of your film is also one of its high points. The film moves effortlessly and keeps us interested in the subject. Tell us about the process of how your film was put together.
Signorelli/Zoppelletto: The film was first developed during the COVID pandemic in 2020, so most of the research phase took place between 2020 and 2021. Despite the global challenges brought by the pandemic, this gave us the opportunity to focus on what was available online and what we needed to find on-site. Most of the institutional interviews were agreed during this time, such as those with biographer Francesca Valente, Warren Sherk from the Academy Archives, and Prof. David Sumner from UC Berkeley.
Once we arrived in San Francisco, word spread through the Italian-American community that someone was interested in the story of A.P. Giannini. Many descendants reached out to us to share their connection to Giannini and to open their family archives.
The project is edited by Francesco Alino Guerra in his first feature-length documentary experience. He had just completed his training in video editing and did an amazing job, having also won a Best Editing award in August at the Inventa Un Film Festival in Lenola, Italy On the other hand, the collection and licensing of archival footage lasted over three years, in an exhaustive research process that led to the re-discovery of never-before-seen documents, pictures, and footage but this also meant editing constantly with images that we might have or might not secure and then repeat until it felt the way we wanted and carried the narrative the way we thought the audience might experience it.
Nigrin: Are there any memorable stories while you made this film or any other info about your film you would like to relay to us?
Signorelli/Zoppelletto: There are so many incredible memories from this film. Every film set is an adventure, and this one was unique. It embodied the spirit of the American dream with its on-the-road journey, and for some of us—a crew of six—it was a first-time experience and as film academics, visiting the Margaret Herrick Library was meaningful.
This film gave us the chance to live out our own version of the American dream, but what truly stood out was a serendipitous production 'meeting.'
While traveling from Bodie State Park to San Francisco, we encountered snow and had to stop. We stumbled upon a charming roadside café where we finally managed to get some reception. Upon checking in, we discovered that one of our scheduled interviews and key segments had been canceled. Naturally, we were disappointed and began brainstorming our next steps. As we admired the café’s unexpectedly gourmet Italian products, we struck up a conversation with the owner. Curious about what six Italians were doing in such a remote spot, she asked us about our journey. After explaining our situation, she connected us with her cousin, who had a family history tied to original Bank of America stocks and ended up being featured in the film.
Despite all the meticulous planning, sometimes you just have to trust that the film will bring you exactly what you need!
A.P. Giannini: Bank to the Future screens along with the short doc Rough Blazing Star by Christopher Wiersema at the Fall 2024 New Jersey Film Festival on Sunday, September 8, 2024. Both films will be available Online for 24 Hours on this day and In-Person at 5 PM in Voorhees Hall #105/Rutgers University, 71 Hamilton Street, New Brunswick, NJ. Tickets are available for purchase here.
