By Valerie Milano
Palm Springs, CA (The Hollywood Times) 10/23/24 – Potentially Dangerous reveals the harrowing experiences of over 600,000 Italian immigrants who were unjustly branded as “enemy aliens” during World War II. Produced by the acclaimed John Turturro and directed by Zach Baliva, this documentary sheds light on the widespread internment and persecution these individuals faced—often without trial or due process. As it uncovers the complexities of wartime hysteria and its implications on justice and immigration, the film resonates powerfully with contemporary discussions surrounding national security. Coinciding with Italian American Heritage Month, Potentially Dangerous not only highlights an untold story but also serves as a vital reminder of the consequences of fear-driven policies.
In discussing the inspiration behind Potentially Dangerous, Baliva highlighted the profound impact of cultural stigma in the telling of this particular historical event. He expressed, “This is a story that hasn’t been told very often and that was one of the many things that drew me to it. As a journalist and filmmaker, when I found out about this untold Italian story, and when I found the work of Larry Distasi I was so surprised that the stories he had written about hadn’t gotten wider attention. So, I got with Larry and I asked why there had never been a documentary, and he shared with me that a lot of the Italians that experienced this war-time persecution, based on hysteria 80 years ago, had been very reluctant to tell their story because of this concept of shame which is so big in Italian culture; they call it Burgonia. It’s a concept that says, ‘we don’t want anyone to know that this happened to us and how it affected us so we would rather stay quiet.’ Thanks to the work Larry did, he kind of primed-the-pump and got these people more willing to tell their stories and I think that if he didn’t begin this work with them, that he started in the 90s, they wouldn’t have been willing to participate in the documentary and I am so grateful that we got to tell their stories.”
Click below for our exclusive interview:
Baliva continued, discussing his hopes of how audiences will receive this work, he added, “When you consider the personal stories of people who are willing to share their experience with you it’s much harder to look at things as ‘Us vs Them’ or ‘Black and White’. There’s a lot of nuances involved so you can imagine how confusing it is to have all of these legal policies involved, especially during wartime. I hope that Potentially Dangerous and other films and works of art can be tools for educational and social change and things that we can use to challenge the established narratives, while also making sense of what’s happening in the world, we live in.”
Along with using films like this to educate ourselves, what additional steps can individuals and communities take to address the historical injustices faced by Italian and Italian Americans as well as any other groups? While discussions of reparations for other ethnic groups continue, what can be done to acknowledge the pain and suffering that has been nearly forgotten? Director Zach Baliva emphasizes, “Right now, the Italian community is being left out of some of those moments and official recognitions, so, there is some advocacy that can be had along the lines of: When we are talking about what happened to different communities during WWII, let’s make sure that we include everyone that was affected by this war-time hysteria, by this persecution. It had a huge impact and was an important era in our history.”
Be sure to catch Potentially Dangerous on PBS or on streaming http://www.potentiallydangerousfilm.com!
