By Elizabeth Carbe’
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 3/24/25 – Davide Fiore is a bilingual Italian award-winning video editor and director based in Los Angeles. His works include documentaries, music videos, short films and commercials that have been seen across media outlets. He edited the feature film Bad Art directed by Zio Ziegler and Tania Raymonde (Lost, Goliath). He worked on documentaries such as Unzipped: An Autopsy of American Inequality by Colin K. Gray, distributed in over 190 countries, and The American Question by James Kicklighter out on Apple TV just to name a few.
Fornetti – Associate Producer
Fiore’s most recent project is the feature film The Little Fellow which premiered in December 2024 in Rome, winning the award for best international documentary after screening to a very appreciative and excited audience. The film tells the story of the man who founded Bank of America: Amadeo Pietro Giannini. His is the story of how one man, an outsider to financial and upper-class communities, changed the fabric of society. A P Giannini, the son of two Italian immigrants, initially made his fortune in the produce business. He was not born into the upper class but came into it by marriage. He believed that banking should not just be available to a few wealthy white men but to everyone. Inheriting his father-in-law’s seat as a board member at Columbus Savings and Loan, he found himself part of a closed, contentious group within the banking community. After seeing the corruption that went on inside, combined with his first-hand observation of how the people from his local community were being shut out; he resigned his seat on the board and walked away. Thus, he started his own bank, and with a handshake and a vision, brought opportunity to all men and women regardless of their economic or social status.
He created the Bank of Italy (known now as the Bank of America) by lending money to those who did not have collateral – to immigrants, people of color and women. This had never been done before and was certainly not embraced by the rest of the banking community, yet he persevered in providing support to new businesses. He helped finance Hollywood film studios at their inception. He worked to reestablish business by lending money to people after the San Francisco earthquake in 1913 and the subsequent fire that destroyed the city. It was through his vision that we now have The Golden Gate Bridge. During the Great Depression in 1929, Giannini along with President Roosevelt backed a campaign called “Back to Good Times”. One of the results of that campaign was San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. The building of this iconic structure helped put people back to work by creating jobs. Giannini helped fund this project by lending half of the capital needed as well as getting other investors to put up the other half of the needed funds at a time when few had such funds available.
When no other banks would lend people money to get them back on their feet, Giannini lent them cash with a handshake and a promise and never lost a penny, according to the film.
This is a true story of a man that did not except the status quo. He did not run from adversity but embraced his heritage and upbringing. He believed in the power of supporting others that had a vision and gave them the means to create that dream. Later in his career, in an interesting turn of events when his banking adversaries thought they had the upper hand and tried to crush him, it was Giannini’s forethought to empower all his borrowers with voting rights in his banking company that saved him and his business.
In his work and in this film particularly, Fiore follows an age-old tradition of storytelling, focusing on a chronicle that inspires and causes people to reflect on a deeper meaning. He himself states that he does love a good story that is purely entertaining and exists just to evoke an emotional response, but that is not where his deepest artistic passion lies. He prefers bringing life and focus to historic events that may have been forgotten, accounts that cause people to dig deeper into history to understand all the complexities of the times as well as create generate discussion. His interest is bringing to life the stories of real people, their challenges, triumphs, journeys and how those actions possibly changed society and provide inspiration.
I asked Davide what he thought was one of the messages of this story that we can apply to today. His response was “See the other person, be generous, understand your brothers and sisters. We need to connect again and come together, unpolarized and meet halfway. When Davide is collaborating, he seeks that in-person handshake, the actual contact with the other person. He believes that is what helps to solidify the relationship. We need to not be afraid of other people, to not fear empathy and get close, to really understand the person and situation.
This is a movie that everyone needs to see, especially in today’s political and cultural climate. It portrays the history and the very moral and ethical foundation that this country was built upon. It’s entertaining, inspiring, and enlightening!
Check the website for more information.
https://www.alittlefellowmovie.com/