Documentary on WWII and My Italian Dad

We are making a documentary about the true story of how my Italian Grandmother risked everything to help American Prisoners of War (POWs) in Nazi-occupied Italy during World War II. 

This is a story about courage, faith, and kindness. Before Italy surrendered in WWII, they captured and imprisoned American soldiers. In 1943, some of these American soldiers escaped from an Italian POW camp and tried to reach their units, American Allied Forces, in Southern Italy. These men broke up into small groups and roamed the countryside trying to find shelter and avoid German soldiers. My grandmother hid these men in caves outside of her small village in the Abruzzo region of Italy to keep them safe. For several months, she sent my young father and his twin brother in the middle of the night to feed these men in the caves. Sometime after the war and after these American POWs returned home to the United States, they contacted my family and kept in touch.

This story includes the smuggling of these American POWs across highly guarded frontlines from an alleged bootlegger from the United States, the visit German soldiers paid to my grandmother's home, my grandmother's worry for her eldest son fighting on behalf of Allied Forces across the world, and the incredible bravery and humanity shown by all involved. There is so much to this rich story that needs to be shared with the world and we need your financial assistance to make it happen.

For the last year, I have been funding this documentary on my own. I am fortunate to be working with an incredible multiple Emmy Award-Winning filmmaker and have received wonderful advice from friends in the business, however, I am going to need some help to get this completely off the ground and that is where you come in. We have recorded my dad's version of events and will be traveling to Italy during the summer of 2023 to interview my dad's older sister and film my grandmother's house and the caves. We need to travel across the United States to film the descendants of the POWs, talk with experts, and interview more family members that can recall the story. My father is 90, his sister is 92, and his WWII veteran brother is 100 so the time is now.

FUNDRAISING LEVELS

Producttore Esecutivo/Executive Producer Level: $25,000+

Campione/Champion Level: $10,000-$24,999

Patrione/Patron Level: $5,000-$9,999

Compagna/Partner Level: $1,000-$4,999

Amici-Amiche/Friends Level: $500-$999

Supporter Level: $100-$499