The Mystery of San Nicandro
The Mystery of San Nicandro is a feature-length documentary inspired by the book, The Jews of San Nicandro, written by Professor John Davis, about a group of Italian Roman Catholics in a small village, who underwent a mass conversion to Judaism in Fascist Italy. And who over a period of twenty years of observing Jewish practices, left Italy and emigrated to the new state of Israel in 1949.[1]
| The Mystery of San Nicandro | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Matter of Fact Media |
| Written by | Roger Pyke |
| Directed by | Roger Pyke |
| Narrated by | Paul Essiembre |
| Music by | Alex Khaskin |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| Original language(s) | English Italian Hebrew |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Vanessa Dylyn |
| Cinematography | Max Armstrong |
| Editor(s) | Andy Bely |
| Running time | 67 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | documentary |
| Original release | 14 November 2012 |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Synopsis
Executive producer, Vanessa Dylyn, describes The Mystery of San Nicandro and her decision to create the project as such; "I was immensely fascinated by this story. Being of Italian origin, I was even more curious, since the photos of San Nicandro reminded me of the village of my parents' birth. I began to wonder how ordinary people could give themselves over to a new way of worshiping, over many years. What sustained them?"
"How did Donato Manduzio — a crippled cobbler from San Nicandro, have visions that would permanently change the lives of hundreds of people? His determination to bring back Old Testament Judaism, spawned a whole generation of Italian Jews in Israel and Italy today. We were determined to find them."
"As I continued my research, I discovered that the larger story was indeed happening today. There is a powerful revival of Judaism in Italy. We found Italy's first female Rabbi who recently opened the first synagogue in southern Italy in 500 years. And we discovered the new communities of Jewish presence in Calabria and Sicily, the areas with an ancient Jewish population before The Spanish Inquisition forced them to flee."
"In my mind The Mystery of San Nicandro is ultimately a testament to the inexorable force of the past, how it shapes our identity and sense of belonging, and how the echo of our DNA reaches across centuries to claim us. That echo is universal — no matter what our differences, we all have an ancestral journey and a past." [2]
Production
The Mystery of San Nicandro was shot in Toronto, Hamilton, San Nicandro, Calabria, Sicily, and Israel over 2012. The film was developed in association with documentary and was produced with the participation of The Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund, The Canada Media Fund, The Ontario Film and Media Development Corporation, The Rogers Cable Network Fun, and The Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credits.[3]
Reception
Independent television reviewer James Bawden, in regards to The Mystery of San Nicandro, proclaimed that, "there is hope for Canadian TV." [4]