No dogs or Italians allowed

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« No dogs or Italians allowed » is a French-Italian-Suiss animated film. It has been produced by Alain Ughetto and came out in June 2022. Alain Ughetto tells de story of his family, starting with his grandparents, Cesira and Luigi, whose lives were deeply linked to migration. The format of the film is quite original since it is a dialogue between Alain Ughetto, whose voice is only heard, and his grandmother, in the form of an animated character. There is an alternation between real photos such as houses, and family portraits and the story told through the characters representing the different members of the family.

Different themes are addressed in the timeframe starting when Cesira and Luigi meet in the late 19th century and ending with Cesira’s death in the 60’s. In fact, their meeting is linked to migration since Luigi met Cesira after leaving his native village to go to the Simplon Tunnel building site. With work starting in 1898 and inauguration in 1906, this tunnel today still connects Italy with Switzerland. This first sequence shows how dangerous this type of construction site was at that time, with workers dying regularly.

However, even though their lives included a lot of travelling. The intention, at first, was still to return to Ughettera, Luigi’s hometown. But the lack of work and sufficient food led to many trips to be able to survive during winter. Cisera recounts this belonging to their native land which, however, brings them a life of hunger and disease: an epidemic will take away half of their family. In 1911, the men of the village are sent to war in Libya with promises of glory. Not all of them will come back. When Luigi came back, Luigi and Cesira plan to leave for America. The ship carrying their belongings will sink, which will result in the loss of all their wealth. It was at that time that a new problem appeared with the advent of fascism. Many workers fled Italy and seeked refuge in France. After their departure, Luigi and Cesira will never be able to return to Ughettera.

In France, Cesira recounts the experience of racism. The first words learned in French by her children are “Fils de pute de macaroni”. However, it was there that they finally would be able to live a peaceful life for a while before war broke out in France.

As a conclusion, “No dogs or Italians allowed” is a very rich film through the many issues it addresses, including the Simplon construction site, the famine, the war, and the rise of fascism. This family portrait, based on a true story, gives an idea of what rural Italian families might have experienced at that time. The format of the film and the vocabulary used make it accessible to all, especially children for whom there is little suitable content on the subject.