Tuesdays, February 17 & 24, 2015 at 11 p.m. on KPBS TV
FINDING THE MOTHER LODE documents the experience of Italian immigrants in California, which was markedly different from that of their compatriots elsewhere in the United States. Through stories set in seven Italian communities throughout California, this film examines how economic and social mobility became possible for many Italians in the Golden State. It is also a look at how immigrant identity is maintained and transformed as immigrants become assimilated into mainstream America.
The current film is a follow-up to the filmmakers’ critically acclaimed "Pane Amaro" ("Bitter Bread") on the Italian immigration to the East Coast. FINDING THE MOTHER LODE is based on extensive research and weaves together oral histories by community members with scholarly analyses which provide the larger historical context.
Episode One: "Finding The Mother Lode" airs Tuesday, February 17 at 11 p.m. - This episode tells the story of the Italian immigrants who came to Northern California starting with the Gold Rush. While most did not find gold, they did find a mother lode in agriculture and wine making, putting to good use skills and knowledge they brought from their native land.
"The Making Of Italian San Francisco" airs Tuesday, February 17 at 11:30 p.m. - Italians arrived fairly early on in the economic development of California. They entered a society that was still relatively new and unformed. These men and women were entrepreneurs of the first sort: they created San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf, Ghirardelli Square, the San Francisco Opera, and the Bank of Italy later to become Bank of America. All were the work of Italian pioneers, but Italians did not always find an easy welcome.
"Little Italys and Beyond" airs Tuesday, February 24 at 11 p.m. - Italian immigrants played a major role in developing California's important fishing industry. Sicilian fishermen who came to California experienced enormous freedom and acceptance, and a welcome they did not feel anywhere else in the country.
This film documents life in the vibrant Italian communities of Monterey, San Diego and Los Angeles and shows how these communities were transformed over time. It also explores how the Italian identity and heritage continue to live on. This is the third of three episodes chronicling, for the first time, the history of Italian immigrants in California from the Gold Rush to the present.
FINDING THE MOTHER LODE: ITALIAN IMMIGRANTS IN CALIFORNIA is on Facebook.
