Those photographs of yesteryear that take us from Argentina to Malcantone

The light of an early autumn afternoon emphasises the charm of the forests of Alto Malcantone. It must have been difficult to leave them for those who, born and raised here, travelled to a completely different world, across the ocean, towards the end of the 19th century. Among the many families from Ticino who emigrated to other continents, one in particular, the Righetti family, from Aranno, is the focus of Vado in America, a documentary by Argentine director Lucía Riera Arévalo, whose filming in our area ended a few days ago.

It all started with the discovery, in Cordoba, Argentina, of more than five hundred photographic plates belonging to the family. Testimonies of life lived at both ends of the world that fascinated historian Cristina Boixados, who involved Lucia Riera Arévalo in the project.

'I’ve been working with Cristina for several years,' the director tells us as we walk from Ponte di Vello to Maglio del Malcantone, 'I met her after my first film. I became interested in her work of historical research through photographs, subjects that fascinate. We became friends and years later she asked me to make a film with her, showing me the collection she had discovered and on which we’re now working. It’s a work that started five years ago, before the pandemic. When that was over Cristina came to Europe, here in Switzerland, bringing the photos with her. Talking to people in Aranno, someone was able to point out to her who was actually portrayed in those shots. She was put in contact with another family member who lived in Cordoba, but in Aranno she was also able to meet the last Ticino descendants of the family."

Starting with the recovered plates, these historical photographs are therefore the heart of Vado in America, a documentary produced by Ana María Apontes in co-production with Pic Film of Manno, whose filming - also supported by the Ticino Film Commission - saw the participation of several local industry professionals.

Looking at a photograph, Lucia tells us as we continue walking in nature, inevitably triggers a lot of questions. And the questions are something really important.  "When I saw the photos, the first thing that fascinated me was the craftsmanship that many of them portrayed. Each time I then discovered something new in them. They were people I didn’t know, about whom I knew nothing, and so the first question, the one that prompted me to make the film, was precisely this: what links do I, as a human being, have with these unknown people? After that I discovered other photographs, of more intimate moments at home, and still others - just a few actually, about ten - that portrayed people about whom we had no clue. We wanted to understand why these photos had been taken, where and why they were there with the others. I think questions like that are the keys that drive the creative process forward." 

While we chatted, we arrived at the Maglio del Malcantone in Miglieglia. And there they are, the photos, reproduced on large panels all around the building. They are powerfully evocative doors opening onto other places and other times, so distant from our own but at the same time so close. Their voice can still be heard. Also poignant is the title of the exhibition that brings them together, an open-air exhibition that opened on 9 September until the end of October: Estraneazione: fotografie di un emigrante malcantonese (Estrangement: photographs of a Malcantone emigrant) in Argentina. In Maglio, we are welcomed with kindness and warmth by Paolo Righetti and the historian Cristina Boixados, who on Saturday 30 September, at 5 p.m. at the Museo del Malcantone in Curio, will be the protagonist of the public conference entitled Dai negativi scartati alle pagine di un libro (From discarded negatives to the pages of a book). Argentina and Malcantone feature in the photographs of Pietro Righetti (1852-1937), a Malcantone emigrant. An opportunity to share with her all the passion that infects us as she talks about her investigation that led to the reconstruction of a history that is not only migratory but also familiar.

As the autumn light begins to fall on the Malcantone forests, one can't help but think how even a documentary made with a small crew can lead us to much larger worlds. After further filming in Argentina, editing and post-production, Vado in America should be ready around the end of 2024. "It will be a documentary with a different form than usual," concludes the director. "I think that cinema is an open language with which one can tell many things, not only about information but also about emotions. Through these photos from the 1800s, I would like to convey a message for the present. And about the life we choose to live now."

FC