No dogs or Italians allowed is a French stop-motion Claymation feature film showing at the Melbourne International Film Festival 2022. The second feature film from director Alain Ughetto follows up his 2013 debut Jasmine.
No dogs or Italians allowed tells the story of director’s grandfather Luigi Ughetto, an Italian from Ughettera in Piedmonte who laboured building the Swiss/French border tunnel, a dam and other significant buildings in France and Switzerland. The story is told through the voice of his elderly grandmother Cesira to her adult grandson in her kitchen. It is quite fitting that the director Alain Ughtetto chose to make Claymation films, following in his father and grandfather’s passion for making things with their hands.
Right from the opening scene of the film, where we see a life-sized person shaving wood, we were intrigued by No dogs or Italians allowed. The theme of moving from one house into another and into another was cleverly captured by placing a cardboard house in front of the lens and having a car drive in and out of the driveway before a larger house is placed on top of that existing house and the same car drives in and out again.
The film would occasionally juxtapose Alain Ughetto’s life-sized hands against the claymation figure of his grandmother sometimes to comic effect. In one scene, she is sewing a patch on a large piece of grey fabric covering her lap. She then passes it to Alain asking “how do you get your socks in such a state?” We then see that the fabric is way larger than this little figure. The sock being life-sized.
The life of Luigi Ughetto was one of much difficulty but the story-telling is interjected with moments of lightness. The Tour de France support cars and its cyclists passing by their French house made us smile. Racist signs on French/Italian border businesses are explained away with humour to his son.
The film tells a story of resilience and hope through wars in Libya and in Europe, poverty (a single potato cut into 5 pieces to feed 5 children), and loss, along with some more prosperous times that see them settle in a house in France they build themselves and name Paradise.
No dogs or Italians allowed is an original way of telling a migrant labourer’s story and is well worth a watch.
4 CROISSANTS
Matilda Marseillaise was given access to a screener of No dogs or Italians allowed
KEY INFO FOR NO DOGS OR ITALIANS ALLOWED
WHAT: No dogs or Italians allowed, a film from director Alain Ughetto
WHERE: Cinema Nova 1
WHEN: only one session remains: 4pm on 21 August
HOW: Purchase your ticket via this link: https://miff.com.au/program/film/no-dogs-or-italians-allowed
HOW MUCH: Various options available for single or multiple tickets
Share Pass
12 standard festival admissions, which you can share with up to three (3) friends per session at MIFF 70. That means you can book two people into six sessions, three people into four sessions, four people into three sessions, or any combination that suits you and yours.
- Full: $199
- Concession: $185
- MIFF Members: $170
Discovery Pass
Five standard festival sessions, plus two (2) bonus off-peak sessions, at MIFF 70 – just for you.
- Full: $105
- Concession: $95
- MIFF Members: $85
Deluxe Membership
Lets you buy a single ticket to every single film showing at Melbourne International Film Festival 2022: $580
Peak pricing (weekends and weekdays after 5pm)
- Full: $24.50
- Concession: $20
- MIFF Members: $18.50
- Group: $18.50 (per person, 10 people or more)
Off-peak pricing (weekdays before 5pm)
- Full: $21.50
- Concession: $18.50
- MIFF Members: $16
- Group: $16.50 (per person, 10 people or more)
Premium pricing (weekends and weekdays after 5pm)
- Full: $32
- Concession: $30
- MIFF Members: $28
- Group: $28 (per person, 10 people or more)
OTHER MIFF 2022 CONTENT
Melbourne International Film Festival 2022: 25 Films in French
MIFF 2022 – 18 multilingual films to see
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