Film: A Little Fellow: The Legacy of A.P. Giannini

Dante Fall 2025 FILM Series: Film Festival Favorites

Series description:This fall’s series showcases works that have captivated film festival audiences worldwide, winning major awards for their portrayals of Italian and Italian-American life. These films richly evoke distinct times and places, from an Alpine village at the end of World War II to the Roman party scene, and from California’s banks to the global stage. Together they celebrate the many ways that Italian culture endures and evolves across time and borders.

The first film in the series will in conjunction with the Santa Cruz Film Festival.

The film we will be showing is:  A Little Fellow: The Legacy of A.P. Giannini, Directed by Davide Fiore. 2025. 81 minutes

Sunday, October 12, 2025, at 2:15pm

Tickets available at santacruzfilmfestivals.org and at the door. Members of The Dante Alighieri Society of Santa Cruz will receive discounted tickets and access to a reception with light refreshments and filmmakers in attendance after the film.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJ8bi0yyUPU

This award-winning documentary, currently touring the international film festival circuit, tells the remarkable story of A.P. Giannini, a first-generation Italian-American who revolutionized banking and reshaped California's industries in the early 20th century. Giannini was a devoted family man, beloved by the people he served, yet feared by Wall Street for challenging the status quo. Committed to serving “the little fellow,” Giannini granted loans on a handshake, fostering trust and opportunity for hardworking Americans. His revolutionary approach made banking accessible to all, transforming the Bank of Italy into what would become one of the largest financial institutions in the world: Bank of America.

"Splendido documentario: una bellissima storia raccontata in maniera accattivante e ricercata."["A wonderful documentary: a beautiful story told in a captivating and refined way."]– Alberta Lai, Director of The Italian Cultural Institute of San Francisco

"I have no words to say how magnificent is A Little Fellow. It’s beyond description."– Duncan Knowles, Former Senior VP, Bank of America

Winner of the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the Dances with Films and Cinequest film festivals.

The screening will be followed by a filmmaker Q&A.

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All films in the series are Italian with English subtitles.

Logan Walker, film lecturer from UCSC & Director of Programming, Santa Cruz Film Festival