“Il Moro – The Moor”, interview with director Daphne Di Cinto and actors Alberto Boubakar Malanchino and Paolo Sassanelli

December 14, 2023

Daphne Di Cinto, director of The Moor: “not only the untold italian story of the first man of African descent to become a head of state but a universal story”

“Il Moro - The Moor”, interview with director Daphne Di Cinto and actors Alberto Boubakar Malanchino and Paolo Sassanelli Chiara Nicoletti

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“The Moor” is Daphne Di Cinto’s debut short film that brings to the surface the very powerful and hidden story of Alessandro de’ Medici, the first Duke of Florence in 1530 and the first man of African descent to become a head of state in Renaissance Europe. The film is now in consideration for Oscars 2024 so we reach Di Cinto along with her lead actors, Alberto Boubakar Malanchino playing Alessandro and Paolo Sassanelli, who in the film is Pope Clement VII , Alessandro de’ Medici’s father.

As an Afroitalian screenwriter, director and actor born in Northern Italy, when Daphne Di Cinto found out about Alessandro de’ Medici, she was immediately inspired to tell this story which was very important to tell the world and she felt so close to her.

With Alberto Boubakar Malanchino and Paolo Sassanelli, Di Cinto remarks on the importance of reality before and beyond fiction as in a cinematographic world that aims for more inclusive and representative projects, “The Moor” shows the audience that there’s no need for fiction like “Bridgerton” ( where Di Cinto actually played the role of the Duchess of Hastings) when history can make its part.

Daphne Di Cinto travelled around Festivals with “The Moor” and her latest participations include Incinema.

She just came back from two months campaigning to enter the 2024 Oscars’ shortlist.

Plot

The illegitimate son of an enslaved African woman and Pope Clement VII becomes the head of the Medici dynasty. However, taking on that role doesn’t mean that his family is going to accept him.

Il Moro - The Moor is a short film about the untold story of Alessandro de’ Medici, the first Duke of Florence in 1530 and the first man of African descent to become a head of state in Renaissance Europe. While unveiling a true story from the past, the film aims to speak loudly of the situations that Black Europeans are still experiencing today and to celebrate the talent of today's Afro-European community.

Written by: Chiara Nicoletti

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