Mamma, That’s All Right: Two Italian Musicians in Tennessee at the LA Shorts International Film Festival
The LA Shorts International Film Festival, one of the most prestigious Academy Awards®-qualifying festivals in the United States, will host the California premiere of Mamma, That’s All Right on August 5, 2026. The short documentary, directed by Valentina Signorelli and presented by NIAF and the Aurelio De Laurentiis Film Prizes, was selected from more than 350 entries in competition and is one of thirteen non‑U.S. productions admitted to the program.
The project, produced by Valentina Signorelli, Lorenzo Giovenga and Lorenzo Lazzarini for Daitona, follows two Italian musicians based in Tennessee: Palermo-born bassist Luca Chiappara, established in Nashville’s roots music scene, and Catania-born guitarist Mario Monterosso, a longstanding figure on Memphis’s rock’n’roll circuit. The film, described by its director as a “non-film” for its structure of observational notes, adopts a slice-of-life approach, alternating digital footage with Super 8 film. The narrative includes stops at the historic Sun Studio in Memphis, where Elvis Presley recorded his debut single, That’s All Right (Mama), originally released in 1954 — the inspiration for the short’s title. Priscilla Presley also appears, in a special contribution.
The work extends an authorial path already recognized internationally: Signorelli, who holds a PhD and is an Associate Professor of Film and TV at the University of Greenwich, has previously directed documentaries selected by international festivals, including Where is Europe?, filmed aboard the Aquarius rescue ship, and Made in Dreams, devoted to the story of Amadeo Peter Giannini and presented in the United States with screenings in New York, San Francisco, Chicago and Washington, D.C. Mamma, That’s All Right had its world premiere in Washington, D.C. on October 18, 2025, on the occasion of NIAF’s 50th anniversary, and was later screened at the Pesaro International Film Festival of New Cinema in June 2026.
The California screening, scheduled at the Laemmle NoHo 7 in North Hollywood, will take place in the presence of the director. It reflects the growing attention paid by the U.S. festival circuit to contemporary narratives of Italian migration, in continuity with a documentary trend that has found increasing space in recent years across leading Academy Awards®-qualifying festivals.
For further information on the program and the screening, visit the festival’s official website : lashortsfest.com.
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The LA Shorts International Film Festival, one of the most prestigious Academy Awards®-qualifying festivals in the United States, will host the California premiere of Mamma, That’s All Right on August 5, 2026. The short documentary, directed by Valentina Signorelli and presented by NIAF and the Aurelio De Laurentiis Film Prizes, was selected from more than 350 entries in competition and is one of thirteen non‑U.S. productions admitted to the program.
The project, produced by Valentina Signorelli, Lorenzo Giovenga and Lorenzo Lazzarini for Daitona, follows two Italian musicians based in Tennessee: Palermo-born bassist Luca Chiappara, established in Nashville’s roots music scene, and Catania-born guitarist Mario Monterosso, a longstanding figure on Memphis’s rock’n’roll circuit. The film, described by its director as a “non-film” for its structure of observational notes, adopts a slice-of-life approach, alternating digital footage with Super 8 film. The narrative includes stops at the historic Sun Studio in Memphis, where Elvis Presley recorded his debut single, That’s All Right (Mama), originally released in 1954 — the inspiration for the short’s title. Priscilla Presley also appears, in a special contribution.
The work extends an authorial path already recognized internationally: Signorelli, who holds a PhD and is an Associate Professor of Film and TV at the University of Greenwich, has previously directed documentaries selected by international festivals, including Where is Europe?, filmed aboard the Aquarius rescue ship, and Made in Dreams, devoted to the story of Amadeo Peter Giannini and presented in the United States with screenings in New York, San Francisco, Chicago and Washington, D.C. Mamma, That’s All Right had its world premiere in Washington, D.C. on October 18, 2025, on the occasion of NIAF’s 50th anniversary, and was later screened at the Pesaro International Film Festival of New Cinema in June 2026.
The California screening, scheduled at the Laemmle NoHo 7 in North Hollywood, will take place in the presence of the director. It reflects the growing attention paid by the U.S. festival circuit to contemporary narratives of Italian migration, in continuity with a documentary trend that has found increasing space in recent years across leading Academy Awards®-qualifying festivals.
For further information on the program and the screening, visit the festival’s official website : lashortsfest.com.
Share:
The Odyssey Conquers the Global Box Office
