A New Documentary Puts the Spotlight on Italian Migrant Women in Australia

In 2013, filmmakers Angelo Pricolo and Shannon Swan released Lygon Street: Si Parla Italiano, a documentary about the making of Melbourne’s Little Italy and its lasting influence on the city’s dining culture.

“We used Lygon Street as a vehicle for telling the story of Italian migration,” says Swan. “But, as such, we were limited to a street and a time period. We always thought there was scope to do a larger film, Australia-wide. Also, because the story of Lygon Street was quite male-centric – just by the fact that the men arrived first – we wanted the next film to be from a migrant woman perspective … to celebrate the contributions of these unsung heroes.”

“Also, my dad was in the first film so we had to make another one so I could put Mum in it,” Pricolo jokes.

The pair’s latest film (co-directed by Jason McFadyen), Signorinella: Little Miss, puts the lens on the tenacity of Italian migrant women and their immeasurable impact on Australia’s food, fashion and cultural landscape.

Through interviews and archival footage, the documentary chronicles the lives of Italian migrant women, beginning with their role shaping Queensland’s sugarcane industry, and the expansion of their responsibilities when Italian men were interned during World War II. The film also acknowledges the anti-Italian sentiment of those early days. (One woman, Giancarla, recalls requesting an Adelaide pub remove a sign out the front that read “No women, no dogs, no Italians”.)

“These stoic women battled many of the things the men battled – the language, the culture – but they also had to adhere to the rules of the day,” Pricolo says. “You know, my mum was not afforded the same flexibility that her older brothers were. They did it tough.”

Especially during the men’s internment, he adds, which lasted “five or six years – we’re not talking a couple months. Most people don’t even know that story, it was going to be lost. It’s important to remember [these women’s] struggles and contribution.”

Pricolo’s mum, Rosetta, joins a cast of nonnas from across the country, as well as public figures such as Tina Arena and independent MP Allegra Spender (the daughter of fashion designer Carla Zampatti).

The filmmakers also interview local culinary legend Olimpia Bortolotto, the chef-owner behind Italian institution Cecconi’s, and Sydney restaurateur Paola Toppi, whose mum, Giovanna, opened the game-changing La Strada in 1980 and, later, Machiavelli, a long-lunch destination for Sydney’s politicians and powerbrokers.

Naturally, food features prominently – both on-screen and behind the scenes. “A day shooting with an Italian is a lot of fun and involves lots of hugs and kisses,” laughs Swan. “There were tables full of food and champagne – it was a real celebration.”

Narrated by actor Greta Scacchi (her Looking for Alibrandi co-star Anthony LaPaglia narrated the Lygon Street doco), the film premiered at Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) last month, and will be showing around the country as part of the St Ali Italian Film Festival 2025 in September and October

Anyone with Italian heritage will likely identify with this deeply personal telling of the Italian migrant woman experience. But the filmmakers hope its stories resonate more widely. “I draw parallels with so many other cultures in this country,” Pricolo says. “You see it reflected in the Vietnamese community, the Greeks, the Chinese. That’s what makes Melbourne a fun place to live and [gives it such] a dynamic culture.”

Above all, says Swan, the film is “a great opportunity to recognise the unsung contributions of so many women. They opened their houses and built communities … and those communities have really become the building blocks of our multicultural society.

“It’s an opportunity to celebrate them, hear from them, and preserve their stories for generations to come.”

Signorinella: Little Miss screens at Palace Cinemas around the country as part of the St Ali Italian Film Festival 2025. Book now to see the directors in special post-film Q&A sessions in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.

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