Introducing Team Italy Manager Mike Piazza selected as finalist at FICTS International SPORT MOVIES & TV 2020 World Championship in Milan

Organized by FICTS (Federation Internationale Cinema Television Sportifs) and recognized by the International Olympic Committee, the world-renowned Sport Movies & TV 2020 Festival has selected Introducing Team Italy Manager Mike Piazza as a finalist in the FICTS Worldwide Championship of Television, Cinema, Sport, Culture and Communication in Milan, Italy from November 7-11, 2020. Director Roberto Angotti returns for his second FICTS Sport Movies & TV World Challenge after his Russo Brothers Italian American Film Forum Award-winning Italian American Baseball Family documentary was selected as a finalist in 2018.  

The grand final of 20 World FICTS Challenge Festivals spanning five continents, the Sport Movies & TV 2020 Festival will be livestreamed on the ms360.tv website and broadcast live on MS Channel Sky 814. Introducing Team Italy Manager Mike Piazza will be livestreamed Monday, November 9, 2020 at 11:15 am (EST) on both platforms.
  
FICTS promotes the values of sport through images in over 123 affiliated nations and is presided over by Professor Franco Ascani of the Italian Olympic Committee Commission for Culture and Olympic Heritage. Introducing Team Italy Manager Mike Piazza is among the elite productions of the nearly 1,000 submissions from 50 countries in 52 sport disciplines. The FICTS International Jury, made up of ambassadors in the world of cinema, television, media, sport and culture, will deliberate on which productions to select for “Guirlande d’Honneur” (Oscar of Cinema and Sport Television), “Mention d’Honneur” (Honorable Mention), and “Special Awards” for each of the eight categories.

Introducing Team Italy Manager Mike Piazza is a musical odyssey documentary featuring the music of Grammy nominee Pato Banton. Filmed at the Italian National Olympic Committee headquarters in Rome and the 2020 CON6 Baseball and Softball Convention in Rimini, the documentary highlights the celebrated career of National Baseball Hall of Famer Mike Piazza and captures the new leader of the Italian national baseball program as he meets the press and his team for the first time since his appointment. 

Introducing Team Italy Manager Mike Piazza provides a behind-the-scenes perspective on the iconic baseball figure and features interviews with Hall of Fame Manager Tommy Lasorda, New York Mets Announcer Wayne Randazzo, and former major leaguers John Franco and Chris Colabello. During his induction speech into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Mike Piazza thanked the country of Italy for giving him the gift of his father, whose family roots stem from Sciacca, Sicily. Mike Piazza honored his ancestral heritage by playing for Team Italy in the 2006 World Baseball Classic and later coaching the Azzurri squad to two European Baseball Championships. Forza #Italia!
 

Russo Brothers Italian American Film Forum Award-winning documentary selected as finalist at International FICTS Fest 2018 World Championship in Milan

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Roberto Angotti‘s Italian American Baseball Family has been selected as a finalist in the SPORT MOVIES & TV 2018 Festival in Milan, Italy. Submitted by Federazione Italiana Baseball Softball (FIBS) with Italian subtitles, Italian American Baseball Family features Lawrence Baldassaro, author of “Beyond DiMaggio: Italian Americans in Baseball” and “Baseball Italian Style”, as well as National Baseball Hall of Fame legend Tommy Lasorda. MLB past and present players Frank ViolaNick Punto, Francisco Cervelli, Chris ColabelloBrandon Nimmo, and Gavin Cecchini are also interviewed in Italian American Baseball Family.

Organized by the FICTS (Fédération Internationale Cinéma Télévision Sportifs) and recognized by the International Olympic Committee, SPORT MOVIES & TV is a world-renowned festival dedicated to sports television and movies. The FICTS Worldwide Championship of Television, Cinema, Sport, Culture and Communication is the grand final of 16 World FICTS Challenge festivals spanning five continents. The SPORT MOVIES & TV Festival kicks off at Milan’s 17th century Palazzo Giureconsulti in Piazza Duomo on November 14, 2018.

FICTS promotes the values of sport through images in 116 affiliated nations and is presided over by Professor Franco Ascani of the Italian Olympic Committee Commission for Culture and Olympic Heritage. The Russo Brothers Italian American Film Forum Award-winning documentary Italian American Baseball Family is among the selected movies being projected during the six-day program. To watch the trailers and schedule of all screenings at some of the most prestigious venues in Milan, click HEREworldfictschallenge_2018-930x658

Of the nearly 1000 submissions from 65 countries in 51 sport disciplines, the selected works at SPORT MOVIES & TV 2018 will bring together 174 directors and producers, 132 international journalists, and 127 broadcasters worldwide. Meetings, workshops, exhibitions, press conferences, award shows, and other special events will be presented in collaboration with Milan-area sports and cultural organizations.

The FICTS International Jury, made up of ambassadors in the world of cinema, television, media, sport and culture, will deliberate on which productions to select for “Guirlande d’Honneur” (Oscar of Cinema and Sport Television), “Mention d’Honneur” (Honorable Mention), and “Special Awards” for each of the eight categories. The SPORT MOVIES & TV 2018 Festival concludes on November 19, 2018. To learn more about the festivities, click HERE