Screening of the film “Gino A Child of War” with special guest Gino Farnetti-Bragaglia at Canada’s Parliament

Gino: A Child of War With Special Guest GINO FARNETTI-BRAGAGLIA
Please join us in the Sir John A Macdonald Building on Parliament Hill to meet Gino at 6pm on June 10th, 2024!

The Gino story, hardly known for many decades, is now legendary!

Gino, was an abandoned 5-years old orphan found by Canadian soldiers in war ruins of the Italian Campaign during the Second World War. These caring soldiers (Canadian guardian angels, as Gino called them) refused to abandon him, and kept him, nurtured and schooled him for the rest of the campaign. They raised money to have him adopted and go to school. These soldiers stayed in touch with Gino until the last one died in July 2012.

Together with a small, but mightily dedicated group of researchers and collaborators, we have been working on the Gino project for over 12 years!
I was honoured to represent Canada at a ceremony in his hometown of Torrice on 16 December 2012, when Gino was given his true identity, after years of research led by Mariangela Rondinelli and a group known as Wartime Friends. Gino was 74 years old!

The story of Gino and his Canadian guardian angels is now coming full circle, with the 86-years old GINO FARNETTI-BRAGAGLIA COMING TO CANADA TO THANK THE FAMILIES OF HIS GUARDIAN ANGELS AND, INDEED, ALL CANADIANS. Gino himself and the award-winning documentary-drama film, Gino: A Child of War, produced by Combined Forces Production of Calgary (Producer Karen Storwick and Director Robert Curtin) will be featured on Parliament Hill on 10 June.
There will also be a smaller event on 9 June at Centro Storico (Villa Marconi). There will also be other events across Canada, including RMC Kingston on 11 June, Hamilton on 13 June, Vaughn and Woodbridge on 16 June and two events in Montreal on 18 June.

Whether a Canadian with roots from Torrice, the Liri Valley, Ciociaria, elsewhere from Italy or Canadians from all walks of life, you will be totally moved by this incredible story, bringing out the very best of humanity!

You do not want to miss this amazing event. Please join us and share the news with family and friends..

Tony Battista
Executive Producer
Film: Gino – A Child of War

“Gino A Child of War” is an awe-inspiring docudrama which sheds light on the boundless hope and resilience of the human spirit amid the chaos of war. The film narrates the incredible story of Gino Farnetti, a five-year-old boy discovered frightened, hungry, and wandering amidst the war-torn ruins of Torrice, Italy, in 1944, by compassionate Canadian soldiers. For the next ten months, Gino found shelter, nourishment, and care among his Canadian guardians. A special bond formed between Gino and “Red” Lloyd Oliver, and this film portrays their remarkable relationship and the untold story that connects them.

Event info here.