Emerging Filmmakers Showcase: ‘Fedeltà. Soldier. Prisoner.’
September 3 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
The Lindsay’s latest Emerging Filmmakers Showcase is a riveting and uplifting documentary highlighting a story that began in South-Central Pennsylvania almost 90 years ago.
Fedeltà. Soldier. Prisoner. is an internationally acclaimed film from Bloomfield-raised director Steve Mancini. It focuses on Italian prisoners of war captured in North Africa and Sicily who ended up at Letterkenny Army Depot outside of Chambersburg, Pa. Their fairly short stay left an impact on that region that is still felt today.
Mancini’s film will play at The Lindsay on Thursday, Sept. 3, at 7:30 p.m. He will be on hand for a live filmmaker Q&A immediately following the screening. Tickets are free, and RSVPs are recommended in advance via the below sign-up form due to space limitations.
“The film shows that the people of Chambersburg were so kind that to this day, the families of the prisoners still make trips to visit,” says Mancini. “It’s a way of remembering their fathers and grandfathers, and also a display of appreciation because of how kindly those communities treated their fathers and grandfathers.”
Fedeltà chronicles the prisoners’ journey from war to peace, leveraging original documents and footage from numerous sources. It’s a moving and hopeful film that depicts how this difficult situation turned into a prime example of community-building that left a lasting, positive mark on Chambersburg.
“After more than 80 years, people who have never been here still speak well of our community,” says Mancini. “How incredible is that!”
Mancini spent 20 years in the military before returning home to Pittsburgh. In addition to filmmaking, he hosts two podcasts—Talking Business and Life (formerly Italian Impact Weekly) and The Unlikely Catholic— and serves as an assistant professor of computer and information systems at Robert Morris University.
His formative years in Pittsburgh’s Little Italy inspired him to pursue documentary projects such as Fedeltà. The film has already earned numerous festival honors, including Best Feature Documentary at Dallas MovieFest; Best First Time Director at the 2025 Bomarzo Soulplace Film Festival; and both Best Director Debut and Best Historical Film at the 2024-25 Beyond the Screen Film Festival.
Fedeltà premiered in Chambersburg, and this Lindsay screening will be Western Pennsylvania filmgoers’ first chance to watch Mancini’s work on the big screen.
“The film shows that even during our worst moments, kindness and goodness can still be found,” says Mancini. “This is a deeply personal lesson that everyone should remember. Seeing it in a theater is a wonderful way to get people together, looking across the aisle and seeing others—hopefully in an even better light.”
