Springfield, IL (October 19, 2022) – Award-winning actor/director John Turturro joined The Russo Brothers to executive produce a major documentary film created by a local central Illinois team that includes director Zach Baliva (Chatham) and producers Naomi Baliva (Chatham) and Noah Readhead (Taylorville).

This explosive documentary unveils 80-year-old secrets and shares never-before discussed stories about the Italian American experience during World War II in the US when more than half a million Italian immigrants were labeled as “enemy aliens” and targeted as potentially dangerous by the US government. It recently won Best Documentary at the Ferrara Film Festival in Italy and will have its public television broadcast premiere on PBS Member Stations next year.

The producers will host a screening followed by a Q&A at the Hoogland Center for the Arts at 7 p.m. on November 14 th . Tickets cost $14 and are available now at the box office and at hcftc.org – This special screening is sponsored by The Italian American Podcast and the DelGiorno Law Office.

Baliva and Readhead are alumni of the local theater community, having often performed on-stage at the Springfield Theatre Centre and Springfield Muni Opera. Baliva was an officer and founding member of ACTT. They used local actors to re-create the events described by eyewitnesses in Potentially Dangerous and shot several scenes at the Christian County Historical Society.

“This became a passion project for my team, and our goal now is help educate others about this forgotten chapter of history. I’m thankful that many from around Springfield helped us bring it to the screen, and we look forward to sharing the results with the local community,” says director Zach Baliva. “Potentially Dangerous is a critically important film shining light on a story that was nearly lost to the ephemera of history. As an Italian American, I’m honored to help bring this film to a wide audience that will discover how the pertinent issues it raises are still applicable today,” explains John Turturro, executive producer.

Potentially Dangerous was produced through a grant from the 2021 Russo Brothers Italian American Film Forum. The Forum provides an incredible opportunity for inspired and creative artists to craft films that explore the Italian American experience. Partnered with the Italian Sons and Daughters of America (ISDA) and the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF), and AGBO, the Russo Brothers Film Form Grant awards multiple $8,000 grants to ambitious filmmakers around the world to create documentary, fiction or non-fiction narrative films that explore the Italian American experience for the benefit of future generations. Anthony and Joe Russo are among Hollywood’s most acclaimed and successful directors having helmed TV sensations “Community” and “Arrested Development,” as well as global blockbusters: Cherry (2021), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Captain America: Civil War (2016) and Avengers: Infinity War (2018). Their film, Avengers: Endgame (2019) became the highest-grossing film in the history of filmmaking.  Their company AGBO recently released The Gray Man starring Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans in July 2022 on Netflix.

“This is an important and oftentimes overlooked era…our sincere thanks to the filmmakers for bringing this issue to light and preserving it for future generations,” shares Joe Russo, director, Avengers: Endgame (AGBO), co-founder, Russo Brothers Italian American Film Forum Grant. Directed by Zach Baliva, the doc is executive produced by John Turturro, produced by Zach Baliva, Noah Readhead, and Naomi Baliva.

Zach Baliva – Ph: 217-607-3276 (call/text)
zach@potentiallydangerousfilm.com