Student Aurora Caruso’s Film Project Chosen for Art Exhibit in Rome
Aurora Caruso is a JCU student double majoring in Communications and Art and Design. She grew up between Sicily, Rome and Belgium. Her film project, “Siamo una strada aperta” (We Are an Open Road), recently got chosen to be featured in an art exhibition in Rome. The exhibition encompasses how the city is responding to the 2025 Jubilee, as well as what the future of Rome looks like through new media art.
How did you become passionate about filmmaking? What has your experience been in the film industry?
Cinema is the only thing I can see myself doing, and it comes naturally to me. I believe it is my calling. My favorite genres of films are drama and science fiction. Some directors I admire are David Lynch and Guillermo del Toro.
After living in Belgium, I came back to Italy because I wanted to study cinema. I studied filmmaking for some time before coming to JCU, and I tried working in the Italian film industry, but decided I needed a change. I started working with a film organization called Fabrique Du Cinéma. They have a newspaper and blog that promote young professionals in Rome. I worked as a journalist for the organization, which is focused on innovation. They also have a festival every year in Rome, so I was able to participate and select the winners.
Your film project recently was selected to be featured in an exhibition. How did you come up with the idea for it?
In Professor Adele Tulli’s Expanded Cinema class, we were told to pick a place we have an emotional connection to and capture it with a static shot. I chose to film my project at a park in Torre Maura, the neighborhood in Rome where I used to live. For five minutes straight, the camera does not move, and the only thing you can hear are the voices of four women, including myself.
In Belgium, I lived in a small city where culture was very important. My family and I had moved to Torre Maura completely by chance, and in a way, I suffered from not having many cultural spaces around me. There were no libraries, no movie theaters, and no piazza or square.
My project is called “Siamo una strada aperta,” which translates to “We Are an Open Road.” However, the situation in Torre Maura is the exact opposite of an open road — the neighborhood is quite isolated. There is a park that surrounds three buildings that face one another, and after the pandemic, someone started a fire there. Because of that, people wanted to protect the park. Since there was a collective action that happened in the neighborhood, I wanted to create an event where cultural activities are organized in the park. However, after we started, the park closed because the municipality of Rome decided to renovate it. The park has been closed for years, and the people are losing hope. A politician keeps on telling us it will open next month, and it never does. My project is about this feeling of being stuck in limbo.
You said there are four women’s voices including yourself speaking in the video. Tell us about these women.
All these women are over 40 and residents of Torre Maura. When you look at the park, you might see just a green space, but they see something that holds the promise of multiculturalism. I asked what the park meant to them, and they told me it is a space of creativity. They explained that the park is full of different cultural backgrounds that interact with each other, allowing the space to be so much more than a park.
Since Torre Maura is outside of Rome’s city center, the residents are perceived to be passive and in a state of abandonment, when really it is the exact opposite. That is the magic of the park. I founded the group of women, and we managed to break this concept of ignorance in isolation. One of the women in the film is a mother who teaches at an elementary school, and she wants her daughter and other kids to have a place to go with a good quality of life. Another is a painter, so she thinks about the artistic opportunities in the park. I think, in a way, we all complement each other by bringing something to the park.
Is there a JCU professor who has influenced you?
I have appreciated the guidance of Professor Adele Tulli. I know all the basics of cinema because I am obsessed with it, but Professor Tulli has made it more creative. When you study cinema, there are certain rules you are expected to follow. However, Professor Tulli’s class is all about breaking the rules and finding a way to capture reality without thinking about it too technically.
What are your plans for the future?
Even before attending JCU, I was always sure I wanted to be a part of the film industry. I would like to be a director, and for women, it can be hard. What is most important to me is that I make something that matters. Whether it’s video art, a project, or a film, I think what matters for me as an artist isn’t so much the medium, but rather the impact my work can have.
I also plan to go to New York in September for a study abroad semester. I chose to study in New York because it resonates with me. It is a multicultural city that reminds me of who I am. I think studying abroad is more than just taking classes, it’s also about challenging yourself when it comes to a different reality. You can be a great writer because of your technical skills, but if you do not know any culture other than your own, there will always be a lack of complexity in your work.
Aurora’s art project can be seen at Liminal Space, a cultural center in via Giuseppe Libetta 21, Rome, until May 17, 2025. Read more about the exhibition (in Italian).
