Premise:

There is nothing more powerful than the truth. But the truth is hard to find. Especially in storytelling. Either you hear it from someone who's been there or you don't get the real story. That's what the turf intends to do, present real stories from the people who witnessed it, who were involved in it and who's lives changed from it. The turf is a proposed television series about one event in the life of the average guy, only this event is the one that changes his life forever. Imagine, an extraordinary event in a life that would otherwise be ordinary, to realize the magical way one encounter, one moment even one word can bring about dramatic change. And let's not forget the neighborhood either, the turf, the setting is always used as a witness to our stories, to be heard from as well as looked at.

Structure:

Real stories are told by real people. The events the turf recounts are told to us by the people that saw it happen; eye–witnesses and neighbors telling it the way they remember it. Maybe it's the police officer who followed the case, the old woman who saw the events from a window or even a family member; they could all be witnesses. The look of the turf relies on the location where it all happened and with the use of re–enactments, we'll replay the stories as their told to us. Sometimes the real people will play their own part, other times we'll use professionals. If the stories don't match up, the viewer sees alternate versions. In the end, the subject of the turf tells his story of how it all went down and the viewers decide the truth for themselves.

Locations:

The turf is currently scouting Italian neighborhoods in the United States and Canada.

Episode one:

Joe Nieri was three when he and his family emigrated from Italy to Arcata, California. As most immigrants, they came seeking greater opportunity and for 16 years they had. In 1942, Italy declared war on the United States and at that moment, the Nieri's became enemies on their own turf. Over 600,000 Italians living in the US were forced to register as enemy aliens and were required to leave their homes. The day his family received the order to relocate was the moment that changed his life forever. At 19, Joe's life was turned upside down and things were still to get worse. The same government who imposed these restrictions drafted Joe and his brother into the army and sent them to fight in Italy, just north of Rome. There, they were both injured from mortar shrapnel and were hospitalized. As fate would have it, they ended up in Lucca, the town of their birth. Joe never forgot the way the US treated his family and all Italian Americans in 1942. Since then, he's been working his whole life to get the government to acknowledge what happened. A lifelong journey that started in a small town named Arcata, Joe Nieri's turf.

Episode two:

Antonio Petracca, a New York City artist, never had any particular interest in his Italian heritage. Like many other Italian Americans he only had an Italian name to link him to his ancestors. Even in his art there was no inkling of such an interest. In the weeks after 9/11, Petracca's life and career changed forever. Damage done to his apartment, which was across from the trade center, forced him to live in a hotel for two months. During that time, watching the daily struggle of rescuers and workers from his window, he began to examine the response of the people from a new vantage point. For months people were at their best but over time the positive energy gave way to a climate of misunderstanding and fear. The extreme ethnic stereotyping in and around the city; a direct result of the horrendous event, was so potent that it ultimately altered Petracca's motivations as an artist. This led him to examine for the first time the extent to which his own Italian heritage had been stereotyped. Once he saw it clearly, he couldn't un–see it. Recognizing the features of Italian–American caricatures, characters we love to fear, Petracca felt the need to explore things further and incorporate it into his art. He traveled to Italy to rediscover his roots, stopping for a visit in Pompeii on his way to Palermo. There, amidst the ash–covered casualties of Mount Vesuvuis, he was reminded of the events of September 11 and began a new style of art. His technique is meant to give perspective of how Italian Americans are viewed by themselves and others in our society. This change in vision was a result of a great tragedy that happened one day in September, in New York Ciy, Antonio Petracca's turf.

Episode three:

Joe Avati was an average guy well on his way as a food scientist when something very peculiar happened. He was at a fundraiser when he cracked a joke about his Nonna, and although this was not unusual behavior for Joe who often told funny stories to make his family laugh, this joke in particular set off a series of events that would change his life forever. Joe, a first generation Italian whose parents immigrated from Reggio Calabria, grew up in Sydney, Australia among 1.2 million other Italians. Joe had a unique upbringing that only other Italian immigrants and their children could understand, and from these experiences come his world–renowned routines. His transformation from a University Science Honors graduate, who finished top of his class, to a stand up comedian practically happened over night. After the incident at the fundraiser, word spread quickly amongst the Italian community of Sydney that there was a young guy making fun of Italians, and they liked it. Avati's observational brand of comedy has been compared to that of Jerry Seinfeld. His observations are drawn from the life around his Italian family, particularly his experiences growing up. The characters that Avati mentions are almost universal in Italian families, which is why audiences are able to identify with him. The best part of his act is that he does not curse or use negative stereotypes in order to be funny. The majority of his dialogue is spoken in the Calabrese dialect, and the rest in English, and together his unique style is created. In 2006 Joe Avati stands at the high point of his career having performed sell out shows in America, Australia, Canada and England where his comedy albums have gone on to become chart toppers. He is currently in pre production of a feature length film about his experience growing up in Sydney, Australia, Joe Avati’s turf.