Il Mio Posto a Tavola - My Place at the Table

Il Mio Posto a Tavola (My Place at the Table) is a documentary film that examines the emotional complexities of adoption. Featuring the story of Dr. Santo D. Marabella, who was part of the Italian “Baby Scoop Era”, this film explores the trauma of abandonment, its impact on relationships and loneliness, and the universal need for belonging.

  • Tracy Schott
    Director
    Finding Jenn's Voices; From the River
  • Santo D. Marabella
    Executive Producer
  • Sebastian Nieves
    Director of Photography
  • Tony Gerber
    Consulting Producer
    War Game (2024)
  • Christopher Heslop
    Composer
  • Alessia Gasparella
    Co-Producers
  • Giorgio Vigna
    Co-Producers
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    Drama
  • Runtime:
    55 minutes 37 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 1, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    112,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States, United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States, Italy, United States
  • Language:
    English, Italian
  • Shooting Format:
    Alexa Mini
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.35:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Tracy Schott

Tracy Schott is a Producer/Director and owner of Schott Productions where she has created hundreds of projects for clients and the community, directed the documentary films FROM THE RIVER (2023) and FINDING JENN’S VOICE (2015), and produced DUST NUGGETS (2019), TRAFFIC OPERA (2017), and LOCATION! LOCATION! (2010). Tracy also directed the Emmy-nominated reality TV show DREAM WEDDINGS (2011-2014), and the TV pilot FRANKLIN STREET STATION (2018).

Tracy has Masters’ degrees in Telecommunications and Social Work. Her focus on community and social issues drives much of her work, including suicide prevention and mental health awareness. Following the release of FINDING JENN’S VOICE, she established Voices4Change to bring support and awareness of the issues associated with intimate partner violence and homicide via an online platform (voices4change.net). Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, Tracy offered podcasts, international webinars, online trainings, and virtual screenings of her film.

Tracy is the co-founder of the ReadingFilmFEST and managed the festival as Creative Director for 8 years. She serves on the ReadingFilm Office Board of Directors and is a strong advocate for bringing film production to Reading, Pennsylvani

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Director Statement

When I see Italy in my mind’s eye, I see a vast landscape of hill towns with cobblestone streets that weave among windows heavy with flower baskets, tiny cafes beckoning passersby, and impressive churches dominating each piazza. Surrounded by looming mountains, vineyards heavy with grapes, and villas at the end of Cyprus lined lanes, this vision begs to be painted, photographed, and filmed.

But within each of these towns, there is real-life drama that unfolds: lovers parted, families torn apart, tragedies and romance worthy of any Frederico Felini film. In the grand scope of life these human operas seem unimportant, except to the people who are living in them. But we know that it is this human spectacle that has built that landscape. The hill towns and the people who occupy them... are one.

In this film, we will dive into one man’s experience of being adopted by an Italian-American couple after being abandoned by his birth parents to an orphanage in Aosta, Italy, a picture-perfect Italian mountain town that lives in the shadows of the Swiss and French Alps. When Santo D. Marabella, born Daniele Resi, visited for the first time in 1985, he found his birth family. He was shocked to learn that he had a total of 4 siblings, 2 of whom had also been adopted. His 2 older siblings were raised by his parents. He was the only child sent to the United States. He was the lucky one.

With a keen awareness of this gift and a sincere sense of gratitude, Santo, like many adoptees, still felt disconnected, like he didn't belong. A child of the "Baby Scoop Era", Santo learns that he is one of thousands of children adopted to the US from Italy and discovers some hard truths about his own experience.

“Il Mio Posto a Tavola” (My Place at the Table) is ultimately a love story about what is means to be a family. Santo's story reminds us that we all need to belong, have more meaningful relationships, and a deeper understanding of our interconnectedness - so we can also find our place at the table!