About Lido Cantarutti Born of an Italian family from the Friuli region, Lido Cantarutti grew up in the Bay Area. He attended U.C. Berkeley, earning a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Romance Languages and Literature, and "Highest Honors" and Phi Beta Kappa recognition. After college, Lido served as a U.S. Army officer, followed by a corporate career in marketing administration and human resources. Throughout his career he has maintained an enthusiastic interest in Italian cultural activities. In 1980, he assumed leadership of a fledgling Italian film program at the College of Marin. His presentation of the program, as a "festival" and not just a movie, with live entertainment, informative and entertaining introductions, and personal "family style" greeting of guests, produced a winning formula for popular success. Since 1985, most Festivals have been sold out. Special series featured great neorealist (1985) and comedy classics (1986 and 1987) of the Italian cinema. In 1988, Mr. Cantarutti offered two shows in the open-air setting at Dominican College's Forest Meadows Theatre. In 1989 the Festival moved to the Showcase Theatre at Marin Center in San Rafael, affording improved patron conveniences and 35mm film projection. Also in 1989 Lido was honored with Italian knighthood, and the title of "Cavaliere" or "Knight" of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. He was named Marin County's Italian American Citizen of the Year by the Cristoforo Club of Marin in 1995. In 1996 he received two awards in Italy--the Merit Furlan and recognition from the Friulian branches of the Alpini national soldier association. For the academic year 1998-1999 at the College of Marin, Lido was honored for his teaching of Italian with the award as Outstanding Faculty Member (Part-Time). In addition he has served as the host for Northwest Airlines' inflight video program showing Italian films. More recently, Lido was again honored by the Italian government with a promotion to "Cavaliere Ufficiale" or "Knight Officer", and by his family's native town in Italy with the conferral of honorary citizenship. In 2006 he received the Christopher Columbus Award from the San Francisco Columbus Day Celebration organization. UPDATE FROM LIDO: Last summer I was contacted by the local producers of these two programs for The History Channel. They were to be on important Italian historical figures, the first on Galileo, and the second on Enzo Ferrari. Since these programs were to be shot in Italian, I was initially called in to serve as a language consultant. The producers also suggested that I might be right for a role in the programs. Thus, while in the office I was screen tested for a role in the Galileo program as Pope Urban VIII. And lo' and behold, I was chosen! The Galileo program was about the accusation of heresy against him, and thus in my role as Pope I would be interacting with him to convey initially a warning about his work, and then a sharp criticism of what he was doing and how it threatened his being able to stay in the Catholic Church. For the role, I was elaborately costumed in period garb, and the film was shot here in the San Francisco Bay Area, at St. Mary's College in Moraga, and in the wine country. In the Enzo Ferrari program, I was actually cast in the role of Ferrari as a mature/senior man, and in that program I was a more central figure. Again, I was costumed appropriately for the period, with hair color and Ferrari's trademark dark glasses. My role was to show Ferrari as the fierce competitor that he was, as he pushed his staff to achieve the best Formula One racing performance possible. He was to be tough and demanding.