There are stories that are lost in time. Sometimes, these forgotten stories are those of women and men who, in their lives, left a profound mark on the progress of society and, despite this, due to the passage of years are no longer adequately known. In such cases, it is a duty to ensure that these stories are rediscovered by the general public.

One figure that reflects these characteristics is that of Gaetano "Tony" Gaudio, the first Italian to have won an Academy Award: born in Cosenza, Calabria, in 1883, from an early age he dealt with cameras, film and darkrooms, growing up in his brother Raffaele's photography store.

A few years later, Gaetano did his first experiences as a cameraman in Piedmont, with one of Italy's first film production companies, Ambrosio Film in Turin. Finally, he emigrated to the United States in 1906, followed the next year by his younger brother Eugene.

In just a few years, the Gaudio brothers climbed the ladder within the nascent American film industry, contributing to the formation of important institutions such as the American Society of Cinematographers and becoming true pioneers in lighting and filming techniques. Eugene's untimely death left Tony to continue alone the technical experiments that had soon made their Italian surname famous in Hollywood. Tony never failed to live up to expectations, becoming in the 1920s and 1930s one of the most sought-after and well-paid cinematographers, wanted by stars such as Bette Davis and Greta Garbo, and top directors such as Howard Hughes, Michael Curtiz, and Howard Hawks.

His genius enabled the nascent Warner Bros to define its "look," contributing to its success and the birth of the noir genre, and fostered the transformation of the figure of the cinematographer, at first a mere technician, into one of the most important roles in filmmaking.

The prestige of this Italian in America saw its peak in 1937, with the awarding of an Oscar for cinematography of the film "Antony Adverse," directed by Mervin LeRoy.

After 40 years of constant presence in the international press, which always recognized his professional merits, Gaetano died in San Francisco in 1951. From that moment, Tony Gaudio's name began to be forgotten. The world changed, cinema changed, and new stars were born to shine in the Hollywood firmament.

Today's world is changing again, and so is cinema, with the advent of streaming platforms and an ever-increasing number of produced works, films and series that are often of low quality.

It is, therefore, time to rediscover the great names that have made the history of the silver screen, to inspire the film professionals of today and tomorrow in their constant search for new languages and technical solutions.

In pursuit of this goal, a memorial plaque in Tony Gaudio’s memory was unveiled last September in the historic center of Cosenza, the Calabrian city where he was born, placed on the same building where he began his career in the late 1800s, where the family photo store was and where the old "Foto Gaudio" commercial sign still stands.

The initiative was promoted by the Open Fields Productions company, in collaboration with several local entities, including Calabria Film Commission, the City and Province of Cosenza. At the inauguration, Tony's memory was enhanced by the presence of his grandson Gino Gaudio, an American citizen living in Los Angeles.

Open Fields Productions, with the memorial plaque event, also kicked off the filming of its documentary "The Lost Oscar," dedicated precisely to Tony Gaudio's life and directed by Alessandro Nucci. Filming of the documentary will be completed in 2023 between Italy and the United States, with the collaboration of important international partners, including the National Museum of Cinema in Turin, the Italian American Museum Los Angeles, the American Society of Cinematography, Officina38 companies in Turin and Broken Typewriter Productions in Los Angeles, Carpe Naturam and La Molazza companies, the Center for American Studies and the Calabria Film Commission.

The production of the documentary also sees the participation of the Tony Gaudio Foundation for the Cinematic Arts, which is committed to the enhancement of this important figure in the history of cinema.

In January 2023, the documentary crew will be busy between New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, filming in all the key locations of Gaudio's career. The filming will also go on the trail of the statuette he won in 1937, which was lost after his death and is now an irreplaceable symbol, since it was the first Oscar awarded to an Italian citizen.

Tony was an Italian emigrant who, pursuing the American Dream, in the darkness of the movie theater succeeded in turn in making crowds of moviegoers dream, transforming the often ordinary faces of actresses and actors into the icons still recognized around the world today.

The plaque recently unveiled in Cosenza and the documentary "The Lost Oscar" currently in production will turn the spotlight back on this important personality in the history of cinema: an Italian who stood out in the world, a common man who shone among the stars of Hollywood.