L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2024 www.italoamericano.org 28 L'Italo-Americano T he ninth edition o f t h e F i l m i n g Italy Los Ange- les festival, cre- ated and directed by Tiziana Rocca, Agnus D e i , a n d i n c o l l a b o r a t i o n with the Italian Cultural Institute of Los Angeles, t o o k p l a c e , a s u s u a l , j u s t before the Oscars, from Feb- ruary 26 to 29, 2024. "We saw a tremendous turnout over the four live evenings," Tiziana Rocca shared. The e v e n t f e a t u r e d n u m e r o u s guests and artists from Italy and around the world, such as Matteo Garrone, Marisa Tomei, Danny Huston, Cate- r i n a S c o r s o n e , B e n e d e t t a Porcaroli, and Riccardo Sca- marcio, with a film marathon starring Franco Nero being particularly well-received. Nero was honored with the F i l m i n g I t a l y L o s A n g e l e s L i f e t i m e A c h i e v e m e n t Award. This year was also special for another festival honoree, director Matteo Garrone. Fol- lowing his Silver Lion win at Venice, his film Io Capitano is nominated for Best Inter- n a t i o n a l F i l m a t t h e 2 0 2 4 Oscars. At the festival's open- i n g a n d d u r i n g a s p e c i a l screening of the film, Gar- r o n e a n d t h e f i l m ' s y o u n g s t a r , S e y d o u S a r r , w e r e awarded the Filming Italy Los Angeles Best Director Award and Best Actor Award, respectively. A standout at the festival was Apulian actor Riccardo Scamarcio, who starred not only in Ginevra Elkann's new film, I Told You So but also in Race for Glory: Audi vs. Lancia directed by Stefano M o r d i n i a n d r e c e n t l y released in the US. Scamarcio was presented with the ENIT - Travel in Italy Award by Emanuela Boni of the ENIT National Tourism Agency in Los Angeles. Riccardo Scamarcio is one o f t h e m o s t b e l o v e d a n d sought-after Italian talents internationally. Last year, the actor from Apulia starred in the latest installment of the Hercule Poirot saga, Murder in Venice, directed by Ken- n e t h B r a n a g h , a n d h e r e c e n t l y f i n i s h e d f i l m i n g Modì, a biopic directed by Johnny Depp, where Sca- m a r c i o p l a y s t h e p a i n t e r A m e d e o M o d i g l i a n i . T h e cast also includes Al Pacino and Luisa Ranieri. We at L' Italo-Americano had the opportunity to meet him at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles during his visit for Filming Italy. R a c e f o r G l o r y w a s released in the United States on January 5. In this film, you're not only the protagonist but also the producer. What can y o u t e l l u s a b o u t t h e film? I t ' s a p r o j e c t I c o - p r o - duced with Jeremy Thomas, a renowned British producer k n o w n f o r h i s w o r k w i t h directors like David Cronen- berg and Bernardo Bertoluc- ci. Directed by Stefano Mor- dini, I play Cesare Fiorio, the team manager of both Lancia and Ferrari, a legend w h o d o m i n a t e d t h e r a l l y world in the 1980s. The film dives into the story of the 1983 World Rally Champi- o n s h i p a n d s h o w s t h e i n t e n s e c o m p e t i t i o n between Lancia 037 and the seemingly unbeatable Audi 4. What can you tell us about your experience w i t h J o h n n y D e p p o n the set of Modì? We've just finished shoot- ing in Hungary. I can say lit- tle at this point. However, I c a n s a y t h a t J o h n n y i s a great artist, and it was an extraordinary human and p r o f e s s i o n a l e x p e r i e n c e . F r o m a y o u n g a g e , h e worked and had a friendship with Marlon Brando who, from my point of view, was one of the few true movie stars. What is your relation- ship with Los Angeles, the city of cinema? Do you visit often? I visit often; I really like Los Angeles, it's a city I have a particular fondness for. It's a place where it's easy to feel lost, as it doesn't have a center, which can be quite disorienting. Interestingly, this aspect reminds me of Puglia because, in Puglia, life largely happens around gas stations... You're always in a car, it's all flat land, and houses often come with a piece of land, a garden, and a swimming pool. I have a house in Polignano a Mare, i n t h e p r o v i n c e o f B a r i , w h i c h r e s e m b l e s S a n t a Monica. Monopoli reminds me of Malibu, while West H o l l y w o o d a n d t h e H i l l s b r i n g t o m i n d S e l v a d i Fasano in the province of Brindisi. The Valley reminds me of the Valle d'Itria (a r e g i o n i n c e n t r a l P u g l i a spanning the metropolitan c i t y o f B a r i a n d t h e provinces of Brindisi and T a r a n t o ) . L a s t l y , V e n i c e Beach is like Savalletri in the province of Brindisi. T h i s f e s t i v a l a l w a y s takes place just before the Oscars. Which film do you hope wins this year? I hope my friend Bradley Cooper wins with Maestro. I wish it for him because he's a d e a r f r i e n d , a n d I a m biased. I met him just two days ago, right after arriving in Los Angeles. H a v e y o u b e e n friends with him for a long time? We made a film together, Burnt, in 2015. We've kept in touch ever since. M o v i n g o n t o y o u r role as a producer, what a t t r a c t e d y o u t o t h i s profession? I b e c a m e a p r o d u c e r somewhat out of necessity. My former partner, Valeria Golino, wanted to make a film. We had acquired the rights to a novel, so in 2008, w e s o m e w h a t p l a y f u l l y founded a production com- p a n y c a l l e d B u e n a O n d a . Now, I produce with my cur- r e n t c o m p a n y , w h i c h I f o u n d e d a b o u t 4 – 5 y e a r s ago. It's called Lewboski, in honor of the Coen Brothers' film. A name, a guarantee! Why that film in par- ticular? B e c a u s e i t s p e a k s t o a f u n d a m e n t a l t r u t h : n o t everyone wants or has to work 365 days a year. Some don't want to work and want t o s t a y a t h o m e i n p e a c e w i t h t h e w o r l d . W h a t ' s important is being happy. I belong to the other category, those who are always work- ing, but despite this, I love and respect that philosophy. W h a t d o y o u e n j o y about being a producer c o m p a r e d t o b e i n g a n actor? Producing is a passion; it's the ambition to bring together esteemed individu- als to create something col- laboratively. Essentially, a film is a unique prototype, a craftwork, especially when we talk about independent cinema. In Los Angeles, you have the Studio films, indus- trial cinema, and series — that's a different ballgame. I'm an independent produc- e r , a n d I s t r i v e t o g a t h e r friends, people with skills, creativity, and bravery, and maybe — just maybe — suc- ceed in making a good film. After all, there's no guaran- teed recipe for making a film work in cinema. I believe that since it's a craft, you need the courage to roll up your sleeves, get to work, and aim to live a unique and free experience. That's why I produce. You're currently very b u s y , b u t d o y o u s e e yourself embracing the Lebowski philosophy in the future? I hope so. I hope to take a break for a while, I need it. Maybe I'll take a sabbatical year, although I've been say- ing this for years. Perhaps n e x t y e a r . . . S c r a t c h t h a t , next year won't do since I'll be busy promoting the film Modì with Johnny and Al. The success of Italian actors abroad: an interview with Riccardo Scamarcio SILVIA NITTOLI Tiziana Rocca (center) with Riccardo Scamarcio and Benedetta Porcaroli (Photo: Daniele Venturelli) LOS ANGELES ITALIAN COMMUNITY

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