L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2015 www.italoamericano.org 11 L'Italo-Americano SAN FRANCISCO ITALIAN COMMUNITY T he NICE - New Italian Cinema Events - closed its 19th edition after five days of shows, mostly sold out, at the Vogue Theatre in San Francisco. Presented by the San F r a n c i s c o F i l m S o c i e t y ; t h e New Italian Cinema Events of Florence; the Italian Cultural Institute of San Francisco; and the Consulate General of Italy in San Francisco, the festival has m a i n l y c e l e b r a t e d t h e r i c h I t a l i a n m o v i e t r a d i t i o n a n d b r o u g h t n e w t a l e n t e d m o v i e directors to town. During the special closing night presenta- t i o n , J o n a s C a r p i g n a n o ' s "Mediterranea", with a story about two African migrants fac- ing hostility and violence as they try to make better lives for themselves in Italy, has been selected to receive the NICE City of Florence Award. Just a few hours before, dur- ing a private reception hosted by Karen and John Diefenbach, who gave a special support to this year's edition, we met three o f t h e m o s t t a l e n t e d y o u n g directors, who are presenting their movies around the United States: Matteo Bini, who direct- ed "Io, Arlecchino"; Alessia Scarso, who presented "Italo"; a n d M a r c o P o n t e c o r v o , w h o attended the screening of his last movie, "Tempo instabile con possibile schiarite". T h e N I C E g a v e a s p e c i a l recognition to Matteo Bini and Giorgio Pasotti's movie, "Io, Arlecchino" and acknowledged the movie's extraordinary audi- ence support and immense cul- tural value. Matteo, 32, was cap- tured by the magical world of cinema since he was ten, when his father gave him a videocam- era to play with. The movie tells t h e s t o r y o f a d y s f u n c t i o n a l father-son relationship against the colourful background of the Italian theatrical tradition of Commedia Dell'Arte. M a t t e o , w h y w a s y o u r movie so successful among the Italian-American audience? I believe the movie's exotic touch attracts foreign audiences. T h e m a s k s b e l o n g i n g t o t h e Commedia dell'Arte and the character of Harlequin fascinate the viewer, by taking him into a new world. The medieval town where the movie was filmed has something magical and a for- eigner really ends up thinking of it as a fairy tales land. As young, Italian director, which is the advantage or the disadvantage of presenting a movie abroad? The advantage of presenting an Italian movie abroad is that the public does not have any prejudice towards the movie or to the "mind" behind it. People are only willing to be surprised and entertained. Presenting a m o v i e i n a n o t h e r c o u n t r y i s always a great chance to meet professionals that you did not know before, like in this case from the San Francisco Film Society, and to establish new relationships. A l e s s i a S c a r s o , 3 6 , h a s worked as editor and postpro- duction coordinator with several journalists, producers and direc- tors, making special reports, investigative documentaries, and short films. A l e s s i a , w h i c h s t o r y inspired you for this movie? Italo tells the true story of a dog who lived in Scicli, Sicily, and had extraordinary behaviors and habits. The idea comes from something belonging to the local reality: making this movie was a b r a v e d e c i s i o n b e c a u s e , a s everybody knows, it's hard to work with animals. The organi- zation of the movie was amaz- ing in order to give voice to a beautiful story: a dog able to teach people the value of diver- sity, and reminds them what means to be human. Why can this movie be con- sidered both for adults and children? The role of three children, Less, Clear and Paul, is crucial b e c a u s e t h e y i m m e d i a t e l y understand that Italo can be con- sidered as a friend. They discov- er the dog in its uniqueness and authenticity, which is something that adults struggle to under- stand. The movie develops on different levels, which allow both children and adults to fol- low the story. When you use kids' language, maybe adults find it easier to reconnect with their childhood. Any anecdote about Sicily and the Sicilians? Italo is a story representing a p a r t o f S i c i l y a n d I a m v e r y happy that people appreciated t h e w a y i t w a s t o l d . P e o p l e asked to be part of the story with t h e i r p e r s o n a l e x p e r i e n c e s regarding Italo. We listened to them with great pleasure and included some, when we could. Marco Pontecorvo, 49, was initially interested in black and white photography, but eventu- ally became a filmmaker like his father Gillo. Can you explain the topic of your movie? T h i s i s a s t o r y t h a t t a l k s about many values, but one of them is particularly crucial: the friendship between two men who grew up together in a small town in Northern Italy. The plot also gives a chance to analyze the difficulties existing among people from different genera- tions and their principles and values. You gave the Mangas and their values an important role. Why? T h e M a n g a s h a v e c e r t a i n v a l u e s w e c a n u n d e r s t a n d through the eyes of Ermanno's son. The relationship between father and son is very important: they struggle in keeping their relationship strong because they belong to two different worlds: eventually Ermanno's reality meets the Mangas' world, the one his son knows very well. How did you involve John Turturro in the movie? I h a v e w o r k e d w i t h J o h n m a n y t i m e s a n d w e a r e a l s o good friends. First of all, I tried to find a feasible character for him and eventually I did. He was able to bring the surreal into the movie. He is a unique and e c c e n t r i c c h a r a c t e r a n d h e comes across as a puppeteer who plays with people's destiny. H e a l s o m a n a g e d t o s p e a k Italian and he was very good at showing the characteristics of his character in the best way possible. SERENA PERFETTO From the left:: Matteo Bini, Alessia Scarso, and Marco Pontecorvo - Photo: Pamela Gentile 650.400.4747 AdeleDS@aol.com www.AdeleDS.com BRE# 00911740 Certied Trust, Probate and Estate Specialist Expert in preparation, promotion, and negotiation! SELLING HOMES THROUGHOUT THE BAY AREA Adele Della Santina "e Right Realtor makes all the difference." Great Success For The 19th Edition of N.I.C.E. in San Francisco

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