EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH DIRECTOR MARIO ROCCATO

1) WRITING ABOUT A LOVE PRESENTING ABOUT THE COMPLEXITY OF HUMAN EMOTION AND ITS REFLECTION IN THE RELATION BETWEEN HUMAN BEING. HOW YOU GET INTO THIS THEME? WHAT ARE THE DIFFICULTIES YOU FACED WHILE WRITING THE SCREENPLAY?

I think that, beyond the daily and superficial encounters, the relationships between human beings always hide deep, sometimes dark sides of everyone, and sometimes absolutely wonderful sides.Sometimes we don’t tell each other the truth, and sometimes we just can’t hide it because the truth is something deep inside us. All too often we end up lying to ourselves, and we do so because we are afraid not only of the end of things, of death, but also of the infinite complexity of living. We can be great sometimes, and at other times we can’t even look in the mirror.

2) WHO INSPIRES YOU TO BECOME A FILM DIRECTOR?

Ever since I was a child, I’ve cultivated the dream of being able to make my own film. This desire has never abandoned me, and only recently I was able to realize it with the advent of digital cameras, which allowed me to save on the immense costs of film.

3) CASTING IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF A FILM MAKING. WHAT IS YOUR OPINION?

I can write a story, and I can also explain to the actors what I want from them; but I think that

when an actor is chosen- with a kind of instinct on the part of the director - then we’ll have to

trust him blindly. A real actor can live the words I wrote, and the emotions, but he does not only do this: he must also reinvent his character, he must live it inside himself. So I was amazed, and moved, when I saw how my actors were able to give my characters nuances and emotions that I myself had not been able to explain: sometimes, that I hadn’t even thought of.Another fundamental element for a film, I think it’s the music column (by Marco Sala in “Writing about a love": his music gave a fundamental voice to my emotions.

4) WE KNOW THAT YOU ARE A MULTI TALENTED PERSON IN TERMS OF FILMMAKING.

WHICH JOB YOU REALLY LIKE IN FILM MAKING.WRITING, DIRECTION OR PRODUCING?

I love to write my plots, because in them I put so many things of my lived life, and I like to see that these plots will be told with the words I have chosen; but I also discovered that, when I turn a scene, and let it be played by my actors, then a kind of miracle is born: me and the actors, and the composer of the music, and all the staff we can live, each one, its own moment of authentic “magic”. So it’s great to be a director. As far as production is concerned, I do not have enough money today to promote other films, and therefore I do not know what to say: if I were rich, I would like to go hunting for real talents to be able to finance them.

5) IF SOMEONE NEED TO REMAKE WRITING ABOUT A LOVE IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE. WHAT WILL BE YOUR SUGGESTIONS?

Each language has a different music with which it can express itself. My texts - many have told me -are not easy to understand, and perhaps not even easy to translate, I imagine; for these reasons I would suggest to those who want to make a remake of my film to choose translators able to grasp all the nuances of the Italian language, before being able to recreate them in the final language of the new film.

6) WHAT PIECE OF ADVICE YOU WILL GIVE TO A YOUNG UPCOMING FILM DIRECTOR?

When I was a child I asked my father to attend a school of cameramen and director, who here, at the time, was only in Rome, and therefore 600 Km. to our home. He said, "If you want, it’s okay.But you must know that, to be a director - the real director - you will need to first become a real man, and have lived many things that you still do not imagine". A wise advice, I think...!

7) CAN YOU SUGGEST SOME MOVIES WHICH INSPIRED YOU A LOT?

In my life I have seen many films, and many have taught me many things; but if I have to choose an author who was of fundamental importance to me, I would choose Ingmar Bergman: his films are in my opinion masterpieces where cinema, theater and philosophy are intertwined with the hand of a true Master.

8) WHAT ARE YOUR NEXT PROJECTS?

I recently made a short film (20'), shot all in Venice, with voices only out of the field, and I sent it to the current Venice Film Festival: it is an almost metaphysical work, where Venice almost fades and is dispersed: it is the dialogue between two lovers who, Perhaps they never met. Meanwhile, I have 5 screenplays of new films that I could make, following Writing about a love, but I will have to find a small producer who can help me: my films, in the end, cost very little.

9) WE KNOW THAT WOMEN FACES MANY PROBLEMS IN SOCIETY AND FAMILY.DO YOU LIKE TO BRING SUCH PROBLEMS IN TO A MOVIE?

Yes, I would love to. I think the female soul is capable of expressing unique values, which we men sometimes can’t even see. It is really shabby that, even in apparently evolved societies, the archaic idea that man should manifest his own superiority still prevails: it is ridiculous!

10) WILL ONLINE FILM AWARDS BRING A NEW PATH OF ENCOURAGEMENT TO THE

FILMMAKERS?

It is certainly encouraging to see that, even in distant and diverse cultures and even with the

difficulty of a different language, a work can be appreciated: all the awards I received made me dream of being there, along with different juries, in order to grasp the reasons for their

appreciation: knowing what is said about what you have done is a way to improve our work. The growing popularity of online competitions is definitely a growth for anyone who loves cinema and its message.