An Open Letter To Italian Directors, Producers, and Actors
Dear Italian filmmakers,
first of all, I love you, you know that, and I don’t want to tell you how to do your jobs. But as an American moviegoer, I have a perspective that may be of interest to you. Here’s why a truly horrible American movie like Annabelle is number 2 at the box office in your country and the beautiful Anime Nere, from director Francesco Munzi, is number 13.
Beyond the obvious answers, like bigger budgets for American films and movies like Annabelle showing in more theaters, there’s a another one, obvious to me but maybe not to you:
None of you are willing to sell your souls to the devil to promote your movies.
Look at the facts. Why is it that when I ask people in Italy what movies they like they almost always say an American one, and when I ask them about Italian ones, they haven’t even hear of them, unless it’s one from Checco.
1) You need People Magazine. I know you have magazines like Gente that are similar, but there’s nothing much about the big stars in them. I know its distasteful to you. I know you don’t want your private lives spilled out for all to see. But face it, it would help your movies if the viewers got more personally invested in you.
It’s just human nature. You don’t have to go all Kim Kardashian on us or anything. A couple of controlled photo shoots of your home, your family, your dog…look at someone like Sharon Stone in the US. She hasn’t done anything good in years, career-wise, but she’s on everyone’s radar. That’s because she promotes herself.
2) Get a Facebook page. Tweet once in a while. I can see that some Italian actors find, particularly Twitter, unsavory. Paolo Virzì’s closed his Twitter account. Riccardo Scamarcio ranted about having a bazillion followers and other talented people having none, and then he took his name off the account and now calls himself nome @sssssssssar. Lots of stars have accounts and just never use them. Cristiana Capotondi has 14 tweets and Margherita Buy has 1 – “ci provo pure io….”, (I’ll try it too), but she never did.
Like I said, I don’t want to tell you how to do your jobs, but it’s undeniable; people eat this stuff up.
What’s the worst that could happen? Fans could follow your kids to school. Helicopters could ruin your wedding. You could get arrested for punching a photographer who wouldn’t leave you alone in the face. All in a day’s work for an American movie star. Pensaci, almeno.
Un bacione a tutti,
Cheri
PS – This letter is a little, but not completely tongue-in-cheek. Now somebody tell me how to say that in Italian.
I Love Italian Everything 