I missed your birthday Roberto! Mi dispiace davvero! Andò is too wonderful a director to go unnoticed!
I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to meet one of Italy’s greatest directors, authors, most interesting people, and nicest guys, Roberto Andò – and I missed his birthday yesterday! In the short time we had to talk, I was immediately taken by his insight and his humility.
He took his award-winning novel, Il Trono Vuoto, and turned it into an award-winning film, Viva La Libertà, starring Toni Servillo.
READ MY INTERVIEW WITH ROBERTO ANDÒ
READ MY REVIEW OF VIVA LA LIBERTÀ
Andò was mesmerizing, talking about what he called a “mortification” of Italian cinema that had developed, where, unlike in the US where filmmaking is a strategic industry, Italians just wanted movies that “didn’t hurt”.
He told me a great story about Bernardo Bertolucci, who for years made beautiful films that nobody saw. “It was in the moment that Bertolucci decided that he wanted an audience that he began to fill theaters, because if you don’t want an audience, then why would an audience want you?”
When I talk about the directors that are changing the face of Italian cinema, I am talking about directors like Andò, who see the future and want to be part of it.
Another great read, Marco Olivieri’s book about Roberto Andò and his filmmaking:
La memoria degli altri. Il cinema di Roberto Andò
I Love Italian Everything 