Jonas Carpignano Company A Chiara, his most mature film, selected for the Quinzaine Des Réalisateurs at the Cannes Film Festival and winner of the Europa Cinemas Label award. The third chapter of the trilogy on Gioia Tauro, in Calabria, began with Mediterranean (2015) and continued with To Ciambra (also produced by Martin Scorsese), hits theaters on October 7th. This time the director, who grew up between New York and Rome, follows the fifteen-year-old Chiara (played by the surprising Swamy Rotolo), a girl apparently like many others, divided between friends, family and school.
One day he discovers that his father (Claudio Rotolo), who has been missing for a while from home, is in collusion with the ‘Ndrangheta and a fugitive because he is accused of criminal association for drug trafficking. The world collapses on her, but, with courage and determination, she begins her inner journey, in search of her own freedom and the true nature of her father.
Why did Jonas choose to deal with a girl’s point of view?
«I wanted to tell the Mafia through a different perspective: I knew from the beginning that I would not have made a gangster movie about the criminal activity of Gioia Tauro. The idea started when a person I barely knew became a fugitive. Instead, I knew her 8-year-old daughter and I saw the aftermath that event had on her. I decided at that moment that I wanted to write a film about the consequences that world has on a girl and her family ».
A Chiara tells the mafia in an almost intimate way compared to the films and TV series that circulate.
“Often the most spectacular aspects of that universe are told through newspapers, films or dramas. In ten years in Gioia Tauro I have never seen a shooting. For me it was important to downsize the spectacular component and give more importance to the human relationships that exist inside and outside this context ».
What do you think of series like Gomorrah O Suburra?
“I look at them, they’re funny, but they’re not my thing. I wanted to do something different. And it is not a form of rebellion, it is simply another approach to cinema, it is the other side of the coin of the same topic ».
The Gioia Tauro trilogy closed with a flourish. What will your next project be?
“I have no intention of leaving Gioia Tauro, Palermo and their social contexts. From the United States I moved with my family here because I wanted to work in Italy and tell the South to which I feel a strong belonging ».
Has the South changed it?
“I grew up discovering the South. From the moment I moved there was the real change: life literally overwhelmed me and involved me: I began to investigate to understand”.
To Ciambra Martin Scorsese had produced it. What do you think of A Chiara?
“I’m waiting for his response, in the last period he was very busy in Oklahoma on the set of his new film (Killers of the Flower Moon ed). He hasn’t been able to see it yet. Anyway I just delivered a Blu-Ray of A Chiara to his assistant who was on vacation in Italy. He will soon bring it to Martin who wants to see him in his projection room. He doesn’t want to hear about streaming links ». (He smiles, ed)
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
