Paolo Genovese: “People are moving away from the cinema”

Between the Venice Film Festival and the Bari Bifest, the Italian festival cinema is enriched with a new piece: it is theUmbria Cinema Film Fest, the Festival organized by the Umbria Film Commission chaired by Paolo Genovese who, from 17 to 19 September, will host a review of previews, awards and meetings in Todi. Many guests were involved in this first edition: from Christian De Sica to Enrico Brignano, from Stefano Fresi to Micaela Andreozzi up to Daniele Mencarelli, who will present a preview of his new novel, Always come back, published by Mondadori. The protagonist will, of course, be the cinema, which, among beautiful frames such as Piazza del Popolo and Palazzo Pongelli, will see the participation of ten films in competition, including Masculine singular by Alessandro Guida and Matteo Pilati, Fortuna by Nicolangelo Gelormini, The Bad Poet by Gianluca Jodice, e Comedians by Gabriele Salvatores, and the awarding of five awards: Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Screenplay, and Best Cinematography, plus the Gigi Proietti Lifetime Achievement Award, which will be awarded every year to one of the best actors of Italian cinema.

“We want it to be the Festival of rebirth, the response of cinema, art and culture to the pandemic and its repercussions “said Paola Agabiti, Councilor for Culture and Tourism of the Umbria Region referring to the Umbria Cinema Film Fest which, among the show-event of Christian De Sica An evening with friends (September 17th at 9pm), the evening of the Umbria Cinema Film Fest presented by Tiberio Timperi and Carolina Rey (September 18th at 9pm) and the concert Oscar-winning music performed by the Umbria Ensemble for the conduct of Eleonora Pieroni (19 to 19), will count on the excellent presence of its promoter: Paolo Genovese, which we will see again soon at the cinema with Super heroes, his new film with Alessandro Borghi, Jasmine Trinca, Greta Scarano and Vinicio Marchioni as protagonists, and which speaks to Vanity Fair of its link with festivals, of the future that will be and of the state of health of today’s cinema.

You defined Umbria as «one of the most beautiful regions in Italy»: what is your link with this territory?
“Probably the search for roots. Part of my family is Umbrian, originally from Spina, a tiny village in the province of Marsciano. I used to go there as a child, it was the 80s but it seemed like the 60s. A place that stood still in time, where the days passed slowly between animals that ran in the farmyard and lazy walks in the woods. My grandparents had an oven, they made bread and nothing else. Only bread and with that they lived. I still have the scent in my roots. Today I have a farmhouse near Todi and every time I come back I feel the pleasant nostalgia of those childhood times. Umbria is a gentle and polite region like its inhabitants, soft and relaxing rhythms of life. A bit of what is lacking in big cities. A place with a natural distance, but a great human closeness between people ».

Where did the idea of ​​Umbria Cinema Film Fest come from?
«My bond with festivals is deep, I find they are an important tool for making cinema culture. I have always enthusiastically dedicated myself to these events, both by participating at the beginning with my shorts and by accepting to be part of the juries when I grow up. I have participated in tiny festivals with few participants and in large events such as the Venice International Film Festival or the Shanghai International Film Festival, the enthusiasm does not change: it is a way to bring together those who make cinema with those who see it, it is a moment to convey to the public the great love of those who make stories. The meeting with actors, actresses, directors, screenwriters and producers always manages to convey to the public how much love and dedication is behind the making of a film. I wanted to do something for Umbria, make a contribution to this region through my work, I proposed to do a festival, they asked me to be president of the Film Commission. In the end, I agreed to do both. I had a lot of support from the region and a lot of enthusiasm from everyone involved. It will be an Italian film festival with a key word: “The meeting”. Try as much as possible to create masterclasses, round tables, film and book presentations, but also to give an audience to all young people who do not yet have an audience, especially those who make short films. Stories are always told to someone and at the beginning it is difficult to find “your” audience, a festival is also useful for this. It will be called “Umbria cinema” and wants to be a point of reference for young filmmakers from the region and beyond ».

The honor committee will award 5 prizes to the 10 films in competition: 3 years ago, she was on the jury of the Venice Film Festival. Is it better to judge or be judged?
«Judging and being judged are two important aspects in the growth of an artist. I think they are two essential experiences. When we are in the competition we get involved, we detach ourselves from our film and let it go by itself, we show it, we defer to the judgment and criticism of the jury and the public. Judgment is important, it is necessary to know what others think of our stories. However, I think we must not be too influenced. Stories are for the public but we don’t necessarily have to pursue “what the public likes”, it is certainly more stimulating to try to give the public “what they don’t know yet, they might like” ».

The Umbria Cinema Film Fest will be in mid-September: are you optimistic about the scenario we will find?
«I am optimistic about everyone’s sense of responsibility. We no longer have to ask ourselves “will it all be over in September?”, We must ask ourselves “in September are we ready to face a public event in total safety?”. I am optimistic about the organizational skills of the whole team in making the event feasible without taking risks. Obviously, we all hope that the halls, theaters and concerts will be fully occupied. But if there should be any capacity limitations, it is important not to give up and work to try to carry out the events within the foreseen limits anyway. We have a duty to trust those who indicate the guidelines and make prevention their job. It’s okay to have your say on the national football team, but on this pandemic we should take a step back and listen a little more ».

Despite the period of great suffering, Italian cinema has started many productions and set up as many projects: what is the state of health of cinema now, in your opinion? What do you expect for the near future?
«The audiovisual sector is in a particular moment. On the one hand full employment, there have never been so many productions standing in recent years. The demand for films and series is very high, the work proceeds at an incredible pace. This is thanks to the great push that the platforms have given in terms of product demand. There is a revolution underway, which began before the pandemic which accelerated sharply with the lockdown, the home vision is becoming the standard for audiovisual use. Televisions are getting bigger and the offer of films is getting richer. The counter-altar is the crisis of the hall. We haven’t had a real reopening yet and therefore a real response but the sensations are clear: people are moving away from the cinema. I think that the wonder of seeing a film in the hall will never be completely replaced by TV, however there will be a great decline and it will be our responsibility, that is, the authors, directors and actors “deserve” the audience, “flush it out” from home , get him off the sofa to send him into the living room. I think the quality of the film will become the discriminating factor for the survival of the cinema. To this of course, to return to the earlier discourse, a greater culture of cinema could benefit, especially among young people who are getting used to the fragmentary and impromptu vision of films and series. Making people understand the need, especially now, to treat oneself to two hours of total immersion in a story, without distractions, without cell phones, in the dark of a room, shared with other people, is fundamental ».

A curiosity: do you find it reassuring that, at the expense of what was believed at the beginning, there are few subjects dedicated to the lockdown and the pandemic?
«I believe that at this moment there is no desire to tell what happened. We have all talked about it and said everything, we have seen viral videos from all over Italy, heard opinions that said the opposite of everyone. It’s been almost two years of memes, posts, broadcasts, often contradictory debates with each other and I think no one has anything more to add. For now, evidently, reality has surpassed fantasy ».