The Film Verdict: After two documentaries, what made you decide to make you first fiction film?
Antonio Bigini: It was not a given. It’s always about the stories that come my way, and one of them was about this young boy in the 1970s who supposedly could bend metals and was studied by an American professor. Because I really wanted to tell the story from the children’s vantage point, fiction was the best solution.
TFV: The professor is played by American actor David Pasquesi, in what is otherwise a very Italian film. How did that come about?
AB: I’d heard from a friend that he spends roughly half the year in Bologna, where I live. So, when we started casting, I took the chance and reached out to him with a message on Instagram. He agreed to read the script, and while I was worried our budget might not be able to accommodate his asking price, he never made it about money and agreed to be in the film because he really responded to the material and the role.
TFV: How was the experience of directing child actors?
AB: Very interesting. Children have a good and honest way of challenging you on the set. I found myself amending the script when they pointed out the scene as originally written didn’t quite work for them.
TFV: Of course, because the film is premiering in the Generation section, younger viewers will be attending the screenings. Are you looking forward to the Q&As?
AB: I love that the Berlinale has that kind of sidebar, and yes, that’s going to be interesting. I don’t think I made a children’s film, per se, but connecting with that kind of audience is something I’m definitely looking forward to.
TFV: You’ve also worked as a curator at the Cineteca di Bologna. Did that inform your directorial personality?
AB: That’s an interesting question. I definitely think organizing exhibitions and coordinating everything prepared me for the experience of being on a film set. And, of course, by curating exhibitions on certain filmmakers and aspects of film history, certain influences are an integral part of my cinematic vision.
TFV: Would that include Alice Rohrwacher? She’s a friend of the Cineteca, and you have a similar approach to depicting a very real Italy with small hints of magic.
AB: First of all, I appreciate the comparison. I’ve always felt an affinity for Alice’s work, and part of it may have to do with our shared central Italian roots: she’s from Umbria, and I’m originally from the Marche region. Seeing her films showed me a certain kind of cinema is achievable in Italy.
–Interview by Max Borg
