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Return to Near the Colosseum there's Monti Interview with Gianvito Casadonte (Producer) Could you describe Near the Colosseum there's Monti in a few words? "Near the Colosseum there's Monti" is a documentary about popular Rome, not the imperial one. How was the experience of being around one the greatest Italian directors? It was very exciting. It taught me a lot. How did he accept the project and how was your first meeting with him? I first met him when I was 18. I was a filmography student and I went to see him while he was working on one of his projects. The screenwriter Chiara Rapaccini, Mario Monicelli's girlfriend, had the idea for us to work together. What is your favorite Mario Monicelli's movie and why? Every Mario's film is extraordinary. It's impossible to choose a specific one from masterpieces: The Great War, For Love and Gold, Big Deal on Madonna Street, and My Friends. What do you think about the sad way his life ended? Everyone knows that Mario took his own life at 95 years old. However, when I think about his death I'm not sad because Mario was aware of what he was about to do. What are your opinions on the current state of Italian cinema? Do you see a new Mario Monicelli out there? Nowadays, Italian cinema has great screenwriters and directors. Seven years ago I founded an annual Film Festival called Magna Graecia Film Festival to discover new Italian talents. What are your upcoming projects in cinema? I am currently working on two projects continuing Monicelli's last movie about the 1908 messina's earthquake. The second one is an extraordinary story starring Andrea Manni, but I would prefer to keep it a secret for now. I am also hosting daily a cinema talk-show on RAI 1, which is the main channel on Italian TV. |
