Lonely Wolf International
Film Festival 2022
Interview
Christian Olcese
Lettera a Faber
lonelywolffilmfest.com
May 3, 2022
Italian Version
"Letter to Faber" was born from the unconditional love I feel towards De Andrè. Being Italian, but above all Genoese, my art is and has been inspired by his songs, by his poems.
Hi Christian, it's great to be able to talk to you, how are you after all that is going on?
It's a pleasure to meet you. I am very well, very well indeed. What happened to “Lettera a Faber” makes me very proud: such an important selection at a festival like that of Lonely Wolf must be a source of pride.
Were you able to at least remain positive and creative?
Eh, try it, try it. In my work it is essential to remain positive and creative. Without creativity and without positivity you cannot come up with brilliant ideas to then donate to history, right?
You had a big festival with Letter to Faber, did you think your film would receive such a warm and welcome welcome?
Actually, as a good Italian, I thought I had some chance but not to make it to the semifinals. Seeing all the projects in the race, really amazing, I got scared, I have to be honest. However, in the end, “Letter to Faber” managed to position itself very high and therefore I can only be happy and grateful.
Congratulations on being a part of Lone Wolf with Letter to Faber, how does it feel to be part of such an amazing series of films?
It is a really good feeling. Adrian Perez, the founding CEO, was very helpful, attentive and thoughtful towards me, us. "Lonely Wolf" is an extraordinary festival also because it gives voice to all those projects which, considered independent, are struggling to reach the general public. Therefore, the commitment of Adrian and of the whole team is absolutely to be commended and to underline.
What do you hope to take away from your Lonely Wolf experience?
Well, I only take away positive vibes from this experience. Having certain confirmations and certain "certifications" is important in our work. Furthermore, I am happy that a short film / documentary like ours, designed to commemorate a mythical figure like that of De Andrè, can also be appreciated abroad: De Andrè, in Italy, is a staple of art but abroad it is always an unknown.
How important are festivals like Lonely Wolf in supporting and supporting independent short films?
Very, very, very important. I may have already said it in the previous question but I repeat it here: Lonely Wolf is essential to give light and space to all those projects that struggle, due to financial problems, to reach the general public: thanks Lonely, thanks Adrian .
Can you tell me how your documentary Letter to Faber was born, what was Fabrizio de André's that inspired you to make this film?
"Letter to Faber" was born from the unconditional love I feel towards De Andrè. Being Italian, but above all Genoese, my art is and has been inspired by his songs, by his poems. Then, as a poet (soon translated into Arabic), I have always admired the metric style used by Faber in his songs: De Andrè is style and content mixed together. So, just wishing to give a thought to his deceased soul, I asked for help from one of my closest collaborators Filippo Castagnola who managed, by putting together a variety of images extrapolated from the Genoese context, to give life to the short film. “Letter to Faber” is poetry in images.
What were the biggest challenges you faced in bringing this to life?
The biggest and most imminent challenge was to write a text that could commemorate but not tire the memory of a great artist like De Andrè. When you approach certain characters, so well known and so transcendental in the artistic field, you are always afraid of not being up to it, you are always afraid of not being able to honour his memory. Therefore, consulting internally and consulting my emotions, in the end I chose to write a letter with an open heart: you cannot go wrong if you remember with love.
What was the message you wanted to convey with your films, do you think you have achieved it?
I wanted to convey passion, love, melancholy, reflection and I think I succeeded. De Andrè he sang the last ones, the "outcasts" of society, he sang traditions that have now disappeared. So, a part of the video (the central body), is very reflective and very humanitarian: I speak, for example, of the fact that, in my opinion, now no one sang suffering (the real one), no one sings love but everyone thinks about fame and the privileges issued by it.
When creating characters, do you ever draw inspiration from your life and experiences?
Certainly, certainly. All my characters, both those in my books and those in my cinematographic works, are inspired by my human condition and by the memories I have lived while living. Behind an invented name there is almost always a real life story.
Have you always had a passion for cinema and how has your approach to your film projects changed since you started?
Yes, but only recently have I been thunderstruck by its power. Before, when I was younger, I was an unconscious cinema-goer. I preferred books because I could picture the story in my head, without seeing it clearly. Lately, however, I have understood that a good film is made up of good ideas and that the viewer sees a tenth of the director's thinking: what the viewer sees is the result of a maniacal elaboration carried out by the director or screenwriter.
What inspires your work?
My work is inspired by a passion for beauty. I believe that in this historical period it is very difficult to make true and historically valid art. I think I am living in a world overburdened by attempts to make art and so my goal is to give the world something that is remembered and not abused for a short period of time.
"Before, when I was younger, I was an unconscious cinema-goer. I preferred books because I could picture the story in my head, without seeing it clearly."
Are there any themes you are looking to explore with future projects?
Yes sure. I'm working on a new, very big project. However, being a superstitious person, I still prefer not to talk about it publicly: as Hemingway said "He did not say it out loud because he knew that when you tell her good things don't happen."
Do you have any advice or advice to offer to a fellow filmmaker?
The advice I can give, as a young director and screenwriter as I am, is to never give up, to always be hungry and to think that the world needs young people capable of innovating a fairly firm and blocked artistic landscape.
And finally, what would you like the public to take away from Lettera a Faber?
I would like the public to be carried away by my words, magically gilded by the voice of Francesco Patanè, and I would like them to reflect on the themes expressed by me: whoever looks at mine, our work must be aware of the fact that through tradition it is possible to arrive in the future.