MIRTILLO – numerus I, 15min., Italy
Directed by Desiderio Sanzi
1346. The Black Death has arrived in Europe. Andruccio is fleeing his village Coccorone (Italy) in search of salvation. Among the woods and paths he meets a rather singular character who will accompany him to Triora, the ‘village of witches’, to find the cure.
https://www.instagram.com/__mrblueberry__/
Get to know the filmmaker:
What motivated you to make this film?
He was the one who sought me out; I needed to tell my story, literally open one pandora’s box and decant it into another.
From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
The incipit was born during the exhibition “Malebolge” curated by Lorenzo Rubini that I made inside a former church, I was carrying Dante Alighieri’s inferno and nine huge paintings, precisely each of the 9 circles of hell.
Among them was a huge painting put on the altar representing a goat. A goat named “Mirtillo” From there everything was born. A project that was born under the terrible shadows of the covid and shot throughout that period.
How would you describe your film in two words!?
An alchemical film
What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
If anything, the question should be what were the facilities to make it happen. Working without support, having a group of friends and especially crazy people who pushed themselves with you relentlessly never stopping believing. My super micro team with a giant heart: Fabio Fieri and Daniele Cruccolini and of course all the other people who accompanied me hating and loving me at the same time
What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
They really struck me, especially the ones most direct and close to me, like, “…I didn’t understand anything, but I like it!” It means that that rational passage that always serves to justify something in this case did not serve. Based solely on gut emotions.
When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
To this day I pursue so many things that I couldn’t answer. Surely in this project I put all my various me: painter, photographer, performer and director.
In any case the unique drive I have is if I have something to tell..in this case going through a film.
What film have you seen the most in your life?
I love to see a lot of films from the past, if I had to define one in particular you won’t know, certainly if I really had to decide Jodorowsky’s work.
What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?
Already being here is quite an accomplishment, certainly one piece of advice I would give is to be able to bring the audience into the world of the filmmaker they have in front of them, perhaps not just by describing his work, but more importantly to understand his journey and how he got there.
You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
Definitely very positive, I find it absolutely brilliant and especially very practical since in the past searching everything on the Internet was cumbersome and slow.
What is your favorite meal?
Without a shadow of a doubt the cacio e pepe.
What is next for you? A new film?
Obviously “MIRTILLO – numerus 9,” the feature film version..in process.
Matthew Toffolo's Summary 