Director Abel Ferrara: “I’ll tell you about my Padre Pio”

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The impression is that he has always done what he wanted. How many can you tell? Of course, paying a price. History of scars and masterpieces that of Abel Ferrara: “King of New York”, “The bad lieutenant”, “Brothers”, the beautiful “Tommaso”, a few years ago. The latest project concerns Padre Pio, then a doc on Ukraine will arrive. But in the meantime, tonight at the Anteo Palazzo del Cinema we see “The Addiction” for Elisabetta Sgarbi’s La Milanesiana. From 9 pm the short “Molly Bloom” signed by Chiara Caselli and the poem by Gabriele Tinti. Then space for the New York director, who will be awarded the Tribute to the Master Award. Just him. That in 1995 he turned the metropolis upside down by filling it with very symbolic vampires. A parable. Cult. From the unforgettable ending.

Abel, what is it like to see “The Addiction” again after a long time?

“I love it. The screenplay by Nicholas St. John, another Italian like me, is wonderful. A film made for love, with these beautiful words, which seemed to sparkle. We were young, brave. I think it was also a right choice to shoot in white and black on 35mm film. It certainly represents that period of my life well. I’m proud of it. “

It is also a very critical work towards the society of the time.

“Yes and I believe that this aspect is becoming more and more relevant. Because it would be enough to insert photos of the Holocaust or of what is happening in Ukraine to obtain the same result. As if we were always talking about the same thing”.

What memories do you have of those years?

“Independent cinema was emerging in New York: Jim Jarmusch, Spike Lee, the Coen brothers. Together with great grandfather John Waters. There was a lot of quality, a fantastic period. Especially the early 90s, up to the middle of the decade.”

And then?

“And then suddenly everyone wanted Hollywood, they wanted to make money.” How has his work changed over time? “I continue to believe in cinema and to design in the same way, regardless of the money. I try to get close to things for the right reasons, whether they benefit or not. But miracles happen every now and then.”

What don’t you like about cinema?

“In any situation there is good and bad. You are there and you have to find your way, your way. It is something that I have been investigating since 1968. Because I did the first things in the cinema when I was 16! throw it down to think that now we are already in 2022… Cinema has never been easy but everyone has to deal with it. It’s part of the challenge. It’s where you define yourself. “

How do you live these evenings?

“It’s not something that I feel the need but I accept it and I am very happy that the film is shown, that people gather to see it. I feel part of it all. Then you know, in these moments I represent a group of people. , it is an acknowledgment that concerns all those who have worked with me. Because making a film means interacting with a team and with the public. I also see tonight’s appointment as a celebration of art in a world that is about to explode, on the verge of a nuclear holocaust. These are revolutionary acts. “

What do you mean?

“We meet to discuss cinema, to think about art. We celebrate life in the face of death”.

Why a film about Padre Pio?

“It is linked to my grandfather who was born in the same years in Sarno, near Pietrelcina. I think this allowed me to understand the character: someone connected with that countryside, the territory between Naples and Salerno, in a specific historical period. And then the journey, the First World War. Similar stories that I tried to observe in depth. Under your skin you find fundamental themes together with a great spirituality “.

But what is your relationship with Italy in the end?

“I live there now. It’s not a break. I could come to work in your newspaper. I feel like a soldier in Caesar’s army, a mercenary in his service. And I’m in love with him.”

In the next months?

“I’m going to go to Ukraine for a documentary. I feel I have to do it.”