Nanni Moretti is back with the wonderful dark comedy Towards a Bright Future, which sees her playing Giovanni, a famous filmmaker who is about to make his new film. But between a couple in crisis, a French producer on the brink of bankruptcy, and his daughter, who is leaving him, everything seems to be against him! Always on the ropes, he will have to rethink the way he does things if he wants to lead his entire little world into a brighter future.
At the theatrical release of Vers un avenir radiant, presented in competition at the recent Cannes Film Festival, AlloCiné met Nani Moretti. At our microphone, the transalpine filmmaker, of course, talks about his new film, shot in the legendary Roman studios of Cinecittà, but also fiercely defends the seventh art. “Platforms are for series. Films should be made for cinema”He lets out a cry from his heart.
AlloCiné: How did you come up with the idea for “Toward a Radiant Future,” the film for which you reconnected with the semi-autobiographical Vienna?
Nani Moretti : Initially, the first idea was to make the film in 1956. Since we couldn’t, we worked on another project which was Tre Piani. As soon as Tre Piani was finished, I decided to ask my screenwriters to go back to this film around 1956. But I told them I wanted a little change…
For Vers un avenir radiant I wanted to tell about the life of the director in 1956 during the filming process. Once it was decided that I was going to play this directorial role, I gave the character traits that: My. It seemed natural to me to do so.
AlloCiné: If we define “Toward a Radiant Future” as a bitter comedy, with madness, nostalgia, a dead and disillusioned side that talks about life with irony, do you like it?
That’s a bet I made with this movie, as with many movies. Create different tones in the same space, it’s the comedy, the suffering… as well as the coexistence of a realistic style and a style that isn’t. An interweaving of different plots of the films I’m shooting and planning to shoot. And while adding elements of my life.
AlloCiné: There’s a great scene in “Towards a Brighter Future” where you meet Netflix to sell your movie. We feel that streaming platforms are definitely not your cup of tea…
It’s a different way of watching movies, a different relationship with the audience. When I saw in the paper a few years ago that Martin Scorsese was making a movie for Netflix, Irish in this case, I felt pain.
Platforms are designed for series. Films should be made for cinema. As long as the theaters are open, I will make films for the cinema. When I’m writing a movie, I can’t imagine that I’m writing it for a 14-year-old kid who’s watching it on a cell phone. I don’t think so.
If the platforms want to finance one of my films, if they want to participate in the production, fine, as long as they don’t let me. But I make films for cinema. I believe that a film seen in a cinema and a film seen on television are not necessarily the same. There are films that we watch in the cinema, from which we leave satisfied, soaked… I think that there is some order of attention and tension in the cinema.
When I think of film, I always think of foreign audiences who don’t know each other, plunged into darkness and see bigger pictures than themselves. This is the thought that always accompanies the preparation of the film.
AlloCiné: What do you think is the future of cinema?
I know that fewer and fewer people are going to theaters and that the pandemic has hit the cinema hard. But I pretend it’s nothing and continue on the road I’ve traveled forever.
Interview by Clement Coeur in Paris, June 22, 2023.
Source: Allocine
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
