Cinema Club x Perimetro - Carlo Sironi

Cinema Club is a format that explores the world of cinema through a series of interviews with directors, screenwriters, actors, cinematographers, and producers. Cinema Club gives voice to auteur cinema, delving into themes and visions as well as behind-the-scenes stories. It offers an exchange of ideas and the discovery of cinema from a different perspective.

I had the pleasure of sharing a coffee with Carlo Sironi shortly after the Milan premiere of his latest film, 'That Summer with Irene.' It was an informal chat to exchange ideas not only about his latest work but also about his journey and approach to the world of cinema.

Is coffee better in Rome or Milan?
Coffee is better in Rome (laughs). No, I don't know if it's better in Rome; we roast it a lot.

One thing that struck me in your latest film is the NOFX t-shirt and the scene where one of the protagonists listens to punk music. It was a surprise, I didn't think of you as a fan of that genre and aesthetic.
On one hand, I make very slow and reflective cinema, but on the other, I like to insert moments of strong impact and intensity. I have always been a big fan of that musical genre and the years when it emerged. There is a sort of melancholic romanticism in that period that fascinates me.

Did your career start with short films?
Yes, I have always been a big fan of shorts. When I made my first short, it was during the years when they were still very important because they were rare and still shot on Super 16 film, while digital was still uncharted territory.
For me, it was a way to test my abilities to transition from photography to directing. At the time, I was a video assistant and started from there. I wasn't one of those who dreamed of becoming a director at 18. At some point, I got tired of my job and started assisting a friend who had made a very beautiful short film. My first short was a sort of trial run to see if I was really cut out for directing.

Would you shoot a short film today?
No, I don't think so, unless it was proposed to me. For me, the feature film is the perfect form. Serial storytelling also has its charm, but it is often not fully exploited content-wise. There could be great opportunities. As for short films, I believe that, expressively speaking, they no longer make much sense. When you see a series of shorts all together, it's like reading a collection of stories by different authors, and this takes away some value from the experience. Moreover, in the current context, it is difficult to fully enjoy a short that lasts 15 minutes.
However, I must say that the shorts I made were extremely useful. Without having shot "Valparaiso" and approached it in that way, I wouldn't have been able to make "Sole" in the same way.
Unfortunately, one has to realize that making a feature film is a very long and difficult journey. Even authors who have made one, two, or three films often cannot make one every two or three years.

I don't want to ask you why you chose to work with a French actress because it's reductive, but I found your choice to work with non-Italian actors interesting.
It often seems that my approach is foreign-oriented, but in my opinion, the problem is not the Italian actors, but the way our country is portrayed. Too often, we tend to fall into folklore, telling stories that reflect already known stereotypes. This way, 90% of the works produced in Italy will always be "Italian" in the most stereotypical sense of the term. This is the real problem. When Italy is told in a predictable and stereotypical way, and an Italian actor is chosen to play that role, the result is inevitably predictable.
There are many interesting Italian actors, extraordinary actors like Luca Marinelli, who I believe is already an international star and will become even more so. Then there are Alessandro Borghi, Edoardo Scarpetta, and many others that now escape me.
The approach of wanting to tell an already known reality reduces the creative possibilities and the curiosity of the audience. If you say something clearly and loudly, whether people like it or not, it is understood. If you whisper something softly, some will understand it well, and others will not.

What is your relationship with the producer, given that you started with Kino Produzioni from short films?
I think every director dreams of finding a producer like Giovanni (Pompili). The nice thing is that we grew up together, so there is deep trust that goes beyond simple work. Giovanni believed in my second short film and we had a great result, reaching the competition at Venice in the Horizons section. From there, we decided to try to produce a film together. Despite our limited experience, we proceed side by side. Giovanni understands that films must have a personality, and this is what we work on together. He gives me enormous freedom, and I will never be able to thank him enough.

With “Sole,” you participated in the Torino Film Lab. How was that experience?
With "Sole," I participated in the Torino Film Lab. Actually, we started with the Berlinale Script Station, a short and intensive version of the Torino Film Lab during the Berlinale. Then we continued with the Torino Film Lab and also did the Sundance Lab, which at the time had a Mediterranean version.
There was close collaboration with the editors; we worked a lot with them. It was a long and sometimes frustrating experience because we were always waiting for funding and the continuation of the project. Since we were in a rather small reality, both Giovanni and I had to be very patient. I can't even say when exactly we started working on this film or how long it took us. Surely it took more than five years, maybe even seven. We proceeded cautiously, wondering if we would be able to complete the film. Giovanni had not yet produced anything, so it was a long and challenging process. Additionally, I wasn't just focusing on directing but was doing many other things related to the world of cinema. I worked as a filmmaker for many companies in Rome.

You changed screenwriters from "Sole" to this film. What is your approach to writing?
"That Summer with Irène" I wrote with Silvana Tamma. I decided to change because I had a different idea in mind, and I liked the idea of exploring something new. I had already worked a lot with Giulia Moriggio; we did all the short films and also "Sole," so it was interesting for me to see what it would be like to work with someone different.
I got along very well with Silvana; we worked together to define the tone of the film. During writing, there are two main phases: at the beginning and the end. In the middle, it's not necessary to write every day; it's also important to leave space for ideas and inspirations.
For me, it's essential to write with different people because everyone brings a unique perspective. Silvana seemed the right choice for this project since she has a different approach compared to Giulia. However, it's important to stay true to the original idea, even if it needs to be further developed during the writing process.

It seems that spaces and moments of sharing and connection are very limited nowadays. Do you often interact with other directors?
Yes, absolutely. Although in the world of cinema, there is a tendency to talk more about opportunities, results, and who is doing what, rather than the actual content. Rome has this tendency towards gossip, being a city historically centered on power; it often analyzes power more than content.
The spaces for dialogue among colleagues are not that numerous. However, I can mention many directors with whom I exchange ideas. For example, yesterday in the theater there was Abruzzese, the director of "Disco Boy," who is a friend who is scouting locations in Milan. I met him in Paris while I was in a writing residency; he lives there. He is a fantastic person with whom we always talk about cinema. I showed him the auditions for my new film, and he showed me some tests for "Disco Boy." There is a real exchange of ideas, and we talk about cinema directly.
I can mention some Italian films released this year, like Tommaso Sant'Ambrogio's "The Oceans Are the True Continents" and Alain Parroni's "An Endless Sunday." They are colleagues with whom it is really pleasant to talk, and we consider ourselves friends.
The difficulty is that we are a bit separated, both geographically and in the fragmented and long way we produce films. If we could make films with a frequency similar to the '60s, every one or two years, it would be easier to maintain focus and coherence in the work. Because if you take ten years to develop a film, you also change compared to the early years of the project.