What was the starting point or the initial idea for this film?
The vulcano Vesuvio has been always a protagonist I wanted to work with. To me it’s like a metaphor for the complex relationships between society and politics in Italy. It's unpredictable, powerful, destructive and based in the middle of a densely populated area alongside the Mediterranian coast. No one is able to control this immense force of nature and yet it connects the inhabitants and their environments with an invisible tie.
I wanted to construct fiction within a test evacuation of all the villages surrounding the vulcano next to Naples, and working closely with some main actors who were witnesses of the last outbreak in 1944.
Can you share an important/funny/moving/surprising anecdote of the making-of this film with us?
One surprising thing was (since we shot the main part inside the old Osservatorio next to the crater), that during the shooting days the vulcano showed movements on the diagrams of the seismographs. It felt like getting a friendly response to our attention. And I found it very funny to discuss catering ideas with the elder actors, who provided some home grown ingredients every day.
What would you like to say to your audience before seeing your film?
Enjoy.
What project(s) are you working on this year?
I am working on a few exhibitions. The next ones will be in the CAC in Tel Aviv and a beautiful remote museum in the middle of France (Vassivère) where I will show film installations and filmic sculptures.
I am also working this year on a longer film which has the Rotterdam harbour as a starting point and will later be shipped to Shanghai.