Federico Greco is an Italian director who has been active in the film industry since the late 1990s. His filmography includes many interesting and well-known titles that constitute an important part of Italian cinema. DarkVeins had the pleasure of interviewing him, asking him a few questions about his films, such as The Mystery of Lovecraft – Road to L., Liver, E.N.D., Nuit Americhèn and also on Angelika, the revenge movie currently in post-production.
L: Hi Federico, tell us a little about yourself. Who were you before becoming a director? What prompted you to enter the world of cinema?
F: The first thing I clearly remember from my childhood is watching a children's film at nursery school (The Island on Top of the World), wanting to see it again and again, and the drama because we didn't have a Super8 projector at home. A few months later, I was given a small toy projector with a crank, which I used every night until late, in the darkness of my room, projecting short Westerns and black-and-white comedies onto the ceiling. The mechanical noise of the projector, the ability to control the moving images projected, the control over them and the apparent possession (as later happened with books), have always been an almost sexual attraction, something I couldn't give up. I deduce that this is the reason that later prompted me to try my hand at creating that type of image. I don't remember ever wanting to do anything else.
L: Tell us briefly about your first job, which marked your debut in the film industry.
Q: Actually, the first job that made a certain impact, which then opened several doors for me, was a television production, but one that had a lot to do with cinema: Stanley and Us, the documentary about Stanley Kubrick that I made with Mauro Di Flaviano and Stefano Landini when I was 27. I was probably unconsciously trying to work through an obsession with the Bronx director that had begun when, as a teenager, I saw 2001 and A Clockwork Orange. Broadcast by Raisat Cinema thanks to the foresight of Enzo Sallustro and then sold worldwide (and also turned into a book), the making of Stanley and Us It was a real epic: five years of work spanning Kubrick's death and the release of Eyes Wide Shut, at a time when technology was not as accessible—or affordable—as it is today. The response from the public and critics was exhilarating for us.
L: Il Mistero di Lovecraft – Road to L. (Winner of the Silver Méliès at Fantafestival) is a documentary film that was also distributed in Italian cinemas. How did this project come about? What do you think of Lovecraft's literature?
F: More accurately, it is a mockumentary, that is, a fake documentary: it looks like a documentary, but it was written, produced, and edited like a real film, with a script and actors (who play themselves but are acting in every sense). It all started when I met Roberto Leggio, a Lovecraft fan like me. We did research for two years, spent a year looking for someone to produce it, and when in 2003 we found someone who fully understood this bizarre but innovative project, Pier Giorgio Bellocchio, we began pre-production. Together with the Studio Universal channel, we decided to make a short documentary at the same time, more classic in style but still fake: it analyzed Lovecraft's alleged trip to Italy based on a manuscript that appeared to belong to the Providence writer and that he had written in 1926. Both the film and the documentary achieved the goal we had set ourselves: in addition to being highly appreciated by audiences and critics, they were perceived as horror films, even though they were not technically so. Most of the viewers' reactions emphasized the anguish and deep fear that arose from the events depicted.
Lovecraft's literature is incredibly interesting because, while he works on meticulously describing the horrors his characters are forced to face, the monsters are actually projections of the darkest corners of our minds. That's why we chose the mockumentary format, and that's why I believe that most of the films based on the Providence writer's work have failed: because they put those monsters on screen. And that deflates all their potential horror. In my film, you don't see a single one, yet the anxiety and suspense are extremely high.
Unfortunately The Mystery of Lovecraft, released by Rarovideo, 01 Distribution, and Paramount in Spain, had a very short theatrical run. But all this happened before the mockumentary was discovered and accepted by Hollywood and became a mainstream genre with REC and Cloverfield.
L: In 2007, you directed Liver. It is a work full of references, written and performed by Ottaviano Blitch. How did your collaboration come about? Can you tell us about this work of yours?
F: Ottaviano called me to direct a project that would enhance his acting skills, which are remarkable. We had met on the set of another project, The master builder. Directing it was easy and exciting, but above all, it was great fun to follow the post-production process closely, creating the sick and perverse atmosphere surrounding an English serial killer who has a habit of eating his victims' livers. On that set, I met another extraordinary actress, Natasha Czertok, with whom I am trying to work on a feature film project. Also Liver It was a huge success with critics and audiences alike, and won several festivals.
L: In your films, you demonstrate your ability to tackle and deal with a variety of themes. In E.N.D., for example, the figure of the thanatoaesthete is juxtaposed with that of the zombie, and the way in which the contagion occurs is really very interesting. What can you tell us about this short film (which, incidentally, is the pilot episode of a TV series about zombies) that you directed together with your two students Luca Alessandro and Allegra Bernardoni? When can we expect the next episodes?
Q: E.N.D., which began as the final project for my directing and screenwriting course at Cineteatro—a very active and serious academy in Rome—was made with little money and few resources, considering its 26-minute length. But with the extraordinary participation of all departments (not all of them professional) and the commitment of Antonio Canella, the director of the Academy, who exceptionally lent himself as the protagonist. I work a lot with actors, I believe they are the most important element of the entire film industry, together with a good script. And this has always paid off, given that even E.N.D. was very well received. But E.N.D. was successful mainly thanks to the commitment of my two students that year, who were humble, professional, and serious. It's rare to find people like that. We are still considering various proposals for the future of the series or feature film, and recently an interesting new possibility has arisen, that of making E.N.D. an episode of a three-part feature film about zombies.
L: Very interesting, Federico. Keep us posted! In 2013, you directed Nuit Americhèn, another horror short film with a subtle ironic vein, for which you wrote the screenplay together with Igor Maltagliati. Were you inspired by anything in particular when making this short film? Why did you choose GianMarco Tognazzi for the cast?
Q: The inspiration for Nuit Americhèn It stems from my personal experiences as a director and from observing the work of some of my colleagues. But above all, it aims to be a sarcastic narrative of the Italian cultural crisis, seen from the perspective of underground horror cinema. Tognazzi always seemed to me to be the only actor capable of giving Paolo, the incompetent director who wants to make derivative horror films, without a budget and in American English, the right ironic tone. But above all, he is an extraordinary actor, attentive, capable of listening, proposing, and having fun. The same goes for Regina Orioli, with whom I found myself in perfect harmony and with whom we decided to take on the challenge of a difficult character, who walks the fine line between reality and fiction, with remarkable athletic exploits that very few Italian actresses would have had the courage to tackle.
L: You are currently directing the noir thriller Angelika with Crisula Stafida. Can you tell us anything about it? How is the film coming along?
F: We have just finished filming and are now in post-production. It is essentially a “revenge movie” that tells the story of a vengeful heroine grappling with an illegal organization involved in a terrible “trade.” I worked with an exceptional team and amazing actors (Andrea Davì, Willy Stella, G-Max, and the young but talented Valeria Barsi). Crisula, whom I met at the Noir In Festival in Courmayeur during a conference on Italian horror cinema (where she was awarded a prize as an emerging actress), proved to be perfectly suited to the character. Working with her gave me several exciting moments because, despite it being a genre story, her character is complex and psychologically delicate, steeped in guilt and anger. Angelika is the first work I didn't write myself, and I had been waiting for such an opportunity for quite some time.
L: Which of your works are you most proud of? If you could go back, would you change anything about your films?
Q: The film I am most proud of is The Mystery of Lovecraft, simply because it was the most difficult and painful challenge I have ever faced—more so than the lengthy work on Kubrick. But also because it was through this work that I realized I was capable of handling the complexity of a feature-length narrative. The Mystery of Lovecraft At the time, it was an experimental project because it attempted to generate fear using completely new tools (apart from the illustrious precedents of “The Blair Witch Project” and “Cannibal Holocaust”): no blood, no violence, no monsters, no (or almost no) makeup effects, CGI, or sound design typical of today's mainstream horror cinema. Instead, it relied on the meticulous construction of an atmosphere through the settings, acting, realistic effects, and the creation of a horror “mythology.” A bit like Pupi Avati's early films. If I could go back, I would work even more with the actors and develop the characters even further in the writing phase. But the result was very satisfying. It was also with this film that I began to build my team, with whom I now work systematically.
L: What are the pros and cons of your job?
F: Often it is not a job but a privilege: that of having the opportunity to entertain a more or less large audience by narrating what matters most to me or what I most want to investigate. On the other hand, cinema is a very complex machine, there are many filters between the initial idea and the final product. Financial resources, especially these days, are the most hostile filter. I am very familiar with technique and language and feel I can handle them without any problems, but communication between the technical and artistic departments is more difficult.
L: Who do you think are the great masters of Italian cinema and beyond?
F: I am unable to determine who is objectively the greatest. In my entirely subjective opinion, among Italian directors, Leone, Fellini, Petri, Monicelli, and Magni are exceptional. And finally, Emidio Greco, little known but perhaps the most rigorous and elegant of all, one of the few who knows how to make political cinema and not just banal films about politics. Among non-Italians, I love Lynch, Van Dormael, Kubrick, Lumet, Carpenter, and Landis.
L: Plans for the future?
Q: Several. And several proposals. At the moment, I am considering the possibility of a second feature film and am following the international career of Nuit Americhèn which has received a reception here in Italy that is nothing short of flattering.
L: What do you think about this interview?
Q: Better than many others, without a doubt.
L: Leave a message for the readers of this interview!
Q: Genre cinema is an extraordinary tool for portraying the shadows of reality from a captivating angle. That's why we should never forget that, as Hitchcock said, there are three things that make a good film: a good script, a good script, and a good script. As well as excellent actors. Visual and sound effects, gratuitous camera movements, and excessive attention to technology are important, but they should only be accessories.
L: Thank you for your comprehensive answers and for your time!
