Where does your passion for cinema come from? How did you know it was the right path for you?
My love for cinema came when I was around 17 year old as a direct consequence of my love for music. The musical language – I was playing and composing at the time – was not enough anymore so I began to give life to the images in my mind instead of transforming them into soundtracks. I don’t know yet if Cinema is my right path, but I know that for now is what makes me happy.
What roadblocks did you face along your path?
The most important obstacle I have to deal with often, that makes me really sad, is the difficulty to find someone interested in producing new and unconventional projects. Another one is the exhausting slowness of tender evaluations. For the last tender I’ve submitted I had to wait almost 10 months: a crazy long time. It happens often that the subject you want to explore in your project is not compelling anymore and you find yourself in a position in which you have necessarily to work on a project – because you cannot afford to lose the money – that is already outdated.
What impact do you think the pandemic had on the future of the film industry?
The pandemic has speeded up some processes already ongoing in all areas. I think, for example, that the OTT platforms would have prevailed over movie theater experience anyway. Also, since people are spending more time in their homes, the demand has increased significantly, lucky for us.
What or who has inspired the most your development as a filmmaker?
My first love are certainly the Coen Brothers. I went through various phases and a lot of infatuations. I’m quite omnivorous, even though I have a particular inclination towards the New Hollywood Era and directors like Sam Peckinpah, Sidney Lumet, William Friedkin, Hal Ashby. Right now I am in the Agnes Varda phase.
How do you feel about our Red Couch platform, designed for young filmmakers and their experimentation?
It is more than welcomed!
Click here to discover the complete biography of Valerio Burli and his works.
