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Rocco Papaleo • Director

Basilicata on my mind

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There’s a town in Basilicata where people dance in threesomes, two men and a woman, because there are too few women. "It’s a tribute to François Truffaut’s Jules & Jim", says Rocco Papaleo, who’s acted in over 30 films at the age of 50 realised his dream of becoming a director. He debut is a film about his land, a region squeezed in between the better known Campania, Apulia and Calabria.

“Basilicata is a non-place" says Papaleo, quoting anthropologist Marc Augé. A non-place to be traversed on foot, like the main characters of Basilicata Coast to Coast [+see also:
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interview: Rocco Papaleo
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(being released in Italy on April 9), a musical road movie comedy full of social observations. "The South is very important to me, I carry this burden and it’s my passion. The Basilicata of the film is not the one of documentaries. It’s the idea the character has of his land, the one that’s been in my head since I was a boy, that I preserved in the bell jar of my memories; a South capable of producing visionary dreams and adventures.

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The first Italian co-production of Eagle Pictures Italia, Basilicata Coast to Coast takes its inspiration from the so-called "song theatre" created by singer Giorgio Gaber in the 1970s and which Papaleo has created much of with co-screenwriter Valter Lupo. “Valter and I have been doing song theatre for 30 years, and we wanted to turn that into a story for film, even though they’re very different. You do theatre with a few musician friends and for little money".

The film revolves entirely around Papaleo’s songs. "Naturally, there was a technical problem in doing them live, so we had to trust our abilities to do it quickly and well. We shot a lot, even nonsense things, but ultimately with the editor, Christian Lombardi, who was also making his first film, we created a musical language of song theatre. For me, this film is just like a song, or at best, like a poem. You composes verses then bring your friends together to play".

The friends here are exceptional indeed, seeing as the music, which has very strong jazz influences, was arranged by Rita Marcotulli, one of the most sought-after Italian pianists abroad. "It was a fantastic collaboration for me,” says Papaleo. “I was in love with her, I knew her music and CDs. Rita is much more than a jazz pianist, and was willing to work with us. I’m still stunned by what she did for the film".

The rest of the cast includes Alessandro Gassman, Paolo Briguglia and Giovanna Mezzogiorno, as well as singer-songwriter Max Gazzè, who plays a bewildered mute. Admits Papaleo: "Max was quiet only during shooting, but he was actually a continuous source of wisdom. For example, I would tell him the word ‘swing’ and he would say incredible things, even Zen quotes, and after a few minutes I’d be lost".

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