INTERVIEW with Sara Bergamini and Daniele Zucchini

INTERVIEW WITH SARA BERGAMINI & DANIELE ZUCCHINI

How long have you been doing movies? How did you decide to start making movies?

First, let us introduce ourselves. We are Sara and Daniele, and we have been involved in cinema for almost two years.
We are both speaking in this interview because we started out as a team, and it would not be fair to exclude either of us.

The decision to start came after Covid-19. Before diving into this world, we had many different jobs: Daniele, for example, worked in a metalworking factory, but then there was the crisis in Italy and he had to change jobs and study again. He became a social health worker with top marks, and... subsequently, we studied the holistic sector together, specializing in many fields, including massage. Before that, I was a graphic designer in publishing/advertising. Then, with the pandemic, everything changed. Everything around us turned gray, and we wanted to find a way to make people smile and feel excited.

Daniele is extremely inventive. He has a brilliant mind. We had both been out of work for some time.
So we said to each other: what shall we do?
The idea that came to us was: shall we write a book?

Well... we started with one and ended up writing three. Three novels. Which, due to the fact that we had no help, we self-published.
Compelling stories, but we weren't well-known enough to be taken into consideration.

So we...changed tactics.
We started writing various phrases on the Instagram profile, and they worked. Daniele has always been the front man, I've always worked behind the scenes. Because... I always wanted him to have the visibility he deserved.
Then, at the beginning of 2024, we started thinking differently: why not show what we're capable of?
We're no worse than anyone else.
We want to heal people by making them laugh? So... we got ourselves equipped. That's how our projects were born.

Why did you do this project? (If you can say).

We created this project to lighten the mood a little about how people can “experience” a job interview.
We have never done any outside Italy, but here, interviews are often mind-boggling. That's why the protagonist's “hallucinations” tend to show a bit of reality, mixed with fear of the event that everyone experiences. All this is to poke a little fun at ourselves and make people understand that they are not the only ones who feel this way, but many more than they think.

How much budget did you have to do this project?

Budget? Where's the budget? Have you seen it? LOL.
We're doing all this at almost no cost. We shoot all the scenes in our apartment, which we gradually modify on the fly to move from one scene to another.
The only actor there is Daniele, who plays all the parts (Daniele ended up playing three different parts in another short film we shot some time ago).

Was it self-funded or did you get budget/producers/investors?

Entirely self-financed. Daniele is looking for work as an actor in a foreign film/TV series. I am looking for a way to continue working with him because I support him. We are a team. We are looking for work.

How long did it take from the initial idea to being able to release?

Time? Usually, it takes us a week to create a project. One day to think it through, one day to shoot it, and a couple of days to edit it.
Normally, the most interesting projects and the most appealing ideas come to us when we are outdoors, walking and thinking. Nature provides better stimuli than being indoors.

Are you happy with the result?

Yes, absolutely.
Attending an interview, entering festival selections (speaking generally), getting the right people (investors, producers, directors) interested in us is a huge opportunity. We are a bit like a drop of water in a bucket full of water. If someone scoops a cup of water from the bucket, and we are in that cup... it means that we have “emanated” something positive.
As we said before, we need a job.

What phase is this project in right now? Are you in the initial phase of sending it to festivals, middle phase or finishing the circuit?

We have already sent our project to several film festivals, so for some it is still under evaluation, while for others we are in the running and have been selected.
We will see how it goes and hope to have a chance. In any case, we are extremely happy to have been there, and we would be even happier to have contracts, even if they are independent of the project.

How has your experience been with the festivals so far? Where do you think they should improve?

Well, we're new here.
Our experience has been pleasant, from the point of view that, regardless of how things go, someone (I'm speaking for many festivals) always writes to you and says, “Even if you didn't make it here, don't give up, you have potential.”
Maybe it's a cliché. A phrase they say to everyone... but when you find yourself in a situation where no one around you says anything but “mean things” or treats you like trash (and unfortunately this has happened more than you might think), a kind word makes all the difference in your mind.
We've cried a lot over bad things, and when we see even the smallest satisfactions, we cry anyway!
That's how we are. They've demoralized us a lot over the years, so we've become tough and we don't give up. As long as we can, we won't give up.
What would we change? We don't feel ready to give a concrete answer yet: maybe we'll repeat this question later on.

Could you tell us which plattorms you use to submit your entries to festivals?

Only FilmFreeway.

Normally, filmmakers use many references, favorite directors, favorite movies, etc.

Yes, we definitely took inspiration from series that, in our opinion, were very successful in Italy.
But not the scripts, perhaps only the style in some cases.
Then, we always have to take into account that we only have one location to work in, one actor who plays all the parts...

So we are necessarily limited.

Were you inspired by any director or film? If so, tell us your references. Your favorite movie?

In the project presented (The Interview), no.
We did not take inspiration from any film/series/director.
For others, yes, but only in terms of “style.”
The texts and the conception of the contexts are, however, the fruit of our vivid imagination. LOL We don't have a favorite movie: generally, we like most movies from the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s. Whether they're funny, romantic, family-friendly, action-packed, or fantasy. In short, as long as they're interesting.
We couldn't name a favorite...there are so many that we watch them on rotation from time to time! A practical example... The Beverly Hills Cop series, the Bud Spencer & Terence Hill films, the Harry Potter series, Pretty Woman, What Women Want, and many others...including many films for children/teenagers, such as Mary Poppins and animated films. The list is really long.

Favorite series?

Series, mainly fantasy...but not only:

The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, Game of Thrones (these are the most recent ones that have left their mark on us), then we go further back in time with Super Car, Columbo, The A-Team, Street Hawk, Chips, Charmed. And many others...

Do you see yourself making movies in 5 years? Where do you see yourself?

In five years, we see ourselves like this:
Daniele will have already participated in many films and series that have brought him success and worldwide recognition.
Because his talent and adaptability have rewarded him.
We see him working in cinema, being able to voice his ideas and develop them, and thereby helping others who will be in the same situation we were in. Especially children.
I, Sara, see myself behind the scenes, as I am today, supporting him in everything he does and giving him the light and visibility he deserves, because if he weren't with me today, I would be on the street. My parents didn't want me and told me to my face that “I might as well not have been born.” I harbor a sea of gratitude for those who took me in and cared for me. In everything. So, I can't help but find a way to get him where he should be: at the top, for the beautiful person he is and for the heart he has.

Do you have any other project in mind?

Of course, we are full of ideas. Volcanoes. No one saw the potential we had until we started publishing it. We want to have the means to get there.
You, the directors, producers, investors: anyone who can believe in us and give us a real, contractual, and healthy opportunity, we will evaluate it with great interest.

What do you ask for the future? (cinematographically speaking)

What are we asking for?
A real job opportunity that meets our expectations and finally allows us to be who we are:

We are honest, capable people who have not given up despite everything. And we fight every day to achieve this.
We would like to be able to leave Italy and come and live in a country that loves its cittzens and does not forget them. (We are registered with the employment office, but without results).

Your best experience in a movie theater?

We wouldn't know how to answer that question properly, as there are so many great films that have left their mark on us. We definitely went to see some Studio Ghibli animated films, and they gave us the brochure. That's quite something.