Indie Express: Tell us about your film?One of the Last (Uno degli Ultimi)Directed By Paul Zinder
Indie Express: Tell us about your film?
Paul: My film, One of the Last (Uno degli Ultimi) is a short documentary portrait of 78-year-old Mauro, an Italian peasant who climbs trees, picks olives, and speaks profound words of advice. He’s not preachy at all, he’s just a really intelligent enlightened fellow despite never having a formal education of any kind.
IE: How did you come up with the idea for the film?
P: When I began shooting, I had just moved to Italy to teach film at The American University of Rome (where I still teach). A friend of mine here is from a small village north of Rome called Sant’ Angelo. On my first visit to the village, I was fascinated at how beautiful (and different) the village lifestyle was, and decided to make a documentary about the history of the village. As I began to interview people who focused on the village “war” with the village next door (basically, people in each village avoid each other and have for 500 years), I met Mauro. Mauro is so fascinating that I decided to forgo the larger idea and instead focus on him and his personal philosophy, which is funny, fascinating, and really smart.
IE: How did you assemble your production team?
P: My production team consisted of myself (Producer, Director, Photographer) and the friend who introduced me to the village, Maurizio Marmorstein (Producer). That’s it. When shooting a film with such a small crew, I always forget how much longer everything takes to finish. (See question below.)
IE: How did you find your cast?
P: SEE above.
IE: How long did the film take? (From conception to final edit)
P: I began shooting the film in fall 2001 and didn’t complete my shoot until summer of 2005. I completed the final cut of the film in November of 2007. Of course, this four-year shoot was really one or two weekends a year, but I had a lot of footage to cut down into the 12 minute film that exists today. So it was a six year process in all.
IE: Tell us a little about your process of directing (writing) this film.
P: For me, Mauro’s life on the land is the visual appeal of the subject, so I focused on taking advantage of the gorgeous Italian country backdrop when I shot the film. Mauro is actually part of the landscape and I made sure that each composition in the film reflected that.
IE: What was the most difficult part of the shoot for you?
P: Waking up at 5am to shoot Mauro picking grapes. (Not a very difficult shoot!)
IE: Any particular moments from filming that stand out for you?
P: I shot this one scene inside a little shack on Mauro’s land. As my Co-Producer and I sat there watching Mauro and his wife eat lunch, Mauro offered us each something to eat. It was little and flat and breaded. I asked what it was and he said that I should try it before he tells me. They were lamb testicles. And they were damn good.
IE: Tell us about the film’s festival experience so far?
P: The film has been selected to screen at 14 film festivals worldwide, including festivals in London, Rome, and India. The film won a Juror’s Choice Award (First Prize) from the Black Maria Film and Video Festival and I’m absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to screen it at the LA Film Festival.
IE: What are you most looking forward to at the festival?
P: Unfortunately, I can’t attend! I’m so sorry about that, but the prices for a plane ticket from Italy were just too restrictive. I have several of my friends in LA hoping to attend, though.
IE: What has been your most interesting Q&A so far? What was your favorite question? How was the dialogue afterwards?
P: I haven’t had too many interesting Q&As yet, and the best one was probably the one I had when I showed my film on the campus of The American University of Rome, where I teach. One colleague asked me why I chose a piece of (original) blues music for the middle section of my film when blues is an inherently American genre and the film is so Italian.
I answered that, when working with my composer, I wanted him to make it clear that the film had been made by an American, an outsider looking in at the beauty of Italy, and I thought the blues music was a perfect way to illustrate that fact.
IE: What films or filmmakers inspire you?
P: David Cronenberg and Woody Allen are my favorite filmmakers by far. If only I had the talent to make films like them (or even in the same genre as them!).
IE: What made you decide to become a filmmaker?
P: I’m a bit embarrassed to say that I saw Steven Spielberg accept the Irving Thalberg award at the Oscars when I was a teenager. I sat there during the broadcast and thought: “That would be a nice way to make a living.” If only I could make a living at it now. (Though teaching is really great.)
IE: What is next for you?
P: I’m currently working on a book chapter on the cult TV show Battlestar Galactica after having written one on Alias a couple of years ago (which was published in the book Investigating Alias: Secrets and Spies). I like to alternate between making films and writing. I’ll be back at The American University of Rome in fall 2008 as the Chair of the Department of Communication and English.
IE: What is next for the film?
P: It’s been entered in several more festivals world wide. I hope the reaction is good enough to secure some more screenings and distribution on some level.
IE: If asked to give one piece of advice to a new filmmaker making their first short film… What would it be?
P: Stick to it. Don’t allow all the problems the come with making a low-budget film get in the way of completion. It took me over four years to complete my 12 minute short and it was worth all the effort in the end.
IE: What question would you like to be asked about your film?
P: Why did you decide to make a short film when Mauro’s life (and life in the village) could have been made into an interesting feature documentary?
IE: What is the Answer to that question?
P: Because all films are too long. Virtually every feature film I see should be shorter than it is, and most short films could be cut as well. My film is 12 minutes long and if I could have cut it to 10 minutes in length, I would have. As a filmmaker, you never want anyone looking at her watch while your film is being shown. The best way to avoid that is to make one that flies.