«Congratulations from Wenders. This award tastes like Marche”

MONTE URANO «This award smells of Marche, where I was born and raised. I trained there, I cultivated my passions there. That’s where it all started.” Roberto Minervini, born in 1970, born in Fermo and raised in Monte Urano, won the award for best director at the Cannes film festival with the film The Damned in the Un Certain Regard section. Now he is in Turin, guest of the Torino Piemonte Film Commission which, together with the Friuli Venezia-Giulia Audiovisual Fund, supported his film. Then a stop in Bergamo, one in Milan and the return to the United States, to Houston where Minervini has lived for some time.

The near future

A relaxing summer to recharge your batteries ahead of a busy autumn in which he will be traveling around the world to promote the award-winning film. For the moment, the Marche region is not on his agenda, «but the agenda could change quickly in light of this award» said Minervini, who yesterday received compliments from the president of the Marche Film Commission Francesco Gesualdi and the Prefect of Fermo Edoardo D’Alascio. But yesterday he also received the applause of some internationally renowned directors such as George Lucas and Wim Wenders. «Wenders told me that the director’s award is the best thing that can happen to a director», recalls Minervini who attended the party after the awards ceremony. «Yesterday was a memorable day, which ended with a carefree and fun evening. Finally. I liked having received immediate feedback from colleagues and professionals. Among these Xavier Dolan, president of the jury, who confessed to me that he had never seen a film about war like mine, in which individual experience prevails. “After seeing the film we knew he was going to win an award. We still didn’t know which one” Dolan confessed to me, underlining how the jury then expressed itself unanimously on The Damned».

The award received recognizes the progress made by the Fermo director. «This award is incredible if I think about the past», he rewinds the tape to return to his life as a financial consultant, which continued until the tragic September 11, 2001. A date that also changed his life: Roberto left his job and thrown into the cinema. The director from Fermo spoke about his relationship with the Marche Film Commission: «There was an exchange and discussion with the new management for a possible collaboration. Directors need real and concrete support, not just the promotion of the film” observes Minervini who, before filming The Damned, received numerous proposals from other Italian regions, Sardinia and Tuscany above all. The Marche region is therefore starting a little behind but could catch up given the “promising will of the Commission”.

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