AMDOCS - Arrangiarsi (pizza...and the art of living)
When Matteo’s life falls apart, he moves into a 1985 VW van, traces his roots to Naples, birthplace of pizza, and discovers “arrangiarsi”, the art of making something from nothing. He realizes he’s not only “living the film”, but needs to master arrangiarsi to survive.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Matteo Troncone
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
After eating the pizza in Naples I had to make a film about it. On the same trip, I actually drove an extra 300 miles out of my way just to have lunch in Naples - a pizza - before heading back to Rome that night to catch my flight home. It's that good.
Once you eat a pizza in Naples, it will evoke strong feelings in you, like a great work of art. It is poetry in your mouth. For me it was an "epiphany". It exemplifies, not only the ingenuity and passion of the Neapolitan people, but also it allows us to experience what simplicity and purity is and can be at its finest. I often say that you have never ever eaten pizza before, until you eat it in Naples. It is that good.
Originally, I set out to make a film just about pizza and Naples. During my first trip there for filming, a very good friend of mine in Italy viewed the footage and saw that I was making a film not just about pizza, but more so about “l’arte di arrangiarsi”: the art of making something out of nothing, of being resourceful, the art of living. I was doing this subconsciously, evidence that I “knew” what the film was before I was aware of it consciously.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
A film about pizza?! Need I say more?! It has lots of yummy "food porn" with footage of Starita a beloved pizzeria in Naples, the olive, wheat, San Marzano tomato harvests, and Italy's only organic buffalo mozzarella farm where the buffalo are treated very special ;). I even had the famous water in Naples analyzed.
The story also follows Peppe Martinelli, one particular street artist set against the crumbling beauty of Naples as the back drop. What connects these themes is a crazy guy living in a camper van (the director!) who is 'living" the film and 'arranging" it all. Audiences have called it, funny, inspiring, educational and uplifting!
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
I truly believed in the concept; that pizza is a form of "arrangiarsi". And I also thought it was particularly interesting that the filmmaker was in a way, living the subject matter and coming from the perspective of a street artist himself.
Naples is a rough and tumble place. To make a film about a street food and the art of being resourceful without living it would be an artistic error in my view. Having a lot of resources like a big crew, great equipment and money would make it a completely different film and loose the sense of authenticity and personal experience which makes the film so unique. The obstacle in this case was the path.
Arrangiarsi is the art of overcoming an obstacle, the art of making something from nothing. Pizza is an example of it because it is just flour and water and a food for the poor. It was born from necessity. There were many obstacles to overcome while creating this project yet I was always determined to see it through. On the poster the tag line reads, "...there's always a way."
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
Yes, indeed. I live in my camper van for 5 years to make this film. After three years in it, I was pretty cooked. But I needed to live in it another two years so that I was able to finish the film; for financial reasons, but more importantly because my life was “writing” the film. And that part of the story had not yet ended. Once that part of my life was coming to an end, I knew the narrative of the film was finished as well. press packet
Since this was my first film, I was learning as I was going along. Because I didn’t really know what I was doing, I was able to not get stuck in my head so much and was able to stay open to inspiration. That was a gift. Not "knowing" can be a great advantage.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
At the Mill Valley Film Festival for example, the response was tremendous with packed theaters and audiences laughing and crying in all the right places. So far this year, I have had 5 of my own screenings and all of them have sold out. People are loving the film and leaving the theater moved, lighter and inspired.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
At the Mill Valley Mill Film Festival, I was pleasantly surprised to receive a standing ovation.
In terms of changing my point of view, in my experience it is crucial for artists to stay with their vision and not be swayed by others. Not "knowing' is actually a great advantage sometimes because you are open to possibility and magic rather than confined by a preconceived agenda. This was a powerful lesson and changed my life as an artist.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I would love to completely pack the Camelot theater on April 11th and have as many people see the film as possible. Ultimately I trust that whoever is meant to see it and absorb its message will see it one way or another. Mangiamo!
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
At present, "Arrangiarsi (pizza...and the art of living)" is in the hands of a few large and important distributors yet I trust it will go where it is meant to go. It will be revealed. I would love for it to be distributed world-wide as the film hasn't even screened in Europe yet, let alone Italy. I am open to speaking with distributors, film festivals and certainly journalists.
The message of "...there's always a way." is an important one. This project profoundly changed me in many ways. I learned to trust my voice and my own inner guidance deeply. This is arrangiarsi in the meta-physical form. This is making something out of nothing; or no-thing.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
It already has been very well received wherever I have screened it. People are not only hungry for pizza but also for a film that is funny, deep and inspiring. People want films to not only be entertaining, but also to be life-affirming and to see proof that you can live your dreams. I would love this momentum to continue and for its message to spread like... well...pizza.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
"Do you really have a 90 second montage of dogs sleeping in your film?"
Yes. But there is also a duck, a chicken and a cat as well.
"If you could do it all over again with a crew and a good budget would you?"
No, it wouldn’t be the same film. That is the point of this project - that you can do anything even if you don’t have the “proper” tools. There is always a way. What makes the difference is doing it. Arrangiarsi is the art of turning what life gives you into gold. It is getting out of a victim mindset and into being a creator or co- creator with the situation at hand. If I had a crew and a big budget, it would have completely changed the experience and the narrative. It would not be as intimate and immediate of a film.
In a way, this is a Dogme project because only natural light was used. And in another sense this is a cinema veritè film because the viewer can always sense the main character, who’s the one behind the camera; his presence is always felt. Having a crew and a cameraman would have destroyed this.
Would you like to add anything else?
Here is one of my favorite blurbs:
From the Bay Area to Italy, Matteo Troncone searches for the meaning of life in this engaging, intimate documentary. Is it any surprise that pizza is the answer? Writer, director, cinematographer, editor and star Troncone begins his fascinating and philosophical first-person travelogue with no job, no relationship and no home. While living in his VW van on the streets of Mill Valley, he decides there's only one thing to do: trace his roots to Naples and learn the secret of Neapolitan pizza. Once there, he discovers the art of Arrangiarsi, the process of arranging yourself to make something from nothing. We meet a colorful crew of characters, from street arts to pizza makers, who find a way to live and love in the most joyful ways, regardless of circumstance. This delightful film combines a healthy smattering of foodie passion, intense Italian history and quirky Neapolitans to tell the tale of one man's journey to find himself, and the greatest pizza on earth.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
At present I am touring this film and performing a few songs from the film before each screening instead of playing preview trailers. My next project will be a narrative feature and is a secret. ;)
Interview: April 2018
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Arrangiarsi (pizza...and the art of living)
When Matteo’s life falls apart, he moves into a 1985 VW van, traces his roots to Naples, birthplace of pizza, and discovers “arrangiarsi”, the art of making something from nothing. He realizes he’s not only “living the film”, but needs to master arrangiarsi to survive.
Director: Matteo Troncone
Producer: Matteo Troncone
Writer: Matteo Troncone
About the writer, director and producer:
Matteo Troncone lived for 5 years in his camper van in California and in a tent in Naples, Italy to make this film. He worked, bartered and “arranged” his life to realize this vision for which he wrote, directed, produced, photographed, narrated, edited and composed music.
This 7+ year project is Matteo’s love letter to Naples, pizza, Italy and the knowledge that “there’s always a way”.
Key cast:
Matteo Troncone, Pino Aprile, Antimo Caputo, Antonio Starita, Giuseppe Starita, Peppe Martinelli, Luigi De Magistris, Luca Rossini, Silvia Montieri Angelo Picone, Silvio Berlusconi, Massimo Di Porzio,
Featuring music by Edoardo Bennato, Original music by Matteo Troncone
Looking for: sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists...
Social media handles:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pizzaandtheartofliving/
Twitter: @arrangiarsifilm
Instagram: @arrangiarsifilm
Website: www.arrangiarsifilm.com
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?
April 11, Palm Springs, Ca. American Documentary Festival
https://www.americandocumentaryfilmfestival.com/official-selections-a-l
April 13, Walnut Creek, Ca. Mountain Shadow Film Society 7:30pm
http://www.mountainshadow.org/
April 14, Walnut Creek, Ca. Mountain Shadow Film Society 4:30 & 7:30pm http://www.mountainshadow.org/
April 17, New York, N.Y. Casa Zereli Marimò
April 21, Walnut Creek, Ca. Mountain Shadow Film Society 7:30pm
http://www.mountainshadow.org/
May 17th, San Diego, Ca. Museum of Photographic Arts 7:30pm
http://www.sandiegoitalianfilmfestival.com/film/veloce-come-il-vento-3/
June 14th, Honolulu, Hi. Doris Duke Theater.
"I wish I could show you the astonishing light of your own being" - Hafiz