Jean, living alone and deprived of human contact, is moved by a WhatsApp voice message left by his mother to finally leave his apartment. At a FEBO snack bar, he finds a woman seemingly as lonely as he is working behind that snack wall. Communicating through the wall by notes, there exists, for both, the possibility of a romance.

Interview with Writer/Director/Producer/Editor Leonardo Cariglino

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

It is a story that I needed to tell after 2 years in lockdown as a single and away from my family as an expat. I saw many people in a similar situation losing all their social skills and falling into depression and social anxiety. This film talks about projections of one's desires, reaching out for love, risking to lose and thereby learning something about yourself. It is a celebration of love in times when love and intimacy were scarce. I wanted to extend an understanding hug to the world with this film, hoping to get a hug back.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

If you enjoy meaningful silences, beautiful original music, and beautiful mise-en-scene that is like a poetic dance of drama, if you immerse into a pool of surreal colors that will instantly suck you into a world you might have not visited before, then I think you'll enjoy this film.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

I think this is explained in my WHY above. I use personal experiences and find symbols or mundane things that become sacred when you put the lens on them and when you inject meaning into them. This way an interplay between personal urgency and aesthetic expression is created, which is the way I usually approach my subjects. Sometimes they lean more toward objective realism, and sometimes more toward subjective (hyper)realism.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

In the early stages, the scenes were too dense with more things happening but with time I stripped it down and risked to take very simple choices which we would enrich with cinematic tools.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

People enjoyed the warmth of the film and the colorful imagery that sometimes resembles rotoscope animation. The emotions gracing the great performances and the depth of the theme opened up to them in an unexpected way.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

No, I've been happy with it so far. But I think also bad feedback will be ok with, because what is bad really? Another POV that you can't argue with. Any single film seen through 100 pairs of eyes is 100 different films.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

I hope to get a hug from the film community of course :)

Of course, I do wish for a healthy festival life for Il Fait Beau and feel the attention on your platform will help with that.

But also I'd love to be able to attract producers as I'm working on a lot of material. And some of it still needs people to make it happen. My first feature The Convert is now in pre-production and is set for production in April 2024. An Italian feature film Dogs & Lizards is in a far development stage and is seeking producers. More projects are in development.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

Festival directors, producers, buyers, journalists.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

I want the film to have a healing effect on the audience. I'd love them to indulge in the palette of emotions and go inward to project their own feelings on it. Personally, I feel I made it for that reason. Or more selfishly I made it for my own healing process.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

Does this snack wall really exist and what does it mean in the film?

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

Currently, I'm in preproduction for my first feature The Convert produced by East end film, supported by TV channel SWR and funded by the MFG in Germany.

The Italian feature Dogs & Lizards is in an advanced development stage and is seeking producers. It won the pitch competition at the T-mobile new Horizon Festival in Wroclaw and the Daazo Pitch competition in Cannes.

The feature Ego Ideal is seeking producers. Currently in talks with producers in France and actor Gregoire Colin.

Il Fait Beau (The weather is nice) poster

Interview: June 2023

We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela

Il Fait Beau (The weather is nice)

Length: 19:00

Director: Leonardo Cariglino

Producer: Coen van Berkel

Writer: Leonardo Cariglino

About the writer, director and producer:

Italian-Greek, born in Germany, now residing in Amsterdam LEONARDO CARIGLINO writes and directs soul-searching stories that reflect on the feeling of physical and emotional displacement. He uses memories, metaphors and symbols from nature that he conceptualises and embeds in his narratives thereby creating a sense of myth.

COEN VAN BERKEL is an efficient and humanist force who thinks out of the box, takes risks and doesn't mind getting his hands dirty all the while injecting a light atmosphere on the film set.

Key cast: Michael Muller (Jean), Sara Luna Zoric (Sara)

Looking for: film festival directors, journalists

Facebook: Leonardo Cariglino

Instagram: @lcariglino

Hashtags used: isolation, lovestory, seekinghappiness

Website: www.ilfaitbeaufilm.com

Other: IMDb

Made in association with: SODA FILMS

Funders: AFK Amsterdam Art Funds / Crowdfunding via voordekunst.nl / self-funding

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?

Tribeca Festival