Interviews

At MIA 2023, the creative team behind Italian outfit B&B Film are pitching their new non-fiction project, titled Achille Lauro – The Terror Cruise. The docuseries explores “one of the most tragic operations of international terrorism,” through “the direct testimonies of the protagonists who lived through the hours of the 1985 Achille Lauro hijacking, and the subsequent Sigonella diplomatic crisis.”

Luca Rea’s new documentary tells a tale of mischief that may just have led to murder, all set within the high-end art world and along the canals of Livorno. “The Modigliani Affaire is an investigative documentary, a cold case that tells the incredible story of a prank that got out of hand,” the Fandango team behind the film tell Business Doc Europe.

As a film subject, there’s nobody quite like Jesus, and Norbert Busè’s new doc project suggests that each new generation needs a new cinematic Messiah. “Famous directors such as Pier Paulo Pasolini, Jean-Luc Godard and Martin Scorsese have brought him before the camera. No life has been filmed as often as his. The Jesus film adaptations are very diverse and always a reflection of their time,” the director tells BDE.

Hans Everaert is at the Flanders showcase this week with 2m2 by Volkan Üce, whose 2021 documentary All-in was received rapturously by critics and audiences alike. Currently in pre-production, 2m2 is a story about burial, immigration, religion and commerce and focuses on Turkish undertaker based in Belgium. “He has a special kind of feeling for humour without losing sight of content and the theme,” Everaert says of director Üce.

Louisiana Mees-Fongang’s feature doc debut concerns 15 unaccompanied minors living in a community centre who had previously arrived in Belgium as refugees. “Part of their reality is complex and hard. They had tough moments. But, at the same time, they’re young, active and full of energy and potential. This is also something I really found important to show,” the director tells Business Doc Europe.

In his 2018 feature documentary Breathless, Daniel Lambo took on the asbestos industry. In his new project Porto Central, (a documentary feature pitch at Connext), Lambo has Shell and the oil industry firmly in his sights. “Usually, that is a motor for my work. When I get kind of angry, I need to do something with this anger,” Lambo tells BDE of what motivates him as a filmmaker.

Kathleen McInnis is both Connext moderator and trainer/mentor to the film teams presenting their new projects and works-in-progress in 2023. “I believe firmly in what I call the Cinematic Trinity, which is filmmaker as artist, audience at the other end, and in the middle the industry as conduit," she explains to BDE of the message she is driving home to the professionals in her charge. "You need all three parts of these to be engaged in the process of visual storytelling."

It’s over 30 years now since the night skies of Belgium were lit up by what seemed to be an invasion of UFOs. All these decades later, there is still fierce debate as to whether the visitation from the UFOs happened for real or whether it was an elaborate hoax. Bram Conjaerts’ new doc series project attempts to get to the bottom of the unsolved mystery. The director talks to BDE.

Three brothers wish to honour their dying father by fulfilling his dream. But there’s one major snag, the dream is insane, and entails crossing the Atlantic Ocean on two floating cars without any sailing experience. This is the premise of Jesus Garcès Lambert’s new documentary feature project Ocean Drive, pitched at MIA 2023 and produced by industry veteran Alessandro Lostia for Rome-based Indigo Stories.

The Rome-based 5-day market opens its doors October 9, promising a feast of doc activities, at the core of which is the presentation of new Italian and international projects and a celebration of new local output (Italians Doc It Better). Panels will assess the fertile ground for high level collaboration between Italian and European docmakers, while speakers include Sara Bernstein, president of Imagine Documentaries, in conversation with MIA director Gaia Tridente. Marco Spagnoli talks to BDE.