I am a classical pianist, trained at the Conservatory of Bari, my hometown. After graduating, I began performing in traditional classical concerts, playing as a mere pianist. However, that model felt cold and distant to me, as if a glass wall separated the musician from the audience. I felt like a fish in an aquarium—observed, yet isolated. So, I decided to break that barrier, transforming my concerts into interactive experiences where the audience is not just a spectator but an active part of the show. I wanted to create a new way of experiencing classical music, one that is more engaging and authentic. Today, I don’t see myself as just a performer but as 50% of the author (the other half belongs to the composer and their music), bringing music, emotion, and storytelling to the stage. In my performances, I alternate between piano pieces and fascinating anecdotes about composers, using a modern and ironic approach. My goal is to make classical music more accessible, ensuring that the audience doesn’t just listen but fully immerses itself in the world of composition, understanding its context and emotions. I want people to laugh, be moved, and feel that classical music is alive and relevant. I strongly believe in the power of musical dissemination—to break down barriers and help people rediscover this extraordinary art form in a fresh, spontaneous, and engaging way.
-When did you realize that Music would be the protagonist of your life?
My passion for music was born when I was just seven years old. One day, while exploring the house, I found an old keyboard abandoned in a closet. I took it out, turned it on, and started experimenting with it. That was the first step on a journey whose destination I had yet to discover. It took me two years to convince my parents that it wasn’t just a passing enthusiasm. Finally, at the age of nine, I began taking piano lessons, and from that moment on, I never stopped playing. Music became a fundamental part of my life. But perhaps it was cinema that made me realize that my destiny would be music. When I was ten, I watched Amadeus, the masterpiece by Miloš Forman, and I was completely mesmerized. The figure of Mozart, his works, and his life—so romantic yet so tragic—completely enchanted me. That was the moment I knew: I would dedicate my entire life to this wonderful art.
-What inspired the idea for a show dedicated to the collaboration between Nino Rota and Federico Fellini?
It all started by pure chance. The artistic director of the Italian Cultural Institute in Cairo, Maestro Elio Orciuolo, saw a recording of my musical show “Pianosolo” on YouTube and contacted me to perform at a concert in Cairo dedicated to the collaboration between Fellini and Rota. When he told me, I could hardly believe it: it was my first international engagement, and on top of that, for such a prestigious event. I clearly remember the moment I received the call. I was on the roof of the beautiful Cathedral of Siena, and in front of me stretched the entire city: a heavenly panorama that already made me feel like I was in paradise. And now, with such news, that feeling was amplified even more. I was doubly lucky because the topic was familiar to me, even though it had been assigned by others. Since my adolescence, I had been passionate about Fellini’s cinema: I had watched and rewatched all his films, and Nino Rota was a figure I knew very well, not only because I deeply loved his music but also because of the connection to the Conservatory of Bari, where I had studied. Rota had been its director for decades, and many of my teachers had been his students and had known him personally. Through their stories and teachings, I had developed an indirect but profound knowledge of Rota as both a man and an artist. It was from these memories that the show I would soon write was born. From its first performance in Egypt, it was an extraordinary success. Since then, it has traveled all around the world and continues to be the most fortunate of my musical performances. It is a work I am deeply attached to, and it still holds a special place in my heart.
-What would you change about the world?
We live in a world marked by deep selfishness, injustices, wars, climate crises, and inequalities that seem to be growing rather than shrinking. Every day, we witness conflicts that claim innocent lives, people forced to flee their homes, and a planet suffocating under the weight of pollution and indifference. Yet, in the face of all this, the reaction is often distance, habit, and resignation. We lack empathy, we lack sensitivity. I firmly believe that culture can play a fundamental role in this scenario. Culture has the power to shake consciences, to make us look at the world with different eyes. A book, a film, a concert can create cracks in the wall of indifference, sparking questions, reflections, and awareness. Music, in particular, is a universal language: it needs no translation, it speaks directly to the soul. Through it, we can tell stories of pain and hope, of struggle and rebirth; we can present people with emotions they may have never truly felt or understood. It can be a bridge between cultures, a way to unite rather than divide. Now more than ever, we need an education that cultivates sensitivity, that teaches not just knowledge, but the ability to put ourselves in others’ shoes, to feel another’s pain as if it were our own. If culture returns to having a central role in society, if art stops being seen as a luxury and becomes an instrument of awareness and transformation, perhaps we can still hope for a better future. Because a fairer, more peaceful, and more environmentally respectful world is first born in the minds and hearts of people.
-How do you imagine Cinema in 100 years?
I believe cinema is facing the same problem as music: a growing homogenization towards mass-market content, while the great filmmakers who experiment are becoming less and less visible. Artificial intelligence is also changing cinema, producing increasingly industrial content, but I believe this can be an opportunity. AI will eliminate mass-produced products and create more space for authentic creativity. This will stimulate a “competition” between human art and the machine, pushing filmmakers to create more original and profound works, while the audience will increasingly seek the authenticity that only human artists can convey. Times are changing, and we must evolve. The world is becoming more interconnected, and the arts, like everything else, tend to blend together. I think it’s a historical necessity. It’s time to mix the arts and disciplines to create something new, capable of surprising an increasingly bored audience. The success of my format comes precisely from this fusion: classical music, education, cabaret, and theater intertwining in a synergy that resonates. Cinema, always an art that blends various languages, will surely have the ability to reinvent itself once again, as it always has throughout its history, and I believe it will be the art form most capable of adapting to the changes of our times, precisely because of its hybrid and synesthetic nature.
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In these years, WILD FILMMAKER has become a large International Community of Artists, but every story has an origin, which is the equivalent of the first note a composer writes on a musical score. The first note from which the journey of WILD FILMMAKER began was written in Manhattan, when I participated in the screening of my film ‘Sweet Democracy’ with Nobel Prize-winning playwright Dario Fo. The screening took place at New York University; I was a young independent filmmaker. I never imagined that just a few days after that screening, I would meet the great Oscar-winning director James Ivory.
James Ivory for me was the beginning of the American dream! I’ve shared this brief story because today I have the honor of interviewing Stephen Soucy, who directed an excellent documentary ‘Merchant Ivory,’ dedicated to the extraordinary collaboration between producer Ismail Merchant and director and screenwriter James Ivory
-Who is Stephen Soucy?
Stephen Soucy is a filmmaker and theater producer from upstate New York, based in California. He has his masters degree in screenwriting from the University of Southern California and started making films in 2011. MERCHANT IVORY (2024) is his first feature documentary film.
-)How did your amazing documentary “Merchant Ivory” come about?
My Merchant Ivory journey started when I met James Ivory through a mutual friend, the writer, Peter Cameron. I told Jim I wanted to make a short documentary film, RICH ATMOSPHERE: THE MUSIC IN MERCHANT IVORY FILMS to highlight the vast contribution of composer Richard Robbins to the Merchant Ivory catalog and experience. Jim provided the narration for that film, which became a 5-min short animated film, which you can see here. When I’d completed the short, Jim absolutely fell in love with it. I pitched my making the feature documentary film, MERCHANT IVORY, and he agreed to support the endeavor, and became my executive producer on the film. Once the the film was finished, I was able to sell it to Cohen Media Group and we played at 40 film festivals starting with DOC NYC and Palm Springs International Film Festival.
-James Ivory, Ismail Merchant, and Ruth Prawer Jhabvala revolutionized independent cinema. Do you think it would be possible to create a masterpiece like “A Room with a View” in the contemporary film industry?
Yes! A ROOM WITH A VIEW was an independent production made on a very small budget. The source material was a strong match for film and the casting was extraordinary. This could absolutely be made in today’s environment, but I would think it would have to originate as an independent production and be sold to a distributor after completion. Hard to say if a company like NETFLIX or a SONY Pictures Classics would want to make this kind of film today.
-A few years ago, I told James Ivory that I had been at a high school in Manhattan for a Q&A dedicated to the history of cinema, and I discovered that none of the students there knew who Orson Welles was. Those kids had never heard of “Citizen Kane.” James Ivory told me he was aware of this lack of attention to cinema history and was very concerned about it. Do you think the film industry today is doing enough to educate young people about the history of cinema?
I think young people seek out film and educate themselves, and find ways to make films that express their views and what they want to communicate to audiences. I think film programs in colleges and universities do a good job, but the general population doesn’t get that content. Students of film seek it out and create their own art.
-Can cinema still deeply reflect the world, like Charlie Chaplin’s “The Great Dictator,” or is it impossible with streaming platforms now dominating?
Cinema can still deeply reflect the world. Just look at all the films at film festivals across the globe and all the content being created, a lot of which, unfortunately, does not get distribution. Film is a passion for many artists. I think we’re in good shape, content-wise, not so much on the business side of things, and making a living as filmmakers. That’s more the issue. I have a friend in LA who said the other day that only 1% of the film industry gets to make their projects. So much has to happen independently now; believing in your project and raising your own capital, finding distribution later, etc.). As someone says in my doc, Ismail Merchant was the first of the purely independent producers. There’s a lot to be inspired by, the way he worked and the incredible body of work Merchant Ivory created. As you learn from my film, Merchant Ivory made 1-2 films a year in the 1990’s and early-2000’s. That’s unbelievably impressive. They made 43 feature films from the early 1960’s, from THE HOUSEHOLDER through to THE CITY OF YOUR FINAL DESTINATION (2009).
-There are few filmmakers today, both in Europe and the United States, who choose to self-finance their films. To me, they are heroes and the only ones who can truly call themselves “Independent.” What is your definition of independent cinema?
Independent cinema is when a filmmaker and a producer or producing team make a film with no traditional assistance. All aspects of the prodcution, including raising the capital to make the film, bringing the film to market, etc. is handled by the team that had the vision and drive to make the film project a reality.
-What project are you currently working on?
An update of A ROOM WITH A VIEW. I’m also working to secure the rights to do a feature adatation of the novel, GRIEF, by Andrew Holleran. On the theater side, I’m co-lead producer of ROMY AND MICHELE THE MUSICAL, which we hope to open Off-Broadway in 2025 at New World Stages.
It felt like a spring day in Rome, even though it was a Saturday morning in February. It was 2015, and that day I made one of my life’s dreams come true. At dawn, I received a phone call from the co-producer of my debut Narrative Feature, Donald K. Ranvaud. He simply said, ‘Hey. Today’s the day!’ and I understood. Donald had promised me that one day he would introduce me to the director of The Last Emperor (9 Academy Awards), the artist who, together with cinematographer Vittorio Storaro, had created the masterpiece The Conformist, the Italian director who had managed to make a film with Marlon Brando. I was a young guy who thought, dreamed, and lived exclusively for Cinema, and that morning I found myself talking for hours with Bernardo Bertolucci. Pure happiness. Today, I am thrilled to present to the WILD FILMMAKER community an interview with Valentina Ricciardelli, President of the Foundation dedicated to the great Bernardo Bertolucci.
-)Who is Valentina Ricciardelli?
Who am I? At the moment, I am answering you as the President of the Bernardo Bertolucci Foundation. I am Bernardo’s cousin. My grandmother Ninina Giovanardi was the sister of Ninetta Giovanardi, mother of Bernardo and Giuseppe.
–)When did the idea of creating a Foundation dedicated to Bernardo Bertolucci come about?
The Bernardo Bertolucci Foundation was founded by Clare Peploe, director, screenwriter, and Bernardo’s wife for 40 years. Clare began thinking about a foundation dedicated to him right after BB’s death. Then, unfortunately, she became ill, passed away very quickly, and left me the task of creating it.
-)What are the goals of the Bernardo Bertolucci Foundation?
The purpose of the FBB is to make Bertolucci’s work known to everyone, but especially to new generations, through exhibitions, publications, films, and also to physically preserve his works through conservation restorations. In Parma, we will also open a Bertolucci Museum, which will house the archives of the three Bertoluccis: in addition to Bernardo’s, there will also be the archives of Attilio, BB’s father and a great poet of the 20th century, and those of Giuseppe, BB’s younger brother, also a director and screenwriter.
-)Do you think the global film industry is doing enough today to protect the cultural heritage left to us by Bernardo Bertolucci and which artists and institutions support the Bernardo Bertolucci Foundation?
Bernardo left a significant mark on the history of cinema and is remembered and cited by important contemporary directors, one of whom is Luca Guadagnino, who is currently making a documentary about him in collaboration with the FBB. Guadagnino takes up the mantle of international auteur cinema, both cultured and at the same time popular. BB’s work is protected by many institutions, such as the Cineteca di Bologna, which is digitizing his archive and is part of the scientific committee of the FBB.
There are also other institutions like the Municipality of Parma, which has welcomed the FBB in the filmmaker’s hometown, providing a beautiful temporary headquarters and supporting us in all our activities, as well as the Emilia-Romagna Region. BB’s Parma roots and those of his family are essential for remembering and understanding why it all started in Parma, where BB breathed in and absorbed that unique blend of sophisticated bourgeois culture and agrarian culture tied to the land.
The FBB also has a scientific committee composed of friends and great professionals like Jeremy Thomas, the enlightened producer who, starting with The Last Emperor, stood by Bernardo and remained by his side until the end; Marco Tullio Giordana, Pietro Scalia, and Luca Guadagnino, as I mentioned before.
Also, Valeria Golino, an actress and director who knew Bernardo well and spent time with him, is helping the Foundation a great deal. Likewise, Alberto Barbera, director of the Venice Film Festival, and Vittorio Storaro, with whom Bernardo created unforgettable and fundamental films, along with many others.
-)A memory of Bernardo that you’d like to share with us.
A special memory is linked to a breakfast together at his house in London, on Lansdowne Road, where I had gone as a guest for an English course. He told me that the most important thing in life was not to be afraid, to push beyond the imposed limits, to look at reality from different points of view, and not to take anything for granted. It struck me because I was very young, I think about sixteen, and for the first time, someone spoke to me so naturally about such difficult topics, at 8 in the morning, eating delicious buttered toast. Then there are a thousand other memories, but that philosophical and affectionate tête-à-tête went straight to my heart. And it’s still there.
-)How do you imagine cinema in 100 years?
Cinema in 100 years? I don’t know. Artificial intelligence will change everything. Or maybe not? There will surely be more female directors, more camera operators, more screenwriters, etc. Perhaps, finally, we won’t need to make gender distinctions anymore, since we are all a bit men and a bit women, as BB used to say. And let’s hope that in 100 years, cinema and art in general will free themselves from political correctness, the grave of creativity.
I have been training with journalism since I was 18 years old. Then my love for cinema made me realize that I didn’t just want to tell the story, but to try to do it. To create, through research and study, my own look. Always with the same curiosity that I had since childhood: the investigation of reality, verism, the condition of the human being.
-What inspired you to become a filmmaker?
When I was eight years old, when my friends were watching cartoons, swapping pokemon, or watching the first disney TV series, I would watch A Clockwork Orange and be fascinated. That uncanny fascination that makes you realize that what you’re seeing is not just a great show, but something you want to be a part of your life. That you want to become your own life. Maybe at that moment I realized that I wanted to tell stories, in its many forms.
-Do you think the film industry today has been damaged by political correctness?
I think so, we see it a lot especially in the genre of Italian comedies produced in the last ten years. I don’t always think it’s a negative thing, rather it’s negative the production mechanism by which now already upstream, in the pre-development stage, you have to impose limits on yourself. That damage the quality. This, as a viewer, is something I notice less in America. It then depends, of course, on the genre. It’s a very complex issue –What would you change in the world? Everything, or maybe nothing. It is too difficult a question, and like all difficult questions the answers are likely to be trivial or unsatisfactory. I think first and foremost I would change how the younger generation grows up alongside social and how social is damaging the mental health of those under 40.
-If you could ask a question to a great director from the past, who would you like to talk to and what would you ask them?
Today more than ever I would like to converse with Lynch. To even have the privilege of being able to ask him a question. I would probably ask him if it was true what he said when he talked about his way of making films. That his language he didn’t study it too much first, he dreamed about it, and then he tried to put it out there. And so I would ask him, if simply through intuition, vocation, it would be possible to be as brilliant as he was.
-Where do you see the film industry going in the next 100 years?
In my opinion, in the next ten years there will be a big jump back (thankfully) to the past. I see that many young producers like me are realizing that making films means having a need, a necessity. And that this requires integrity and sacrifice. So in principle I am hopeful. And then I believe that new technology, even with artificial intelligence, will be able to do us a lot of good, beyond what some conservatives believe.