-Who is Bruno Marro?
First of all I’m a musician, a guitarist. I spent my whole life in music.
My father was a trumpeter. He made me listen to all kinds of music from Duke Ellingtone to Chet Baker, through Beatles, Bach or Rossini. He was a great father who always helped and encouraged me in my artistic career.
In my life I have had the good fortune to work with many artists, who have always been very inspiring. Working in the recording industry, I got to know and see many famous musicians at work.
When I left the recording industry, I started my solo career as a musician. I wrote music for cartoons and background for television broadcasts. Over the years I have produced some of my own records, and I have collaborated with many musicians.
In music, I have certainly been influenced by Hendrix, Beatles, Jeff Beck, Bowie and in recent years by Mark Knopfler.
Music is my life and I hope it will go with me to the end.
-What inspired you to become a filmmaker?
Making music for many years, it brought me closer to music videos. So I started writing and directing my own music videos.
I was lucky enough to collaborate with professionals, who like me shared my own ideas to achieve the goal.
I love the stories you can wrap up in a few minutes. Two music videos definitely impressed me: “Such a shame” by Talk Talk and “Every Breath you take” by Police
I love this type of narrative, essential but straight to the point you want to get to.
In the movie industry my preferences go to directors like: Billy Wilder, Black Edwards, Ridley Scott, Ken Loach and Tim Burton. I recently saw an exhibition about Tim Burton and it was a fantastic experience.
Music and images are two arts that unite together, arouse strong emotions. But the music can walk on its own, the video without the music, does not have the same shock force.
-Do you think the cinema can bring a change in the society?
Well… not sure. Certainly movies can give signals, expose certain situations and reveal uncomfortable things.
The problem remains that independent cinema, the denunciation cinema, the cinema which can provoke changes, is not properly supported. Because for Hollywood, for “big business”, it doesn’t produce money and it’s inconvenient for the topics it deals with. I remember: “Missing” by Costa Gavras. A film that was quite successful. But Hollywood should have awarded Jack Lemmond best actor. But he didn’t, because history was uncomfortable for the United States.
But we must not lose hope that Cinema, can help people to think differently. To open your eyes and see, what is kept hidden.
There are many actors and directors of a certain fame, who have made excellent denunciation films. Only last year, it was released: “Sound of freedom” by Mel Gibson, with Jim Caviezel.
The film was boycotted in all possible ways, but it managed to reach a large part of the audience.
Cinema can bring a change in the society? Let’s not give up and try to make films, that tell the truth. Let’s make people, after seeing a movie, stop and think.
-What would you change in the world?
Funny question. I’m not a baby, not a teenager and I’m not young. I like to define my age in one world: “TeenAged”. I am still a passionate and dreamy guy and I always try to deal with the things in life, with the same spirit as when I was a kid. I often repeat to my son: “Never forget that you were a child”. We must all find that spirit, that wonder in discovering things, that disenchanted way of living the events of our life. Life isn’t as serious as they want us to believe.
In this very difficult period, where the change that we are facing, seems to lead us towards a worse world, without feelings, without humanity, without mercy. We must regain the courage and strength to fight. We must return as children, rediscover the good feelings and the wonder that enveloped our lives back then, and find the courage to fight for humanity.
This I would like to change in the world.
I would like that all peoples, to rediscover the courage to fight for humanity.
-Where do you see the film industry going in the next 100 years?
Well very hard to predict. The film industry has changed a lot in the last 10 years, can you imagine in the next 100?. IA, thecnology, resources etc can open new frontiers, but creativity, good ideas, will be as always the ones that will make the difference. It doesn’t matter “where the film industry goes” in the next 100 years. The important thing is that we make good films. Films that convey values. Film that tell the truth, that make people dream and think. Charlie Chaplin didn’t have technology, he didn’t have IA, he didn’t have special effects, but his movies hit everyone at heart. The same for music. The Beatles didn’t have “plugins” that played any sound. They had no midi recorders, but normal 4-track recorders. Yet the music of those years remained in the heart of everyone. Wherever the cinema goes, the important thing is that it strikes people’s hearts with good feelings. What matters is that it gets to people’s brains and makes them think, always telling the truth.
(Picture by: Alberto Alaggio – Art Director: Roberto Da Pozzo)