-Who is Nicolò Donatello Milano?
I’m a high school teacher who, whenever I find some spare time, plays around with filmmaking. Not a professional—just someone who enjoys telling absurd stories.
-Do you remember the exact moment you fell in love with cinema?
Something changed in me when I discovered experimental films like The Idiots by Lars von Trier and Gummo by Harmony Korine. That’s when I realized cinematic rules could be overturned, and that there was something different beyond the mainstream that had never really interested me.
-Tell us about your project “Mimmo the Milker“.
Mimmo the Milker is a self-produced short film with no budget, no clue how a real set works, and only non-professional actors doing their first-ever performance. After watching Italian Spiderman and The VelociPastor, I wanted to tell my own crazy story. I called my friends (we call ourselves “Caseificio Goderecci”) and, in the most anarchic way, we shot everything in just a few days.
The plot is totally over the top: in a world where cheddar grows on trees, alien cows—mysteriously hungry for cheddar—invade Earth. These cows also have strange paranormal powers: they can turn ordinary objects into fruit, like bananas or other random things, and even disguise themselves as dominatrix-style mistresses. Standing against them is Mimmo, a rude cow milker ready to defend his home. Probably it doesn’t make much sense, but I feel someone out there might enjoy it.
Surprisingly, despite all the chaos and technical limitations, it even won the seasonal award for “Best Italian Film” at the 7th edition of the Absurd Film Festival. I never expected that.
-Which Director inspires you the most?
Most of all, Dario Russo (Italian Spiderman, Danger 5) has inspired me a lot with his trashy style: absurd masks, fake special effects, and nonsense comedy. I also follow Dupieux, John Waters, Benoit Forgeard, Maccio Capatonda, Adult Swim shows, and even Lory Del Santo. Basically, I’m fascinated by anything absurd and nonsensical.
-What do you dislike about the world and what would you change?
I can’t stand how political correctness has turned into a kind of censorship. Art should be free, even if it’s annoying or a bit rude. Right now, I’m working on a new project, Il gusto del pompelmo (The Taste of Grapefruit), that makes fun of this world.
-How do you imagine cinema in 100 years?
It will probably be made by artificial intelligence. But it doesn’t matter: cinema is entertainment, and the only thing that counts is telling stories—whether by a director, a robot, or an alien cow.
-What is your impression of WILD FILMMAKER?
I like it because it gives space to those with no money, no big production, just pure creative madness. It’s great to know that cinema made out of nothing still has a place.
