Rome Film Festival Diary - Friday

It was a busy pumpkin in Cricci Land.

Second day at the Festival started at a time which is not represented on my watch, namely 6.30. Usual hour underground ride to get there and 9 o’clock screening of John Landis’ new movie: Burke & Hare. Nothing & Special. The man himself was also there to share some of his undoubtedly fine but equally uptight sense of humor with us mortals. He was somewhat patronizing with the translator and his phone even rang during the conference. It was me calling to ask for a job. No. It was someone who got the wrong number. Swear to God. Imagine that, you dial your mom to make sure you got the right grocery list and you get a freaking Hollywood director. Still it was very unprofessional to keep the thing turned on, although he did mention he was out of it due to jet lag mayhem. He was also very crafty at making it look funny, as it was indeed kind of a smirky-ish situation. Plus he’s John Landis for Eddie Murphy’s sake, you can’t just go and overlook that. That’s to say that I’m largely still wondering if the episode, or the interview in its entirety, bothered me or not. Big questions in life.

John Landis talking to us, not the phone, on the left. John Landis taking picture of us like animals in a zoo on the right.

Day turned to night and it was time for the big “La scuola è finita” premiere. I got to meet with everybody from the crew after a year and a half and that would have been just about good enough. But the director had other plans and called the producer on the phone bequeathing him the pleasure of telling us to meet him at the top of the red carpet, because we were walking it down with the cast as a follow up to the previous day protest. Say what?! I wasn't prepared at all. When has the moment I was ever the least prepared for a red carpet been? That was precisely it!

But you know it’s a tough job and someone’s gotta do it. So we all unveiled our secret weapons and our biggest smiles and we started marching.

It was pretty fun. Nerve-racking but definitely entertaining. We were certainly not up front and personal with the engaging flash bulbs or the curious fans at the railings, whom I bet didn’t even notice we were there. But we were slowly pacing behind Valeria, donned in a dreamy moss green gown that truly belonged on the red velvety stream. And when I say Valeria I mean Valeria Golino, probably the most notable and productive Italian actress of the last two decades. She was in Rain Man, just to give you an idea. She is the sweetest, most educated, well spoken and elegant human being I’ve ever met. Totally weird from someone born in Naples, like my mom. If I were to pick one word for her it’d be grace. Graceful on the job, graceful with colleagues, graceful during lunch breaks when she would recount of that time she was being directed by Sean Penn or acting with Steve Buscemi, graceful with journalists and the public, graceful with me, whenever I meet her. I couldn’t have asked for a better debut actress-wise and she knows, I’ve told her.
So escorting her, or rather being escorted by her, in this brave new ride down the carpet was a big fat ruby cherry on top of a cupcake, with icing, and sugar, and a little chocolate chip sprinkle. Unstoppable artery clutching heart attack. That kind of sweet!

Starting the flood. Can you spot Valeria? 

Red Carpet face!

Once inside we got to our exquisite seats, couple of rows in front of the actors, one ahead of the Festival’s jury’s President (so I turned around a lot to have a look at his reactions during the screening. Some of them screamed "bored!" unfortunately), in the midst of the action, and of the clapping, and of the feeling very important for once.

I had already seen the movie the previous day so no surprises there. But it was nice to find out that the production had organized a little party afterwards. We had no choice. We danced the night away.