Skip to main content

Interview: David Cinnella, Producer of Indie Western to be shot in Basilicata

From the makers of While Web Series comes another ambitious project. This time, the young filmmakers are following in the footsteps of their iconic predecessor Sergio Leone.

According to producer David Cinnella, “Tek” is a Cyberpunk Western with sci-fi influences. Like “While”, the series will be shot entirely in Basilicata. The creators of “Tek” are prolific writers and filmmakers currently producing a wealth of material from news reports to magazine articles to a web series. Among their projects, which showcase the creativity and talent of artists and filmmakers not only from Basilicata but from all over the world, are the online magazine “Voce Spettacolo” and the production company, 149 pictures.


Born in the town of Policoro to an American mother and Italian father, David Cinnella was raised in Matera. His diverse cultural background led him to the Academy of Art University in San Francisco where he studied filmmaking. He currently resides in Los Angeles. I asked him about this project and where his team plans to distribute the series once it’s finished.


What made you decide to make a Western?
I was once reading a script that happened to be a Western, and I was trying to visualize it in a way that I knew would be interesting and appealing to me. I, however, am not a particularly big Western fan, per se, but there were instances in which I did find the genre appealing. So, I thought to myself what were the ones that particularly held my interest, and that’s when it hit me. Exceptions aside, Westerns interest me the most when there’s an added sci-fi element to it. Even if just a small one. So, I pictured what I was reading as a more Cyberpunk Western -- which is what “TEK” actually is --, and the more I read, the more I couldn’t focus, because suddenly the images were becoming too beautiful in my head. I had also worked the summer of that same year on the web-series “While”, where we had great fun, and then I started to pick certain props, actors, locations, etc. that I knew could be filmable and available to us. Suddenly, the pieces started falling together. I can respectfully and honestly say that the story I had come up with was entirely different from what I was reading, so it wasn’t a copycat of it, but the way I was picturing it in my head was so visually interesting, for me, that I couldn’t read anything anymore, and that night, without possibly considering sleep, I decided to write it all down in one go. And so, after many revisions, the script is now complete, and after a meeting with the people of the “While” webseries, we decided that it was a worth-while project to pursue this year. 


Will it be a film or series- and shown on the web, television or movie theater?
At the moment, it’s only a short 30-minute film. However, during the many revisions of the script, I dabbled with the idea of expanding it to something longer, and with the help of a few friends, we actually did come up with an interesting way to expand it for more. So, should “TEK” ever become a success, we have enough material to make it a feature length film. As far as where it’ll be released, it will be online on YouTube, and then sent to various film festivals. And should anyone be interested in picking this up for a feature, we’d be only more than happy if it gets either a theatrical release, or a streaming release like on Netflix or other platforms.


What can you tell me about the plot?
I won’t say too much because it could reveal key elements of the story, so I’ll keep it short: In a dystopian, post-apocalyptic future where society has regressed to a pseudo-Western time, and technology has become a rarity, a single and lone gunslinger by the name of TEK roams the lands, searching for the people responsible for the death of his wife and daughter.


Where are you in the production process?
We are currently in pre-production. In June we will start the casting session in Southern Italy, and are aiming to shoot the film itself around the beginning of the second half of July, and if all goes well, it should take the rest of the month – possibly a few days into August – to complete filming. Then, we will enter in post-production. 


Have you shot anything yet?
So far, we have shot both a teaser and featurette, which we have posted on our Indiegogo campaign and through cold weather and sickness, we were able to do it all in a single day.


Explain to me what makes Basilicata this land of cinema.. with so many film productions happening in the region lately.
There’s a number of reasons as to why the region of Basilicata is so filmable. It has a history as ancient as human society itself; the beaches are wide and clean; the hills are soft and peaceful; there are great cinematographic mountains and rich, green forests; and best of all, the buildings reflect that history by being several thousand years old, hence why they make so many historical films there, especially in Matera – awarded the European Capital of Culture for 2019 – where they shot a number of great films, among which are “King David” (1985) starring Richard Gere, and Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of Christ” (2004), and where they just finished shooting “Wonder Woman” (2017), starring Gal Gadot.

We'll keep you posted on the progress of "Tek". In the meantime, watch the teaser trailer on vimeo.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Anna Foglietta: Actress and Activist with Old School Elegance

One look at actress Anna Foglietta in her any of her roles, and the Golden Age of Italian cinema comes to mind. Among Italy’s most sought-after actresses today, Foglietta brings to the table a classic eloquence of yesterday while representing Italy’s modern woman. Born in Rome in 1979, Foglietta began her career in 2005 with a role in the RAI television series La squadra . Her character Agent Anna De Luca had a two-year run on the series as she was transitioning to cinema with Paolo Virzì’s 2006 ensemble project 4-4-2- Il gioco più bello del mondo . Since then, she has become one of Italy’s most diverse actresses, transforming herself into interesting, layered characters for comedies and dramas alike. Aside from a small part in Anton Corbijn’s 2010 film The American starring George Clooney, Foglietta’s work began reaching mainstream American audiences in 2015. As Elisa in Edoardo Leo’s 2015 comedy Noi e la Giulia , Foglietta showed her funny side playing a goofball pregn

The Life and Work of Monica Bellucci

Monica Bellucci as Malèna Born in Umbria in 1964, Monica Bellucci is one of the most recognizable faces of international cinema. But she didn't always have her sights set on the spotlight. She went to college to study law and modeled to pay her tuition. Her success in the fashion world coupled with the offers that were pouring in to appear on the big screen eventually took over, changing her fate. Bellucci made her on-screen debut in the 1990 television movie, " Vita coi figli." Just two years later, she scored her first American role in Francis Ford Coppola's "Dracula."   In addition to her native language, she speaks fluent English and French, which has made for a smooth transition from Italian to international cinema. Stateside, she has acted in blockbusters such as "The Matrix-Reloaded,"     " The Passion of the Christ" and " The Sorcerer's Apprentice." She has also appeared in several French films, a

Pasolini's Playground of Roman Ruins

Anna Magnani in a scene from "Mamma Roma" Pier Paolo Pasolini’s 1962 “Mamma Roma” starring Anna Magnani , follows the title character, a Roman prostitute determined to change her life and give her son the opportunities she never had. She seizes the opportunity to leave her life on the streets behind when her pimp (Franco Citti) gets married and frees her from his possession. Mamma then goes to the small provincial town of Guidonia to fetch her son, Ettore (Ettore Garofolo), and bring him to Rome to embark on their new life together. She buys a pushcart, finds an apartment in a nice neighborhood, and uses her connections to secure him a job in a restaurant. However, Ettore gets mixed up with boys who are petty thieves and is negatively influenced by them. At the same time, Mamma Roma’s pimp resurfaces and sends her back to the streets. When Ettore learns about his mother’s prostitution, he goes astray and wholeheartedly joins in on the petty crimes of the boys. One day, while

Stefano Natale- the Charismatic Muse behind Carlo Verdone's Iconic Characters

The beauty of Italian cinema lies in the diversity of its genres and styles. Although the ’80s have received its share of criticism for its less-than-profound output, it was the decade in which contemporary maestro Carlo Verdone emerged as a creative young director and actor. The characters he brought to life during those years became permanent fixtures in Roman pop culture. Films like “Un sacco bello,” “Bianco, rosso e Verdone,” and “Borotalco” gave birth to the iconic Mimmo, Leo and Sora Lella.   Enter Stefano Natale, the real-life muse behind Leo and Mimmo. Natale was the subject of a documentary presented at the 2015 Festa del Cinema in Rome. One of four protagonists in Luca Ferrari’s “Showbiz,” he is a soft-spoken gentle giant who recalls his life with Verdone and the creation of his characters in a nostalgic, affectionate manner. “Verdone and I grew up together in the same building near Ponte Sisto,” Natale recalls. “Our grandmothers were cousins, and for 30 years we saw each o

Nicoletta Braschi and Roberto Benigni.. What cinema dreams are made of

The Toronto International Film Festival is wrapping up its retrospective of the cinematic collaboration of husband and wife team, Nicoletta Braschi and Roberto Benigni. Over the last few days, the couple have participated in discussions, Q & A sessions and have introduced several of their films. Today, I attended a screening of "La voce della luna" (The voice of the moon). It was  Federico Fellini's last film and is a wonderful tribute to the director's signature poetic madness. The film gave Benigni the opportunity to team up with fellow beloved comic, Paolo Villaggio, and the two created a truly unforgettable adventure. Today's screening began with an introduction by Benigni. The moments leading up to his introduction were noticeably serious and somewhat tense. Benigni's publicist and TIFF security staunchly guarded his privacy. There was no interaction and no photos were allowed. Guided by his entourage, he walked quickly from the Green Room to th