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Interview: Animator Donato Sansone

Video artist and animator Donato Sansone has made the short list for Oscar contention with his latest work, "Journal Anime." He has joined the ranks of an emerging generation in Italy's southern region of Basilicata that has received international acknowledgement for their work as filmmakers. 

 Sansone is from a small town called Bella. By coincidence, I recently spent a week in his charming hometown, and I can say that it's what many of us Italian-Americans imagine when we dream of the land of our origins.. quaint and lovely with warm, kind people, delicious culinary products and gifted chefs who know well how to utilize them. I spent an unforgettable week there attending the town's exceptional film festival, which showcased compelling topics and filmmakers from all over Italy. So, it's no surprise the town has produced a talented filmmaker of its own. I asked Sansone about his work and his origins in this beautiful, justly named town of Bella. Our interview was done in Italian, so both versions are included.

How did you come up with the idea for this film?
The idea of the film simply came from a short produced by the French television network Canal+ for its show, THE COLLECTION: DESTINE TOUJOURS. I had been given the theme "LIBERTÉ OF THE EXPRESSION" related to Charlie Hebdo, and therefore I thought to animate a newspaper in a 2-month performance where I interpreted the news in my own way. After having imagined how to make the short, my Parisian producers had the idea of putting the word "liberation" in the middle of the newspaper in order to work with this theme of freedom on a daily basis. So when I arrived in the morning to start working, I was very pleased to use this theme on a daily basis.

Come nasce l'idea per questo film?
l'idea del film nasce semplicemente dal fatto che essendo un corto prodotto da canal+ per LA COLLECTION : DESSINE TOUJOURS mi era stato imposto il tema "LA LIBERTÉ D'EXPRESSION" tema legato a Charlie Hebdo e dunque ho pensato di animare un quotidiano in una performance di 2 mesi dove interpretavo le notizie a modo mio. Dopo aver immaginato a come fare il corto hanno pensato, i miei produttori parigini autour de minuit e canal+ , di mettere in mezzo il quotidiano "liberation" in modo da lavorare quotidianamente con il supporto di liberation. La mattina mi facevano arrivare il giornale in studio e io intervenivo sulle notizie che mi interessavano o che trovavo simpatiche quotidianamente.

What was your reaction when you heard the news that you made this short list for the Oscar.
 It has been a pleasure being considered for an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Short Film and beautiful to be among these films, which are considered the best short films in the world. But I think that it will be almost impossible to make the final list of the 10 films which will actually get nominated for the Oscar because the standard for choosing in very high. However, I can't say that perhaps a little luck wouldn't help.

Raccontami la tua reazione quando hai saputo di essere presente con il tuo lavoro nella lista per avere la possibilità di un premio come l'Oscar.
La reazione nell'essere candidato agli oscar dei corti d'animazione è stata piacevole ma non oltre perchè si tratta di una candidatura dove verra fatta una scrematura per avere 10 nomination, è di per se gia' una bella cosa la candidatura certo ma il livello è davvero altissimo, il mio corto è in competizione con i migliori cortometraggi del mondo dunque sara' difficilissimo passare nella nomination dei 10 e quasi impossibile vincere pero' insomma, non è mai detto ci vuole anche fortuna nella commissione.

(Watch and listen to church bells ringing in the town center of Bella..)


Tell me about your origins in Bella.
Everything that I experienced growing up in this town made me dream and influenced my imagination. Then I evolved as I saw other places and art outside of my town and its people. But Bella will always be my town. The whole community there along with my family are what has formed me and I'll always have that influence inside of me.

 Come la communità di Bella Basilicata ha influenzato il tuo lavoro da regista?
Il mio paese tutto cio' che ho vissuto nell'infazia e nell'adoloscenza del mio paese hanno segnato buona parte del mio sogno della realtà del mio immaginario che si è poi evoluto nel vedere altre cose e altra arte al di fuori del mio contesto paesano. Pero' Bella.. il mio paese e la mia famiglia, l'intera comunita' del mio paese sono la mia famiglia sono il mio mondo che mi ha formato e che avro' sempre dentro di me.
Bella, Basilicata's 2016 Film Festival
Have you worked as a director in Basilicata? There have been a lot of film productions in the region in recent years.
I've never actually worked in Basilicata because I left when I was 18-years-old to work in Naples and then Torino. Paradoxically, apart from my town in Basilicata, I am not known there. I have made a name for myself abroad but not in Basilicata. We'll see if there will be any opportunities in the future.. perhaps even a co-poduction with the Lucana Film Commission and my French producers and distributors of "Autour de minuit".

Hai lavorato in Basilicata come regista? Ho visto negli ultimi anni che ci sono molti produzioni in Lucania..
In Basilicata, non ho mai lavorato perchè a 18 anni sono andato via prima a Napoli poi a Torino ecc. paradossalmente a parte il mio paese in Basilicata non mi conoscono, sono conosciuto dappertuttpo soprattutto all'estero ma non in Basilicata. Farei volentieri qualcosa con la mia terra se ci fosse la possibilita' anche con la film commission Basilicata ...vedremo piu' in la' se sara' possibile, magari anche una coproduzione della Basilicata con i miei produttori e distributori francesi di " autour de minuit".

We'll keep you updated on Sansone's possible Oscar nomination. In the meantime, click here to check out his other works.
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