Riccardo Di Gerlando on making
Hady
Hady
 Riccardo di Gerlando
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Hady received Five Stars and the UNICA Medal at BIAFF 2020. (The UNICA medal is for a production promoting solidarity between the nations, or using new forms of expression.) |
I started shooting small amateur short films almost twenty years ago and slowly, with the Sanremo cinema association of which I am still a member, I have made more and more professional products. I began as a professional educator in the field of disability and my favourite cinema is undoubtedly the social one in which simple people who face various difficulties are protagonists.
Working as an educator I have been in contact with various entities that dealt with immigration. I met the protagonists of Hady during this work experience and they told me about their feelings. Thus Hady was born. In reality, the script was born first and then I looked for an aphorism that could tie in well with the story. Kundera's was practically perfect.
Homesickness is the suffering caused by the ungratified wish to go back.
Do you work with the same team for your films?
Yes, for many years now. We are a group of passionate people, each with their own role.
I still hope for very long years.
How did you find the actors and locations?
The actors, as written above, were part of an institution that deals with the care of immigrants, where I met mother and son (even in real life).
For the locations it was easy, living in a magnificent area like Liguria in Italy
The actors, as written above, were part of an institution that deals with the care of immigrants, where I met mother and son (even in real life).
For the locations it was easy, living in a magnificent area like Liguria in Italy
David Audam as Hady
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Hady's mother
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What were the challenges in working with children? How did you manage it? I see you had a coach for the actors. Were the actors all non-professionals?
Before being a filmmaker I am a pedagogical educator. I really like working with children. In my team I am fortunate to have Nicoletta Cino, actor coach and actress who helped me a lot in the acting direction. The actors are all non-professionals.
There are many images of flags.
The idea of the flag has an important significance for history.
It's like a brand of belonging. When I interviewed the protagonist before writing the story this was exactly what came out.
I remembered the phrase "I live here but my house is far away ... and I would like to go back"
Which country did Hady and his mother come from?
In the story they come from Senegal.
In reality, however, they are from Cameroon.
Matteo Consoli wrote the original music. How did this process work?
Matteo has been a collaborator with me for many years.
After editing, I usually send him the file and thanks to his talent he always manages to transform the images into something wonderful.
Matteo has been a collaborator with me for many years.
After editing, I usually send him the file and thanks to his talent he always manages to transform the images into something wonderful.
The boat that Hady uses at the end is very beautiful. Was it a challenge to build and film?
It was built by a friend, set designer and architect Elio Markese.
It wasn't an easy shoot that day, the current was difficult but in the end we managed it.
It was built by a friend, set designer and architect Elio Markese.
It wasn't an easy shoot that day, the current was difficult but in the end we managed it.
Even though Hady goes on a dangerous sea journey at the end of the film, it feels very positive. Should the audience see it as a symbolic or a real journey?
Everyone will see what they want. It remains an open ending just to make people think.
I love these open endings.
