
@Courtesy of Vision Distribution
Q: I have been going to see a film for decades because maybe Milena Canonero did the costumes, or Dante Ferretti did the sets designing, or because Dante Spinotti was the cinematographer, so it really gave me great pleasure to see a film that tells about the artists behind the directors or the actors. How did the idea of making Diamonds come about?
Ferzan Ozpetek: It stems from a need of mine. I have been wanting to make a film with only women for ten years. I thought I could take inspiration from my youth, when I was an assistant and often accompanied actors and directors in the tailor shops. One of them was Tirelli, where I met Gabriella Pescucci, Maurizio Millenotti, Piero Tosi. Piero in particular was my guru, he would read my scripts and then we would talk about them together. It was all very easy to write because over the years I realized that attending a tailor shop, attending these great Oscar winners who took care of every detail regarding light, color, then those details became important in my films. Diamonds has been developed through a process of great harmony, great ease.
Q: How did you handle such a large cast?
Ferzan Ozpetek: On paper it was a very difficult film because there are as many as eighteen actresses. Every morning eighteen cars would leave and take them to the set. Each one had her own assistant. In Diamonds then I also tell how I normally prepare a film: I gather all the actors together, we read the script, and then because the actors have a very strong sixth sense, I usually tell them to see us again after a week in which I rewrite the script with many lines or situations changed. Diamonds is a work that mixes a little bit of my life, mixes my working method with the actors, something I change every day. On the set I always have two screenwriters because when I arrive in the morning, the lines that we have written, that we have to shoot, they seem to me already old, so I change them trying to put more emotions, more interesting situations. On paper it was a very difficult production, but in practice it was delightful.
Q: Diamonds is a film that takes its time not only to develop characters and stories, but also atmospheres. It has its own very precise internal rhythm. Can you tell me about the editing process?
Ferzan Ozpetek: I have been lucky enough to work for years with Pietro Morana, a talented editor. On the set I always shoot with two camera operators. It’s natural for me to do a quick rehearsal with the actors, maybe we change lines, I change situations, I adjust some things and everything is shot with great ease. I have an idea of the editing already when I shoot. I rarely add extra things, in general there’s everything I want to tell within the day of shooting.
Q: Was there a particularly challenging scene to shoot emotionally?
Ferzan Ozpetek: Yes, when the two sisters confront each other and say some very heavy things, then they meet again outside the tailor shop. In that case I worked with this great Turkish set designer, who I had also done the film Argo many years ago. In that scene we improvised a lot, Luisa Ranieri is very hard on Jasmine Trinca when she talks about her deceased daughter. It was an emotionally strong improvisation. I was moved even while talking to the actresses, we were all very emotional, it was a beautiful scene shot with great satisfaction. Even when all the actresses were sitting and chatting we had many improvisational moments. The second week of shooting I came up with the idea of having these two young men go into the tailor’s shop and have them be courted, treated as if they were two women going to a military barracks.
@Courtesy of Vision Distribution
Q: Another important quality of Diamonds is that it tells a very precise microcosm in the social context, yet at the same time it is also a universal film. How did you achieve this balance?
Ferzan Ozpetek: I wanted to stage these seamstresses who work maniacally, but then they had their own private life, which was forgotten while they were working. It was very inspiring to me, I was very interested in showing that each of them then went back home, had another ‘reality’. The women are always very strong, they have their own private life, they have other work at home: cooking, thinking about the family. Each of the characters has their own problem, their own life that is put aside when they get to work. That was very important to me to be represented.
Q: Do you feel there is a connection that links all your films, from the debut of The Turkish Bath to Diamonds?
Ferzan Ozpetek: Always, always put the emotion of a scene in the foreground. I make films to share my emotions with the audience. I am interested in the audience, in sharing my emotions with the audience. You can go to a festival, win awards, but the film might also be forgotten. Instead, a film that gives emotions stays over the years. There are some of my films that people continue to love over the years. It is something that gives me great joy.
Q: One last cinephile question: if you had the chance to shoot an American remake of Diamonds, which actresses would you choose?
Ferzan Ozpetek: I think it’s very difficult to make a film with the spirit of Diamonds because it’s very particular, it was a time when Italian tailors dominated the film world. There are so many very good American actresses, I think of Sally Field or Meryl Streep for example, I would love to work with them.
@Courtesy of Vision Distribution
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