«I love good roles and it doesn’t always happen that they are assigned to women; but the situation is changing and finally women are not considered only from an aesthetic point of view.” To reiterate a fundamental theme for cinema, addressed in recent days at the festival, is an international sex symbol, Emmanuelle Seigner, protagonist of a conversation at the Palacongressi, before receiving the Taormina Film Festival Achievement Award in the evening at the Teatro Antico. Wife and muse of Roman Polanski, the French actress and model recalled, like Helen Mirren, her bond with Italy and Taormina, recalling, in addition to her experience as president of the jury at the 2020 festival, the works filmed in our country, starting with “Il male cuore” by Mario Monicelli in 1990, where she was the protagonist with Giancarlo Giannini. «Mario was a very sweet man – he declared – I have wonderful memories of that experience and of the time spent in Rome for the filming. Giancarlo is a great actor – he added – truly talented who I haven’t seen for more than 30 years and I hope to find him again here” he said referring to the presence of the Ligurian actor at the festival for the film “Baracoa” and the documentary “A journey to meet Mimì”. Also unforgettable are “Nirvana” by Gabriele Salvatores, where he acted in Italian, and “Giallo” by Dario Argento. «I love Gabriele’s aesthetics and it was very nice to act in your language, even if for a small role. It was also a special experience with Dario: he knows what he wants and has an extremely interesting cinematic vision. On set he only does one or two takes, and you have to work as best as possible and quickly.” The focus on working with her husband is inevitable: «It is interesting to work with him not as a husband, but because he is one of the best directors in the world». In fact, the interpretations under his direction were extraordinary: “Luna di fiele”, “La nona porta”, “Venere in Pelliccia”. But it is his first collaboration with Polanski that has remained in the collective memory: “Frantic” (1988), alongside Harrison Ford, who was also the producer of the film. A positive turning point after the debut in “Detective” by Jean-Luc Godard, considered not exactly exciting, and the film “Look At Me” by Pierre Granier-Deferre. «I was 22 years old, but I didn’t realize how lucky I was, because back then there weren’t many French actresses acting in American films. I would have liked to have lived that experience with greater age and maturity.” A film centered on the story of solidarity between two people who don’t know each other, but find themselves risking their lives to help each other, in line with the values of the time. And today, in the dark post-pandemic times, in which we have all become more closed and distrustful, could such a story be told on the screen? «The world is certainly facing a tougher historical moment and perhaps people aren’t interested in seeing a film like this, but I think it could still be useful to make it». Also worth mentioning is “Pet Shop Days” by Olmo Schnabel, presented in Venice in 2023, in which he was the protagonist with Willem Dafoe. «I love working with Americans because they are very professional and the quality of their acting is high».
In closing, a wish to the students of the Youth Campus, also thinking of their daughter Morgane, who will make her directorial debut with her first work. «Today the situation of cinema is even more difficult, but you have to believe it – he said – It’s great to think that young people can make good films and that cinema can survive; because going to the cinema is not watching Netflix at home, but going to the theater to watch stories that are fundamental to the world.”
