«No comment». Cut it short Tim Robbins, actor and director, guest of the Magna Graecia Film Festivalto the question asked at yesterday morning’s press conference at the Regional Citadel, about Kamala Harris, running for the presidency of the United States. Robbins, protagonist of the cult film, nominated for 7 Oscars, “The Shawshank Redemption”, arrived in Catanzaro, strongly desired by the director of the film festival Gianvito Casadonte, to perform tomorrow night with his band, “Tim Robbins and the Rogues Gallery Band”following the passion for music that has accompanied him since he was a child. «You have to ask the question – he said – to the inmates of California, to hear their opinion on the matter, mine is a “no comment”».
The actor and director, known for his work in favor of prisoners’ rights, pressed by questions about the American election campaign, emphasized his political “disengagement”. “I’m 65 years old,” he told reporters, “and at this age you used to retire. I said to myself, what can I retire from? I have decided to retire from campaigning for political candidates.».
He did not hide his disappointment and thebitterness at the parallel that has been drawn between the attack on Donald Trump and his film Bob Roberts in which the protagonist stages an assassination attempt to get elected. “I saw that some people – he said – immediately tried to draw a parallel between what happened and is happening these days in the United States and the content of the film in which Bob Roberts stages an assassination attempt, so that this can help him get elected. When they started to make this parallel, I felt deeply offended – continued Robbins – because it is something different. I think that people are now lost in hatred, on both sides, so there is no longer the ability to reason and to feel compassion, pity and empathy. We find ourselves in an extremely difficult and dangerous situation, which has been torn apart in some ways. What I really long for is that we can return to a condition in which – he added – even if we disagree on political issues, in any case, we can continue to have a form of mutual understanding. The final result we are going towards is not something positive and I for one do not want to live in a world like this”.
When asked about his future film plans, Robbins said he had the privilege of having lived with “The Shawshank Redemption” the last creative period of Hollywood, marked by geniuses such as Martin Scorsese, Robert Altman and Brian De Palma. «Even today very beautiful films are made – he said – but without action scenes it is difficult to find someone to finance them. I am still waiting for the billionaire to finance my projects».
From the international panorama to the local horizon, the Magna Graecia Film Festival is capable of embracing multiple instances, as it did two nights ago by giving voice to the mayors of Greater Catanzaro, with the message launched yesterday from the stage of the Port area by the mayor of Catanzaro Nicola Fiorita. “Allow me to speak from the heart and thank Gianvito Casadonte – he said – not for what he does and for the big names hosted, but for how he does it, with generosity and passion for the territory, which is not a given. Precisely in this way it allows us to use this event to convey important messages such as the network that we are trying to create with this initiative, trying to bring the territory together, convinced that the Mgff can help us to achieve it and to work for the common good which is the reason why we are mayors”.
This was followed by a moving tribute to the actress of Catanzaro origins Sara Tafuri, who recently passed away due to an illness, and honored by the mayor through the delivery to her daughter Deborah Chiatante of a plaque made by Gioielleria Megna. The recipient of the Golden Column of the GB Spadafora Brand and dedicated to Sara Tafuri was Madalina Ghenea – Romanian actress and model – presented by the actress’s daughter, by the President of the Calabria Film Commission Anton Giulio Grande, by the mayor Fiorita and by the maestro Spadafora. “Courage and positivity are the great qualities that are wished for actresses and that my mother possessed, so who better than her for this award” commented the daughter of the late Sara Tafuri. Ghenea accepted the award with emotion, saying: “It’s not the first time in Calabria, but I’m honored to be here tonight in a wonderful setting and among the affection of the public”.