In the Darkness of the Moviola

PRESENTATION
For Francesca Calvelli, documentary filmmaking is one of the highest applications of editing. In this conversation we will try to understand why. And we will do so by tracing the career of an editor who has collaborated on major fiction films, but began with documentary. And to documentary she has returned, signing off on the editing of Marx può aspettare, Marco Bellocchio’s most recent film. Through the story of what it was like to work in the darkness of the moviola on such a personal film, and through the analysis of some sequences, we will try to understand how Francesca Calvelli approached the editing of the fourteenth work alongside Bellocchio, presented at the Cannes Film Festival 2021.

FRANCESCA CALVELLI

Francesca Calvelli is a distinguished and multi-awarded Italian editor. As a student she attended the Centro sperimentale di cinematografia in Rome, following the teachings of Roberto Perpignani, with whom she would collaborate as an assistant on Figlio mio infinitamente caro in 1985 and La donna della luna in 1988. Having completed his studies, he devoted himself to editing documentaries, working with Demetrio Salvi, later moving on to feature films. He has won numerous awards and prizes for his work, and throughout his career he has worked for directors such as Marco Bellocchio (from 1994 to the present), Saverio Costanzo, Danis Tanović, Sergio Castellitto, Cristina Comencini, Marco Tullio Giordana, and Wilma Labate.

FILMOGRAPHY
Il sogno della farfalla, directed by Marco Bellocchio (1994)
The Prince of Homburg, directed by Marco Bellocchio (1997)
Del perduto amore, directed by Michele Placido (1998)
The Nanny, directed by Marco Bellocchio (1999)
No Man’s Land, directed by Danis Tanović (2001)
Le parole di mio padre, directed by Francesca Comencini (2001)
Jurij, directed by Stefano Gabrini (2001)
My Mother’s Smile, directed by Marco Bellocchio (2002)
Fango (Çamur), directed by Dervis Zaim (2003)
Good Morning, Night directed by Marco Bellocchio (2003)
Private, directed by Saverio Costanzo (2004)
L’enfer, directed by Danis Tanović (2005)
The Wedding Director, directed by Marco Bellocchio (2006)
Sorelle, directed by Marco Bellocchio (2006)
In memoria di me, directed by Saverio Costanzo (2007)
Signorina Effe, directed by Wilma Labate (2008)
Vincere, directed by Marco Bellocchio (2009)
Triage, directed by Danis Tanović (2009)
Sorelle Mai, directed by Marco Bellocchio (2010)
La solitudine dei numeri primi, directed by Saverio Costanzo (2010)
La bellezza del somaro, directed by Sergio Castellitto (2010)
Quando la notte, directed by Cristina Comencini (2011)
Romanzo di una strage, directed by Marco Tullio Giordana (2012)
It was the son, directed by Daniele Ciprì (2012)
Sleeping Beauty, directed by Marco Bellocchio (2012)
Hungry Hearts, directed by Saverio Costanzo (2014)
Latin Lover, directed by Cristina Comencini (2015)
Blood of my blood, directed by Marco Bellocchio
Sweet Dreams, directed by Marco Bellocchio (2016)
Qualcosa di nuovo, directed by Cristina Comencini (2016)
Non c’è più religione, directed by Luca Miniero (2016)
The Traitor, directed by Marco Bellocchio (2019)
Marx Can Wait, directed by Marco Bellocchio (2021)
Yara, directed by Marco Tullio Giordana (2021)

TELEVISION

In Treatment (2013 – 2017) 

My brilliant friend, directed by Saverio Costanzo (2018) 

1992 series created by Alessandro Fabbri, Ludovica Rampoldi and Stefano Sardo from an idea by Stefano Accorsi (2015) 

1993 series created by Alessandro Fabbri, Ludovica Rampoldi and Stefano Sardo from an idea by Stefano Accorsi (2017)

AWARDS
David di Donatello: Best Editing for the film Vincere (2010) and for The Traitor (2020)
Silver Ribbon: Best Editing for the film No Man’s Land (2002), Best Editing for In Memory of Me and The Wedding Director (2007), Best Editing for the film Vincere (2009), Best Editing for the film Fai bei sogni / Sweet Dreams (2017), Best Editing for the film The Traitor (2019).
Golden Ciak for L’ora di religione / My mother’s smile (2002), Vincere (2009) and The Traitor (2020).

BEPPE LEONETTI
Born in Turin in 1977, graduated in editing from the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia.
He has collaborated with Nanni Moretti, editing some of his documentaries (Il diario del caimano, L’ultimo campionato) and some of his short films (including Il diario di uno spettatore, an episode of the film Chacun son cinéma – Cannes Film Festival 2009). In 2011 he edited La-bàs. Educazione criminale, by Guido Lombardi, winner of the Lion of the Future at the 68th Venice Film Festival. In 2012 he founded in Turin with the De Serio twins and Carlo Cagnasso, Il Piccolo Cinema, an experiment to bring cinema to the city’s deprived suburbs. Among the latest films he has collaborated on: Tutte le anime del mio corpo (ITA-SLO 2015) by Erika Rossi, a documentary produced by Quasar and Casablanca film with the support of Fondo dell’Audiovisivo FVG – Visions Du Reel – Best Editing Award at Golden Tree Documentary Film Festival 2017 EXPRMNTL (BE 2016) by Brecht Debackere, produced by Visualantics with the support of VAF (Vlaamse Audiovisueel Film) – 60th BFI London Film Festival – L’Age d’Or Film Festival – Winner of the Prix du Film sur l’Art at the Brussels Art Film Festival. Babylon Sisters (ITA-HR 2016) by Gigi Roccati, produced by Tico Film with support from MiBACT, Media Programme, Fvg Film Fund. Stories from the chestnut woods (SLO-ITA-FR 2017) by Gregor Božič, produced by Nosorogi with support from MiBACT, Slovenski filmski center, Media Programme, Eurimage, Fvg Film Fund – Award for Best Film and Best Editing at the 2019 Slovenian Film Festival. Don’t forget to breathe, (SLO-ITA 2019) by Martin Turk, prod Bela film – Best Film Award at the 2020 Slovenian Film Festival.