Issue link: https://www.balharbourdigital.com/i/1494492
here's a Yiddish saying, bashert, meaning "meant to be." I couldn't conjure a better way of describing the cosmic alignment that led to one of the most heartfelt films I've seen in years. It was a true joy to sit down with my friend to learn more about how this meet-cute with a twist came to be. Can you tell us how your new film came into fruition? It was almost 10 years ago now when this journey began. I was on Via della Reginella, in the heart of the Jewish ghetto in Rome, photographing the Italian painter Giosetta Fioroni. It was a bustling day on the streets as usual, with all the artists and chefs from the area popping by to say hi to her, getting involved in that typically charming Roman way. All of a sudden, my wife, Nan, stepped out of a bookstore where she had stopped called Il museo del louvre and said, "You have got to see the photographs in here." I joined her during a break and couldn't believe my eyes: the walls were covered with images of my heroes of Italian cinema and culture: Anna Magnani, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Federico Fellini, Alberto Moravia—and on and on. Each one bore the signature of a name that itself sounded like someone from a classic film: Paolo di Paolo. The images were extraordi- nary—intimate, casual, each one intriguing and beautiful in its own way. I had a feeling like I had dreamed these photographs but didn't know they actually existed on this earth. When I learned that Paolo was still alive and living in Rome, I knew I had to meet him and hear his stories. Our film began there. HOW DOES A CHANCE ENCOUNTER IN A ROMAN BOOKSTORE EVOLVE INTO A CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED FILM? BRUCE WEBER SHARES THE STORY BEHIND THE TREASURE OF HIS YOUTH. BY SARAH HARRELSON BURIED Treasure What was it about Paolo's story that drew you in? Although his career was relatively short, I was inspired by the scope of Paolo's archive—his reportage photographs and portraits of Italian cultural leaders of his time, people who have long inspired my own photography and filmmaking. Then there was the mystery of why this work languished and remained unseen for years, discovered by chance decades later by his daughter, Silvia. She was instrumental in helping us to earn his trust and unlock his story. Was there a particular moment during filming that you knew you had something really special? There is a moment in his studio when Paolo holds a photograph of a young, impoverished child he encountered on the street. First he expresses astonishment at seeing it again, T CLOCKWISE, FROM RIGHT: Afternoon on the Tiber, Rome '60s; Sophia Loren, Pozzuoli 1955; Aristotle Onassis with daughter Cristina at Marina Cicogna's party, Venice 1967 142 BAL HARBOUR