The creative process is presented as the result of a path by subtraction: introspective, solitary, all-encompassing, which imposes on those who pass through it the humility to free themselves from prejudices, mental or social blocks, and get lost in a game of mirrors that leads them to multiply in actor and spectator, in judge and jury of the plot that is to propose to the public.
Italian by birth, continuer of a long artistic and social presence of her family in the entertainment world, wife of Francesco Quinn, eldest son of actor Anthony Quinn who died prematurely, Valentina Castellani Quinn by professional choice has been a producer in Hollywood for about twenty years, the film mecca. But she is also a citizen of the world of a seventh art whose life stories and narrative modalities have decentralized, embracing now global borders and perspectives.
Her productions see her participate in major international festivals. Among her many awards, a prize awarded by the United States Congress in Washington for a film on interreligious dialogue, to which we will return shortly, and more.
In this period she is in Europe: just named ambassador of Taormina for all the city's initiatives in the artistic, cinematographic and cultural fields in the world, at the beginning of September Valentina Castellani Quinn is involved in the Better World Fund of the Venice Film Festival, the conference of the twelve most influential female opinion leaders in the world of cinema and of the economy.
«Going back to Europe, Valentina Castellani Quinn begins, helps me to tune in to the sensitivity of the public. It is a commitment from which I do not shirk, and it improves my person as well as updating the social commitment of my productions».
How did your love for cinema start?
“My family owned numerous theaters, and produced many theater and film projects. My grandfather was president of Anicagis, the Italian trade association. I grew up backstage, behind the scenes: in our house there has always been a scent of cinema. I met Fellini, Pasolini, but also Anthony Quinn, who arrived in Italy to escape the contractual overpowering of American production companies. I married his son. Currently, with Danny Quinn and the Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron, winner of four Academy Awards, we are producing a film on the life of Anthony Quinn».
Cinema and digitization: where are we?
«At the Cannes Film Festival, at the Young Presidents' Organization, the association to which the world's leading business executives belong, I presented my analysis on the use of Artificial Intelligence-AI in the film industry. In Hollywood, we know, there is a strike of actors and screenwriters. From personal experience, more than digitization, I am concerned about the expiry of the artistic contents, which represents the true message of each production. A quality film knows how to make the script coexist with the emotions it arouses in the audience: this is how the narration of a film enters life and reaches the sensitivity of the spectators. Only a good screenwriter, a writer understood as a real person, possesses that added value of human capital which elevates a simple plot to an experience shared by the public, and transforms it into an opportunity to improve society's awareness and social relations. Movies change our perception of the world, our emotions, our way of thinking. It's a feeling I get every time I'm asked to be interested in a production. Only one person can describe the fascinating complexity of social relationships. I remember when a director Jewish American he offered me a film on interreligious dialogue between the Jewish, Christian and Islamic faiths, which then became my film One rock, three religions, I asked for time, and humbly reflected before committing myself to a topic I didn't know. Then the desire to understand and to open up to a world and to issues unknown to me convinced me. Humility, willingness to bend over to new realities, also lead me to discover and accept my own personal vulnerabilities. It's a complicated, demanding path, but one that remains the basis of my conscience and my profession. Having gone through these emotions has always been the premise of my greatest professional successes. I believe in the power of the word, of dialogue, I believe in storytelling: I am convinced of it. I attended at the Dignified Storytelling conference that opened the Dubai Expo, produced and created by Dubai Care, one of the world's largest philanthropic organizations for children's rights. I summed up my life to the audience: I told in all sincerity what makes me so fragile, but also sensitive to such a point as to make me creative. It is the same experience that viewers follow when they watch a film which, however fictional, is always anchored to those life experiences which then improve the understanding of the evolution of our destiny».
How has cinema changed after Covid?
“A lot of funding has poured into streaming platforms. Now they have substantial budgets, and they hire directors, actors and screenwriters capable of attracting the interest of the public. It is a world that just ten years ago would never have considered television productions, judged second-rate. On the one hand, I approve of this evolution, because it has improved the quality of products for the small screen and given work to many actors. However, the magic linked to the screening of a film, and the spectators in Piazza Grande in Locarno could confirm it, proves to be an unforgettable experience that is second to none».
What do you see in your future?
«I face it with humility, because I realize that I always have a lot to learn. The subjects I deal with in my films reflect my personal and social values. Even if our era is complicated by so many difficulties, I remain a believer, a positive character. In addition to application at the Oscars, I was pleased that my professional choices were considered so free and inclusive that I received the prize that most moved me: the US Congress Award, assigned by the Congress of Washington to my film One rock three religions, which I just mentioned. Subsequently, this very film of mine inspired the American administration to enact two laws for the protection of minorities in the Middle East. Although I don't deal with politics or diplomacy, this recognition convinced me that every film is not only capable of improving the society in which we live, but also of cunderstand the changes".
