You dedicated the film to your father and your grandfather. Can you tell us more about that?

My grandfather was a really funny man. He would always make jokes and play with me. He originally came from the south of Italy. He had a wife and eight children and he was illiterate, but you could make a poem about his life. My sister told me this story once about my father stealing the money to buy a toy gun to play army with his brother. My grandfather had to punish him, but he could not do it out of the softness of his heart. So, he imitated the punishment and put saliva in my father’s eyes to make it look like tears. And that is like a little poem to me. I just had to tell a story about this man.

And how does it feel now that this little poem you made about your family will screen at Manhattan Short and be seen by over 60,000 people around the world?

It’s a big responsibility and a great honor. It’s a story of my family. But I always had a problem with my family when I was young. I was born in southern Italy in Bari and then my family immigrated to the north to look for work. When I was in school, I always wanted to change my southern name Sassanelli to something else, like Rossi or Lombardi, for example. But after years passed by, I realized that’s my name and I like it. And now I have this great opportunity to tell a story of my little family from the south of Italy at the great Manhattan Short film festival.

And we are actually screening in Bari for the first time this year.

No! You have to tell me when, because I want to see it there!

There is so much going on the background with so many different people and everything so well staged and planned. It’s really impressive. How did you work with the actors?

I am an actor myself and I know what kind of direction an actor needs. I tried to involve everyone in the film by telling each of the actors the story in very precise detail and explaining what I wanted. The film is about people and I gave each actor a great deal of responsibility to create a little part of that world.

Where did you shoot the film?

It was impossible to shoot everything in Bari because there is too much sun and too much noise on the streets. We found two places in countryside close to Bari. One is called Nocchi and another Casamassima. These two little towns have lovely historical centers. We shot the courtyard scenes in Casamassima and the street scenes in Nocchi. We had great cooperation from the governors of these towns and we also invited the locals to work on the film. We tried to involve everybody.

When I first saw the film, I thought it was a little too long, so I asked you to re-edit the film. Why did you do it and what did you learn from it?

I listened to your opinion and did what you suggested. And I realize that it’s better now. I learned something important. In Italy, in order to explain something, we speak a great deal. I realized that we don’t actually need that many words in this film. Less is more.

How many short films have you made before?

This is my first short film.

Are you planning on making more?

I don’t know. A lot of people asked me to make a feature, but I think I just want to do my job. I am an actor. I love acting. But I do have some ideas for a short film. So, if it comes to it, I’d probably make two or three more shorts before making a feature.

What advice do you have for a filmmaker who is about to make a first short film?

You really have to want to tell the story. It has to be an obsession. You do it because you can’t live without it.

What were the challenges you faced working on this film?

I am a little lazy. I get tired very easily. But when I was working on the film, I discovered that I was not tired at all. I wanted to keep on going and it was strange for me to hear that we had to stop at the end of the day. I would ask: “Why?” Because we are finished for now, they said, and we’ll continue tomorrow. So, I discovered another part of myself. I was a little bit scared but I was not tired. It was really strange for me.

How many days did the shoot take?

Four days.

There is a beautiful flow to the film. Did any feature films or filmmakers inspire you to make this film?

My acting teacher used to say if you want to copy someone, make sure it’s a great talent. So, I watched the films of Italian directors Vittorio De Sica and Dino Risi. That’s how I got inspired.

What is the message you want people to take from your film?

That there is great poetry in the world and you can find a poem in your life as well. And it does not matter whether you can’t read or write. There is poetry in everyday life. That’s what I try to say with my film. This is for my grandfather.