Interview with EFA Ambassador Kim Rossi Stuart



Where are you now, where have we caught you and what are you currently working on?
I’m currently in Italy, Rome, my home town. I'm going to be a father soon, which means I’ll be putting the work on the backburner for a while.

You come from an acting background and started to act very early. Was it just the natural thing to do? Did you ever have any doubts?
I decided to become an actor at the age of thirteen. Coming from a family of poor means, this profession, which I followed by chance, offered perspectives of an economic independence. Besides, I was attracted to it, despite finding it hard to be in the spotlight. I don’t know what would have become of me if I had failed, so I tried to avoid thinking about my own doubts.

What does European film mean to you? How has it influenced you and your work?
European cinema... well when I was sixteen I was crazy about film, and the director I studied and admired most was Ingmar Bergmann. Later I came to love other great masters, but generally I would still say that European film is to world cinema what Greek civilization was to the history of mankind.

Where do you see the biggest challenges for European cinema?
The greatest hurdle facing Italy is overcoming the political and bureaucratic barriers that paralyze the fluid exchange of culture with the mass audience. Cinema needs to regain the power of analysis and catharsis, so crucial for the development and consciousness of human beings.

And finally: When’s the last time you went to the cinema and what did you see?
The last movie I watched was SOURCE CODE. I was hoping to be entertained in a blockbuster fashion, but it made me feel bored and anxious. I expected something along the lines of MATRIX, which I totally enjoyed.