We continue with the exclusive interviews! The producer, with two selected films at the Cannes Film Festival, one of which is a co-production with Ukraine, tells us all the details.  

Cannes is no stranger to Giancarlo Nasi. After having won the Golden Chamber with The Earth and the Shadow, having attended 10 editions of the festival and having worked with more than 17 countries in more than 15 films since Quijote Films, this year returns and doubly: Pamfir in the Directors’ Fortnight and The Creatures that Melt under the Sun in The Critics’ Week.

Pamfir is the first feature by Ukrainian director Dmytro Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk, a co-production between Ukraine, France, Chile and Poland. And alongside this, he also premieres the short film The creatures that melt under the sun, selected in La Semaine de la Critique, directed by Diego Céspedes (The summer of the electric lion, First Prize at the Cinéfondation de Cannes 2019) who develops his first feature film, The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo, at the Cinéfondation Residence.

 As if this were not enough, he also participates in the Marché du Film as one of the 6 CAIA delegates who will attend with the support of the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage. He attends this market by presenting Diego’s first feature film, an LGBTQ+ film that portrays the HIV/AIDS crisis in the 1980s in a mining town in northern Chile. Winner of the Irusoin Award for Post Production of the San Sebastian Industry 2020,  will be looking for financing to complete its development.

 “Since 2015 we did not participate with two works at once, and this comeback shows the resilience of the entire crew of Quijote, working hard day by day to raise auteur cinema, not only of Chile and Latin America, but also of the world”. Giancarlo Nasi.

How do you live the experience of participating in Cannes as a producer simultaneously in the Directors’ Fortnight and in the Critics’ Week?

We are very proud to be back with these films in Cannes. We thank both directors and all the partners who allowed us to be part of these pieces.

Our goal is that in cinema there are no borders, and as long as we are able to contribute with a grain of sand to raise emerging voices around the world, we will do it.

How did you get to co-produce with Ukraine, France and Poland in “Pamfir”? What do you feel each country contributed?

Our amazing Polish partners (Mandants) invited us to participate in the project after our great experience producing together the latest film by Fernando Guzzoni.

I was told “we have this film and we want to submit it to various funds”. I thought it was a great story, and although our participation was a minority, I put myself at the service of Ukrainian producers, as did all the countries involved. Our purpose was to create a film that was true to its story and its director, supporting what everyone could offer.

How do you think the reception of the film will be taking into account the social context in Ukraine today?

I admire the resilience of this crew that has brought the film forward despite the uncertainty and the prospect of their world collapsing. Pamfir is a beautiful film by itself, which deserves to be seen as a work of art.

We all have a lot of information about the armed conflict and how much they are suffering in Ukraine, but it is important to diversify the vision we have of the country and its culture and also to highlight all the artists behind the film.