“I feel very privileged to have worked on this pandemic. As it says in the short film (‘Any crossroads’), there are so many (artists) who have lost their jobs”, says Bruno Ascenzo and repeats the word “luck”. Before the end of 2021, he premiered the first short film recorded with a Xiomi smartphone and adds that he is prepared for opinions about the film Until We Meet Again. We spoke with him before the release date was confirmed (March 18 on Netflix), which made the film a trending topic, mainly due to its detractors.
You’ve always said that you’re more of a “fan” of actors. What did you want to reflect with the short film?
I wanted to remember this moment later, that the theater was going to resurface. He wanted to talk about the resilience of the actors because many times in this country, culture is the last wheel of the car.
Despite that, at 30 you had a blockbuster movie and the play Knock Knock filled theaters. Has it been thoughtful to see a more independent sector affected by the closure of theaters?
Yes, there is a before and an after. Part of my routine was going to the theater practically every day, for many years. Record… I have been able to do that during the pandemic, for example. The movie with Netflix was postponed for a year, but finally I was lucky enough to make it. So, worse than good, I had several opportunities. It is a moment of much reflection, of thinking where we can go and seeing new modalities.
In the short there is a sentence about the rooms that are now owned by religious groups. What kind of cinema do you want to do?
They are two years of pandemic, instability and petty politicians. I would like my stories to explore different paths, I like comedy, but my first shorts were more dramatic.
Perhaps in response to criticism some actors who work with you say that you accept their advice…
I think that’s the way it is and I’ve been very lucky. I have worked with very talented actresses and actors and I think it would be very arrogant of me not to listen to their proposals, and not only from them, but also from the director of photography or the art director. I believe that stories are built together. What I am learning the most is that I should listen even more and to more people. I have worked with actors that I always admired.
Is it the case of Stephanie Cayo?
Working with Stephanie has been wonderful. She had just released the movie with Mel Gibson, but she was very excited, she was dedicated, she really liked the script and I think she is a super good actress. I am very happy that she has trusted, that she accepted because she is full of projects all over the world. The team is super talented and Peruvian, the only foreigner was Maxi (Iglesias).
For your first film you asked Mariana de Althaus to read your script. How was the process now?
This time my work has been directly with Netflix. I have been building the story for a year with the advice of a person from the platform, Adriana Martínez.
However, the film already has critics. What answer do you expect?
I don’t know (smiles). Surely there will be people who will like it and who will not. My job is to keep telling stories, some of them will be pretty, some not so much and some will be preferred by some groups. But I think that if I think about what they are going to say, I would not continue doing things. It is a romantic movie and that was Netflix’s proposal. It is a great responsibility and there is always the desire that people like your work. ❖