Fabrizio Federico - Film Interview

Fabrizio Federico is a young independent director from the UK with a penchant for off-the-wall micro budget filmmaking. He made his first feature film, entitled Black Biscuit, after getting deported from America. That movie promised to represent “The Future of Cinema” and bore with it the “Pink8″ manifesto, a sort of spiritual successor to Lars Von Trier’s Dogme 95 avant-garde movement.
As described on the Pink8 website, the philosophy dictates (in part):

• Film school is poison.
• Look for street superstars to be your cast.
• Your film must be made on no budget, just sporadic money.
• The cast must NOT know what your film is about.
• Your film must be 95% improvised.
• No HD cameras.
• Mistakes are beautiful.
• Continuity is wrong.
• Bewildering, vague, self-indulgent, plot-less, risky, egotistical, limpid, raw, ugly and imperfect are perfect.

 INTERVIEW: MOVIE FAIL (Website)

True to this mantra, Federico’s movies feature casts of “university students and homeless people, prostitutes – just random people [he] met on the street.” He says his filmmaking style spawns from his musical background and engages in a striking but polarizing punk rock aesthetic that’s reflected in his use of sound, color and imagery. This self-described “car crash” methodology even extends to post-production; sometimes, Fabrizio says, he edits his movies blindfolded. Other times, he edits on LSD.
Federico was kind enough to take time out to speak with me about his newest projects, the future of the movie industry and the tangibility of human consciousness. ~ Søren
As always, you can subscribe to our podcast using iTunes. Alternatively, you can check out the interview online or download it here. Happy listening!

Fabrizio Federico - Poster

The New Ethos in Cinema: DIY ////// Pregnant (2015) Directed by Fabrizio Federico

Semi-staged interviews, improvised dramatic scenes, tormented LSD romance, and insular self-reflectivity, regarding the modern problem of social media and technology addiction. 

A riff on myth and identity.

Pregnant is an albatross that will squeeze the effete out of cinema. It transcends mere intellectual art house films and strikes a note very similar to watching an album similar to something by De La Soul, DJ Shadow or The Wu Tang Clan. Federico has called himself a  ''DJ film director'', its's vibe is shamanic and surreal. What has emerged is a mixed soup of urban chaos, pop, and disturbing psychedelic visuals mixed with contemplation and silence. A whole new recipe for cinema.

The film showcases the contrast between old and new society. On one hand you have the new demented 24/7 media anarchy that has emerged in the wake of the Youtube & Facebook social media generation, and on the other hand you the lone figure of the desert drifter, who is free from the stress of society and technology, silently roaming the desert and living in the ''now''. Alone from distractions and able to connect with the idea of reaching your personal Zen. 

Mixing the rituals and beliefs of Shamanism and Pagan rites to lead you on a surreal journey,

composed of movements depicting a trip through a VHS mix tape.

An enthralling mess, only too happy to make you cuckoo. But its also something more important that demands repeated viewing similar to such films like Easy Rider, Gummo or Memento. It's Federico's 'Pop Symphony for Film’. 

OFFICIAL WEBSITE 

    

Fabrizio Federcio - War Art from childhood

The Milk Man (2013) dir: Fabrizio Federico

The Milk Man is an abandoned vérité film project directed by Fabrizio Federico. The movie focused on a milk man who spiked local families milk bottles with LSD on his morning route.

''It was a mix between a Disney fantasy and the JFK assassination Zapruder footage. I wanted to have a film where all the characters drank the same mystery milk drink that the Droogs drank in A Clockwork Orange. It would be fascinating to see whole families relate to one another while their all on LSD, it could be heavenly or catastrophic. I had a scene showing a character with down syndrome becoming normal while on acid, and a grandmother giving spiked milk and cookies to Santa Claus, it could have been my masterpiece.'' Fabrizio Federico

The project was abandoned after Federico was contacted by The Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers (RABDF) who were notified about the film and threatened to sue him over alleged defamation regarding the films subject. 

The project was abandoned midway through production. The footage has now deteriorated  and only this piece from the intended soundtrack survives. Featuring Fabrizio Federico on noise guitar, with a recited passage from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

PINK8 Manifesto - A Crusade on the Nature of Cinema

Pink8 Manifesto

• Film school is poison.
• Look for street superstars to be your cast.
• Your film must be made on no budget, just sporadic money.
• Mistakes are beautiful.
• The director must raise "get-by" money by finding a job that challenges their ethics.
• The director must have a main character role in the film.
• Short films are NOT acceptable, it MUST be a feature.
• The cast must NOT know what your film is about.
• Continuity is wrong.
• Filming must be done without any preparation or a traditional script.
• Your film must be 95% improvised.
• Special lighting is not acceptable.
• No HD Cameras
• No 3D
• No Green Screen
• The director must edit the film alone.
• Bewildering, vague, self-indulgent, plot-less, risky, egotistical, limpid, raw, ugly, and imperfect are perfect.
• Technical film experience is inessential.
• Answer to one person only—yourself.