Cult Hero, the Lizard King, Enfant Terrible, Mr Voodoo Trick, but what is certain is that filmmaker Fabrizio Federico is helping widen a generation gap in
the film industry by doing what isn't expected of a movie director.
He releases
his films for free online, used mobile phones and CCTV cameras, casts street-superstars and doesn't use
scripts or relies on funding to create his films; in the process, retaining
100% creative power over his movies.
He has always insisted on his own talentlessness, presenting it as a challenge to anyone who thinks they could do better. His mystique not only comes from his popstar good looks and outspoken views, but from the fact that his films appeal to the tribal magic that lurks in the shadows of cinemas hidden frames. It's primeval & occult qualities that he and filmmakers such as Kenneth Anger, Dennis Hopper & Gaspar Noe have also embodied. The raw sour milk of human bitterness from these directors of adult fare. It is a very seductive juju charm that the mainstream has long been weary of.
He has always insisted on his own talentlessness, presenting it as a challenge to anyone who thinks they could do better. His mystique not only comes from his popstar good looks and outspoken views, but from the fact that his films appeal to the tribal magic that lurks in the shadows of cinemas hidden frames. It's primeval & occult qualities that he and filmmakers such as Kenneth Anger, Dennis Hopper & Gaspar Noe have also embodied. The raw sour milk of human bitterness from these directors of adult fare. It is a very seductive juju charm that the mainstream has long been weary of.
The manic
and rowdy quality of Federico's films stem from his cinema manifesto Pink8
which has spawned an international collective of outsider filmmakers who are
seeing the manifesto as a creed for a radical new step for a purer form of
cinema. Federico never studied how to make films, learning everything from
ground zero with some heartbreaking consequences, ''I lost my 1st film because
my computer blew up; damn Dell computers, had to start all over again from
scratch.''
His film Pregnant focuses on technology addiction in the 21st century. The mass hypnosis of a generation, as we witness each character's inner spiritual stagnation and mass disconnection from society. His debut feature film Black Biscuit is a portrait on wild youth and its lust for sex, drugs and money. His psychedelic editing & rhythm convey a shamanic quality to his films. Disorganised but focused, a slightly awe-struck air, his films are completely improvised. ''What appeals to me is the beauty and terror of particular vibes, from there I streamline each films path.''
His film Pregnant focuses on technology addiction in the 21st century. The mass hypnosis of a generation, as we witness each character's inner spiritual stagnation and mass disconnection from society. His debut feature film Black Biscuit is a portrait on wild youth and its lust for sex, drugs and money. His psychedelic editing & rhythm convey a shamanic quality to his films. Disorganised but focused, a slightly awe-struck air, his films are completely improvised. ''What appeals to me is the beauty and terror of particular vibes, from there I streamline each films path.''
Trouble also seems to follow him like a
manic flame. Mainstream critics loath his films, to the point where Federico and film critic Chase The Whale have developed a long standing feud regarding
critical hack jobs. And during a live radio interview in America, Federico was
involved in a on air argument with several film critics after they had failed
to watch his film. But his confidence and fearless attitude may originate from
the fact that he survived a house fire at the age of five. ''I tasted deaths
appetite at an early age, the world has seemed like an illusion ever since.''
There has also been rumours that he has sold his soul to the devil.
Challenging censorship his footage has
been confiscated by the police because of his helter skelter commando style
shooting tactics. But all this stems from his pure love for cinema. ''To me
film is like a myth, a collection of all of the strengths and failings of
humanity, magnified for us to figure out.''
Federico has currently set up the
Straight Jacket Guerrilla Film Festival, he also starred in his
first movie Kingdom of Shadows directed by the movie duo Clara Pais
& Daniel Fawcett, and has also created a Ziggy Stardust style
alter-ego of a film director from Mars, called Jett Hollywood. His new film LOON was released on Halloween 2017.''I enjoy the beauty of life, but Im also turned on by the dark absurdity and surrealism that life has to offer. Its a circus.''
