Table of Contents
Three Key Takeaways
- Francesco Barozzi blends intellectual depth with popular storytelling to explore contemporary social issues like exploitation and virtual prostitution.
- Working independently with limited resources, Barozzi’s tight-knit team turned constraints into creative opportunities.
- The film’s future lies in expanding its universe through episodic shorts that deepen the portrayal of complex, morally ambiguous characters.
Italian filmmaker Francesco Barozzi brings a bold, unfiltered vision to his short film Hardcore, recently selected for Nòt Film Fest. Featuring a cast led by Dora Beatrice Schiros and a talented crew including cinematographer Gianpiero Puricella and editor Barozzi himself, the film delves into the precarious life of Dora, a woman caught in the grip of loan sharks as she scrambles to settle her incarcerated brother’s debt.
With a soundtrack by Luca Perciballi and production by CINEMANUDO, Hardcore is a raw yet thoughtful look at society’s gritty underbelly, all captured through Barozzi’s independent filmmaking lens.
Q&A Interview
What drew you to make this film? Why this story, and why now?
I like to move across different registers, from high to low. After Hub, I felt the need for a lighter story, with a more popular angle. That doesn’t mean lowering the intellectual level: quite the opposite, in fact.
“Topics like the exploitation of adult platforms, new sexual trends, and virtual prostitution are contemporary phenomena that deserve attention.”
Stories like Bea’s, unfortunately, are increasingly common in our society.
What surprised you most about the filmmaking process this time—creatively or logistically? Was there a moment on set or in post that completely changed how you saw the story?
“Working without production backing and a real budget isn’t easy, but we managed to put together a tailored plan, making the most of every resource at hand and turning limitations into opportunities.”
Apart from a few inevitable sacrifices, I always had a clear idea of the result I wanted. We’re friends, and that made us tighter as a team: we even enjoyed taking on unusual roles, each of us contributing a little extra.
Is there a moment in the film that feels the most you—something only you could have made?
Perhaps the quirkiest choice was playing the two loan sharks together with Emanuele, who actually works as a set designer. We’re not actors, but it all came quite naturally. In the end, we’re not so different from the characters we played… at least he isn’t! Jokes aside, I mean the chemistry, the rapport: we’re not criminals, but we enjoyed playing within those registers.
What was the hardest creative decision you made while making this film?
One scene we chose not to show was where Marco Marzaioli, who plays Catia’s colleague, works with the cucumber he found in the kitchen…
What do you hope audiences take away from your film?
I hope the audience has fun, but also finds new points to reflect on, maybe by looking at reality from a different angle, one less filtered by political correctness.
How has this film shaped or shifted the kind of stories you want to tell next?
It didn’t change our approach, but it helped us sharpen our ideas. The plan is to keep expanding this universe, focusing on the perspectives of Falsetto, Dalì, and their gang. Telling society’s vices and paradoxes through negative characters, like these loan sharks, reminds me of the old Italian comedies, cynical and biting. It’s a kind of storytelling I really enjoy.
What’s a tool, technique, or resource that really helped you during production?
What made the difference was the collaboration of a close-knit group, once again willing to sacrifice for passion. The real mindset shift, in contexts like ours, lies exactly in this: accepting the challenge. With determination and limited means, you can achieve great results.
Independent filmmakers often rewrite the rules out of necessity. What do you think is the greatest strength of independent filmmaking, and how did you lean into that on this project? Is there a lesson or breakthrough you’d share with others navigating this path?
With the same resources we had for this short, in 2018 we made a film that was selected at the Torino Film Festival. Working in ultra-independence gives you enormous freedom, but to truly get the most out of it you need mutual trust among all collaborators. If that foundation is there, you can achieve great things. And if there’s a bit of talent, even better.
What does it mean to you to have your film selected for Nòt Film Fest?
The Nòt is an important festival, so I’m happy about the selection. I hope the short film gives the audience twenty enjoyable and thought-provoking minutes.
How do you hope being part of Nòt Film Fest will shape the life of this film?
Getting feedback is always useful, even though creators should already have a clear sense of the potential, strengths, and limits of their project. I don’t know how much feedback can influence our path, but I hope it does in a positive way, maybe reinforcing the idea of continuing with the stories of Falsetto, Dalì, Bea, and the rest of the crew.
Where do you see this film going next?
Yes, the intention is to make more episodes about the exploits of Falsetto, Dalì, and their gang, who, after Hardcore, will face unexpected turns. A series of stand-alone shorts that can live on their own, but eventually converge into a feature film tied together by a narrative frame in the style of Broadway Danny Rose.
"At the core of all my work is a desire to give voice to the stories and characters that inhabit my imagination, restless presences that grow too insistent to keep inside, and that I can only set free by telling them."
Cast & Crew
- Dora Beatrice Schiros, Marco Marco Marzaioli, Catia Catia Gallotta, Dalì Emanuele D’Antonio, Falsetto Francesco Barozzi (also director, story and screenplay, editor)
- Executive Producers: Cristina Bernardi, Emanuele D’Antonio
- Cinematography: Gianpiero Puricella
- Script Consultant: Natalia Guerrieri
- Makeup & Hair: Erika Poltronieri, Francesca Paci
- Sound Designer: Matteo Carbone
- VFX: Salvatore Palombella
- Original Score: Luca Perciballi
- Production & Distribution: CINEMANUDO
Learn more about Hardcore on their instagram page.
