Table of Contents
Gaia Antonini is not screening a film so much as staging a dare. Her new format, Tanto non l'hai visto / It's not like you've seen it anyway, premieres at Not Film Fest as a live experiment in watching differently: an international independent film with no Italian distribution, the title kept secret, no previews, only a few clues and the room's collective nerve.
Antonini, a Senior Programmer at Raindance and an independent Italian distributor, has spent years watching great indie films disappear after the festival circuit. This is her answer — cinema returned to the world as a social event, in the most uncommon places imaginable, with the promise that trusting the programmer might be the whole point.
Key Takeaways
- The film stays secret until the lights go down — no trailer, no title, no spoilers, just clues.
- The Not Film Fest launch screens a Canadian documentary, followed by a DJ set, with one rule: wear or bring a BDSM accessory.
- Antonini wants each event thematically linked to its film and staged in unexpected spaces — restaurants, woods, rooftops, hotels.
Antonini spoke about the manifesto behind the format, why secrecy matters, and how far she hopes it travels.
Interview
What drew you to make this film, and why this story, why now?
Enough of watching the same films, the same old way. We all end up watching the same films. Too many trailers, too long, too many spoilers, too many opinions we never asked for. Cinema is explained to us before we experience it. It's not like you've seen it anyway wants to change that.
Each event features an international independent film with no Italian distribution. The title remains secret. No previews. Just clues and the thrill of discovering something without knowing exactly what. And when the lights come back on, we stay back and see what happens next.
The very first edition will premiere at Not Film Fest, one of Italy's leading festivals dedicated to independent cinema. For this special launch, we'll be screening a Canadian documentary. Afterwards, we'll keep the night going with a DJ set. There's just one rule: wear (or bring) a BDSM accessory. As for everything else, we're not telling you. Because yes, cinema is better if you don't already know everything.
What do you hope audiences take away from this film?
I hope audiences will love the format, because I feel like independent cinema needs to be seen and experienced in a fresh and unconventional way. Our goal is to bring back cinema as a social event and bring it to the most uncommon places — we're thinking restaurants, woods, and beyond. Each event will be thematically linked to the film screened.
How has this film shaped or shifted the kinds of stories you want to tell next?
I am a Senior Programmer at the Raindance Film Festival in London and an independent Italian distributor. I watch so many great indie films that will remain unseen outside the festival circuit, and that's why I feel they deserve to keep on living in the best shape possible.
How does your film fit within, or push the boundaries of, its genre or form?
It's not like you've seen it anyway only selects genre films or films that won't leave the audience with an extreme sense of sadness. We want people to speak after the film, to party, to stay together — so bold stories, comedies, horrors, thrillers, maverick films.
At the core of all your work is a desire to what?
To bring people together and let them know that there's a world of amazing films out there. You just need to trust us, even if you can't watch the trailer before.
What does it mean to have your film selected for Not Film Fest?
Having the format's first-ever event here at Not is such an amazing opportunity for us. It will give us space to explore and experiment with the event, and it will be made in the best indie Italian hub possible. We cannot ask for more.
Where do you see this film going next?
I hope the format will travel as far as it deserves. We're planning a screening on a rooftop in Rome and in a luxury hotel in Naples. We'd love to go international.
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