Italy: Love It, Or Leave It is the story of two Italian friends who take a tour around their country to see whether or not it's worth staying there. They find a lot of problems but room for optimism, too. The film had its UK premiere at Sheffield Docfest this week, after which co director Luca Ragazzi took questions from the audience.
Luca was thanked for a very entertaining film, but was then asked “If you were Mario Monti, what would you do?"
Not an easy one to give a quick answer to, but Luca said “Italians always complain. We tried to select people who do something to change things. We wanted to offer inspiration.”
This is just a drop in the ocean. Can these little things make a difference?
Luca: “Maybe now we are in a moment of change. The ones who have the power in Italy are now very old men, and the good news is they are dying! It takes time, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel."
Is that why he picked this time to make the film?
Luca: “Last year was our anniversary, 150 years of Italy, and we realised we were unable to be patriotic. Except for football, once every four years, we hate our country. Young people are very unhappy. It has become natural to leave. People abroad are still in love with Italy's glorious past. We made this film to show that the country needs to be reinvented.”
But there are problems in every country.
Luca: “We are used to problems, but we need to change our attitude, become more critical. Italians are good at demonstrations, but not in the long term. We wanted to make this film to show we are not just a few angry people. We are the majority and we can make change.”
