We sat down with Italian director Enrico Conte to discuss his newest short film LEANING and th eimpact it's having on him.

 

Leaning it's an italian project ( although it has been designed to tackle the international market), born from our love and passion for two different forms of Cinema with the desire to mix them up. Love for a real Masterpiece as "Night of The Hunter" by Charles Laughton and passion for genre movies of the past: an essential american thriller melted with horror cinema in its most violent and shining period. A simple and twisted game at the same time, wich cannot fail to entice fans of the genre and intrigue them about how, the evil but fascinating Sheperd played by Robert Mitchum in Laughton's classic, would appear, if viewed by the sordid, violent and extreme look of authors such as Hooper, Raimi, Carpenter, Fulci, Craven, Argento.

The plot starts from a simple setting, with few characters and a single location in which it takes place the entire story arc:A lonely house. A woman is treating her little garden, around her just a small radio that broadcasts the news of some terrible serial killings committed in the area. And while in the house two little girls plays quietly, a menacing figure is about to arrive and upset this quiet, little place; his eyes are full of madness and the clothes he wears shows how Evil can hide behind the most harmless and reassuring appearance.Funded through crowdfunding, shot in January in just three days, thanks to the collaboration of a team of professionals and fans of the genre, the project is currently in post-production and will be ready next spring to be widespread in the most important horror-festivals in the world.

 

Necro Stein - so what the story behind Leaning? how did it originate?

 

Enrico Conte - It was in summer 2012. Immediately after watching "Night of The Hunter" - which is one of my favorite movies of all time - for the umpteenth time. I thought "I want to make a movie with an evil priest that threatens a small family". And so I did. That was the spark behind the whole story. Then I began to imagine how my protagonist should have been. And the answer I gave myself was: terribly unpleasant. The exact opposite of Mitchum's character in Charles Laughton's movie.

 

Necro Stein -Hows filming coming along on that?

 

Enrico Conte - The following step has been to find the main location. I needed a place able to transmit the sense of isolation I wanted. And also, you know, creepy enough to be the ideal backdrop for an horror movie. Then the casting, the search for the main character has been a little difficult. I used crowdfunding to put together the small budget I needed. Meanwhile the screenplay of the short had also won an award named after Bernardino Zapponi, the screenwriter of Dario Argento's Deep Red and many other masterpieces of Italian cinema.

 

Necro Stein - How far would you estimate you're along on this?

 

Enrico Conte - The editing phase it's practically over. Now we're working on the music and all the sound design. I do not have an exact date, but I think it's all in the pipeline.Necro Stein -Do you plan to self distribute or try to get it picked upEnrico Conte -I use to think that one of the most important aspects of this kind of product is in spreading it. And the internet is definitely the best way to make your own work available to everyone. The project has been conceived to be seen and appreciated everywhere, that is why there are no dialogues and the only voice that is heard (on the radio) will be dubbed into several languages. So the only real language used in the film is the one of the horror genre. Every horror enthusiast around the world will be Able to see it and enjoy it fully. First, however, there will be a phase in which the film will be visible only in the festival (of course, those in which it will be selected) and on DVD / digital copy for those who have crowdfunded it.

 

Necro Stein -Okay,very interesting. What got you into film? and how long have you been involved in this industry?

 

Enrico Conte - In the most classic way, I think. When I was a kid, I spent my days wandering with my imagination, building stories and reinterpreting those I saw in the movies. At eight years old I wanted to become a dinosaur expert, at nine an archeologist, at ten a superhero and so on... around my fourteens I realised that I was just fascinated by movies and that all I wanted was to make movies. So I wrote my first screenplay, when I was sixteen, it was for a feature horror movie, but I didn't shot my first short movie till I was twentyfive. It was five years ago, with a short entitled "Riconoscere", it took about a month to be completed and was not bad at all to be a first work (it's on the tube with english subtitles, anyway). A few months later I was on the set again, shooting my second work, "L'Isola di Lorenzo", a more ambitious and complex project. I've worked on it for two years of my life, but in the end it gave me a lot of satisfaction and honors. Both of them were about the past and traditions of my country (to which I'm really tied), and have been an excellent gym to me, because I'm a selfmade filmmaker. "Leaning" is my third movie, the first in horror genre. Often, switching between so many different genres is frowned upon, but personally I can not worry about it: I'm proudly a director of independent films.

 

Necro Stein - Wow.Very cool. Yea personally it doesn't matter to me.direct any genre you can, I say...It's shows more versatility IMO

 

Enrico Conte -That's true, but here the environment is a little snobbish

 

Necro Stein - Sadly I know. I can imagine.even getting DVDs from there is a pain Do you have any interesting stories that occurred while filming. LEANING

 

Enrico Conte -I think the interesting story about the making of Leaning it's on the passion and determination that kept the entire cast and crew engaged for three days of filming, twelve hours a day. In cold, dirt and toil, just to pull out the best of their own work, believing totally in the project. Really a group of wonderful people. Even if saying it of a psycho priest filled in blood could seem a little difficult. Don't want to be rethorical, it's my suggestion for anyone who wish to attempt with this stuff: the secret to make good movies it's simply in having a good team.

 

Necro Stein - was there any one person that stands out?

 

Enrico Conte - Among all, the artist named Raido has certainly contributed, from the early stages, to translate in images what was earlier just in words, thanks to concept arts and storyboards, then also contributing to the costumes and the sets. Litterally a pile of work in wich there is much of the final look of the film.

 

Necro Stein -It's always nice to have someone who exceeds the help huh? Do you want tell the readers what else you've done so they can check those out?

 

Enrico Conte -You mean my previous movies?

 

Necro Stein - yes sir, its your dime man...whore yourself out say anything you want the readers to know

 

Enrico Conte -Both my works are on my yt channel, here:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwMQoLcDM9I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYBMqQJhhvY

 

you can add them if you think it's interesting, but they are not horror at all

 

Necro Stein -Movies are movies my friend...

 

Enrico Conte - That's true

 

Necro Stein - Okay, let us go off for a bit if we may.who's your favorite director

 

Enrico Conte -John Carpenter

 

Necro Stein -white or dark chocolate?

 

Enrico Conte -dark

 

Necro Stein -when your not making movies what do you do to kill time?

 

Enrico Conte -I wander through the countryside, listening to music and thinking about the stories I'd like to tell.Necro Stein - Haha.i do the same thing for inspiration on writing reviews.

 

Necro Stein - Have youever been to the states?

 

Enrico Conte -Never been outside Europe

 

Necro Stein -so with Leaning. you plan on submitting to festivals correct?

 

Enrico Conte -Yes...For sure.

 

Ok folks there ya have it. short and sweet and to the point.....be sure to check out his websites to keep up with LEANING and any other endeavors we may be gifted with from ENRICO CONTE.....