“If you decide to be a producer in the independent world, don’t do it for the money.” Producer Marco Perego didn’t mince words during a Locarno Pro keynote appearance. If money is all you care about, “go [work for] a bank.”
The Italian native, conceptual artist and movie lover made his feature directorial debut in 2023 with The Absence of Eden, starring his wife, Oscar winner Zoe Saldaña. Perego then launched the production company Leaf Entertainment with Michael Cerenzie. Its goal: back the best global auteurs to help them get their projects made.
At Cannes this year, Perego had three competition films: Cristian Mungiu’s Palme d’Or winner Fjord, Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Minotaur, and James Gray’s Paper Tiger.
On Sunday night, he appeared at the 79th edition of the Locarno Film Festival on stage with Gray, who was honored with the Swiss festival’s Career Leopard ahead of a huge Paper Tiger outdoor screening. Just hours before that, he shared his take on the role of a producer at industry strand Locarno Pro in a session that was well-attended despite the busy weekend. Among the people in the audience was Saldaña.
“Independent film is for people who take risk,” Perego emphasized. “It’s about respecting the vision, and the vision is not yours. … Just let [directors] do what they want.” You want to support them, and you may every now and then help with suggestions, but in general, step back and let the creatives do the magic, he said. Emphasizing the significance and importance of ensuring and maintaining artistic integrity, the producer highlighted: “We need to be sure that we really protect the filmmaker.”
Money may talk, but Perego didn’t talk about money details beyond sharing: “I invest quite a lot.” He signaled that he has no strict rules for the size of investments.
“I’m a disruptor. I’m a radical,” Perego also told the Locarno crowd, adding that he wasn’t afraid of slipping up. “I’m going to fail. I’m going to fail so many times, but I promise, I will stand up.”
