Chatrian had led the festival alongside Mariette Rissenbeek, who ran logistics, while he programmed films.
TheThessaloniki Film Festivalruns until November 10.
DEADLINE: Carlo, do you like attending festivals?
Carlo Chatrian.Gerald Matzka/Getty Images.
I imagine most of the time youve spent running them has been stressful.
CARLO CHATRIAN:As weird as it may sound, its not stressful.
At least it wasnt stressful to me.
Of course, there is a certain degree of pressure, but its a pleasure.
And of course, its better when I dont have to perform the main job.
Festivals are a good place to meet with friends.
you’re free to feel the real vibes.
They are never predictable.
You dont have a signature style.
CHATRIAN:That reflects very well what I make a run at convey in my programming.
Im really attempting to expand the vision of cinema.
This is something I learned during my time in Locarno and then in Berlin.
Programming isnt only about cherry-picking the best film.
Its like composing something.
DEADLINE: Congrats on the new job.
I know youre from Turin but why was the museum gig an interesting one for you?
CHATRIAN:Part of my decision was to come closer to my family.
Berlin was great from the professional point of view.
It was immensely nourishing to work with people in a very different setting from Locarno.
But it was stressful on a personal level.
My family stayed in Italy because of COVID.
We planned to move.
But then the pandemic happened.
And then it was too late for my kids to move.
So I was going back and forth.
So it was a reunion of sorts.
Also, I like challenges.
When I accepted Berlin, I didnt speak a word of German.
It was a big challenge.
Locarno was the same.
DEADLINE: Its such an interesting time to be moving into the museum space.
I spend a lot of time now thinking about the increasingly close relationship between the gallery space and cinema.
CHATRIAN:Yes,it exists and I think we have to accept and take advantage of it.
Thats the thing that worries me.
One of my goals is to bridge some of that audience.
Maybe there is an opportunity there.
DEADLINE: Are you interested in raising the museums profile?
CHATRIAN:I wish to make the museum a home for people who care about cinema.
I dont know if that is related to making it bigger.
In my presentation to the museum board, I said there are two things I can bring.
One of those is the international side.
The museum is already well attended.
We can expand a bit but not that much.
Its already at 700,000 visitors.
But to make it more well known, thats something we can do.
The second thing relates to independent filmmaking, which is not in danger but is shifting.
The museum cant do much about that.
A home away from the pressure of festivals.
DEADLINE: How do you look back at your Berlin tenure?
CHATRIAN:I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity I was given.
It was a challenging time.
They were tough times because of the pandemic.
And the time of the year Berlin takes place is not the easiest.
Maybe this was too provocative but maybe it wasnt.
But I grabbed the opportunity to show what we can do with films.
I still consider myself an outsider.
So, in the end, I dont care if people said Berlin was becoming too narrow.
The end goal was always to support filmmakers.
And when I look back, Im proud that we opened a new avenue for different filmmakers.
DEADLINE: Why do you think of yourself as an outsider?
CHATRIAN:Because the festival circuit is small.
I take a stab at put a lot of effort into keeping the market going.
I understand that the market needs a safe bet.
You invest a lot of money.
So if its not rewarding, why would they bring their films?
So you have to offer an attractive platform to the companies.
So these bigger films, some of which are great, are the projects that keep the market moving.
I wanted to try and find a better balance.
DEADLINE: How did you feel after the open letter in defense of your position was published?
There were over 300 signatures, including people like Martin Scorsese.
CHATRIAN:I was overwhelmed.
I didnt expect the letter to appear.
There were even some filmmakers whose films I had rejected over the years.
I dont know what the next edition will look like, but its not about people.
I dont know if the letter helped but it definitely put pressure on the right people.
DEADLINE: Berlin is such a political festival.
A certain level of government bureaucracy seems to seep into the festivals workings.
CHATRIAN:Its related to the cultural patterns.
We shouldnt forget that Berlin is the only one among the three big festivals held in a capital city.
We are next door to the Minister of Culture.
DEADLINE: What is your view on the festival calendar moving forward?
CHATRIAN:The festival calendar is messed up because there is a high season and a very low season.
But maybe things will change.
I dont think the solution is to move every festival to the fall.
This gave us more freedom to show other kinds of movies and work differently.
We gave room to series, for example.
We did galas but in a different way.
I think the question is also what is the purpose of a film festival?
For the last 20 years, it was to support theatrical distribution.
The question is what does theatrical distribution look like now?
DEADLINE: There are some rumors around the circuit that youre being prepped for the top job at Venice.
Have you heard that rumor?
What do you think?
CHATRIAN:Im in Torino.
Im running a museum.
Its a new challenge and I really want to enjoy that and think about that.
Im not thinking about anything else.
