Private Project

Best Regards

While visiting apartments to go live together, Nellie receives a strange email from his boyfriend. He reports that their relationship is over. But when she tries to confront him, she slowly understands that things are not so simple.

  • Martin Basile
    Director
    BPD, Zeno's Paradox, Favourite
  • Martin Basile
    Writer
    BPD, Zeno's Paradox, Favourite
  • Valentina Zou
    Writer
  • Martin Basile
    Producer
    BPD, Zeno's Paradox, Favourite
  • Margherita Fois
    Key Cast
    "Elisabetta (Nellie)"
  • Davide Banfi
    Key Cast
    "Alessandro"
  • Angelica Bruzzone
    Make Up Artist
    BPD, Favourite, Mini-Croissant
  • Silvio Magnolo
    Boom Operator
  • Cecilia Calvi
    Production assistant
    BPD, Favourite, Mini-Croissant
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Distinti Saluti
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama
  • Runtime:
    5 minutes 30 seconds
  • Country of Origin:
    Italy
  • Country of Filming:
    Italy
  • Language:
    Italian
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    21:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Fare Cinema
Director Biography - Martin Basile

Martin Basile (born March 21 1992) is an award winning Italian film director, screenwriter, songwriter. His films mainly focus on themes related to ontology and the concept of reality, using the medium as a metaphor for experiencing life.

His latest works are:

-BPD (Short Film - 2021)
Winner for the best Horror Short and Best Sound Design at OTB Film Award

- Favourite (Music video - 2021)
Winner for the best screenplay at Reale Film Festival

- Times Left (Short Film - 2020)
Winner for the best male director at OTB Film Award
Nominated by Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull) for the best original soundtrack at The 48 Hour Film Project Italy

- Zeno's Paradox (Short Film - 2020)
Winner of the prize for Best Low Budget Short at Short to The Point
Winner of Best Short Film at Platonic Film Competition 2021

- ALEXIA (Short Film - 2019)
Written and produced in 72 hours, awarded by La 72esima ora Film Festival (Italy) and GENERIcamente umani film festival (Italy)

- Filmmaking kills (Short Film - 2017)
Winner of the Video Voyagers prize at Trofeo La Lanterna, finalist at Sapienza Short Film Festival (Italy), Milano Mobile Film Festival (Italy) and Cefalù Film Festival (Italy). Also nominated for best male actor (Martin Basile), best original soundtrack, best screenplay.

As a songwriter Martin Basile wrote and produced many albums ("All You Can Eat", "Solitunes", "Kalokagathia"...) He also won several Italian prizes, such as the Emanuela Pedulà Prize in 2016, the Toscana Selection Prize in 2015 and the Sotto Toni Prize in 2014.

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Director Statement

ENG

When you lose someone, you go through five stages of grief. They’re mechanisms of various kinds, aimed at protecting you from the pain that reality would give and gradually prepare you to finally accept it. The first of these stages is rejection, well exemplified by the email that Nellie receives and which starts the story.

"Best Regards" is a subtle film. Since it happens in a very near time to Nellie's loss, the change she goes through can’t be anything but a small step in her life's journey. Nellie's grumpy and over-the-top temper bears the marks of the past, whatever that is, and to overcome it - if necessary - she will need to go through many more times of crisis and self-discovery.

In the end Nellie is not left empty-handed, though. What she discovers is what I have personally experienced as the only possible consolation in the face of grief: the awareness that death does not erase the traces that a person has left. Spirit remains intact through the unique and unrepeatable ways of connecting to the universe, that people engrave in the memories of those they knew.

ITA

Quando si perde qualcuno, si attraversano cinque fasi del lutto. Si tratta di meccanismi di varia natura, finalizzati a proteggerci dal dolore della realtà che dobbiamo affrontare e ad accompagnarci gradualmente a quando finalmente saremo pronti per accettarla. Il primo di questi atteggiamenti è il rifiuto, ben esemplificato dalla email che Nellie riceve e che dà il via alla vicenda raccontata dal cortometraggio.

Distinti saluti è un film sottile. Dal momento che avviene in un tempo direttamente immediato alla perdita di Nellie, il cambiamento che lei attraversa non può che essere un piccolo passo nel percorso della sua vita. Il carattere scontroso e sopra le righe di Nellie porta addosso i segni del passato, qualunque esso sia, e per superarlo - ammesso che questo sia necessario - avrà bisogno di attraversare molti altri momenti di crisi e scoperta di se stessa.

Ma al termine del film Nellie non rimane del tutto a mani vuote. Ciò che scopre è quello che personalmente ho sperimentato come unico conforto possibile di fronte al lutto, ovvero la consapevolezza che la morte non cancella le tracce che una persona ha lasciato. Il suo spirito rimane intatto attraverso quel suo unico e irripetibile modo di connettersi con l’universo, rimasto impresso nei ricordi di chi l’ha conosciuta.