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Italo Svevo. Secret Writing in Trieste

Italo Svevo was a writer who, during his lifetime, was almost entirely ignored by both literary circles and the public. Only with his third novel, The Confessions of Zeno, which portrays a neurotic liar undergoing psychoanalysis, did he achieve success.

The modernity of the work captivated his friend James Joyce, who opened the doors of the Parisian literary scene of the 1920s to him. Psychoanalysis, the banality of everyday life, irony, as well as the use of the stream-of-consciousness technique, were concepts that readers of his time were not yet ready for.

Italo Svevo anticipated many themes of modernity. It is no surprise that his contemporaries did not understand him. This documentary paints a portrait of the complex personality of the author and his characters, set against the captivating backdrop of his hometown, Trieste.

  • Alessandro Melazzini
    Director
    Italo Disco, La Cicciolina, The Cistercians, Monaco Italia, Stelvio
  • Alessandro Melazzini
    Writer
    Italo Disco, La Cicciolina, The Cistercians, Monaco Italia, Stelvio
  • Alessandro Melazzini
    Producer
  • Francesco Godina
    Key Cast
    "Italo Svevo young"
  • Riccardo Maranzana
    Key Cast
    "Italo Svevo old"
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Italo Svevo. Scrivere nascosto a Trieste
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Television
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 1 minute
  • Completion Date:
    September 1, 2024
  • Country of Origin:
    Germany
  • Country of Filming:
    Italy
  • Language:
    German, Italian
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Premiere
    Frankfurt
    Germany
    October 18, 2024
    Worldwide
Director Biography - Alessandro Melazzini

Alessandro Melazzini is an Italian documentary filmmaker naturalized as a German citizen. He lives in Munich, was born in Sondrio, and graduated in political economy from Bocconi University in Milan and in philosophy from Heidelberg.

After working as a freelance writer, journalist, and translator, he self-produced his first documentary film and, in 2010, founded his own production company: Alpenway Media GmbH. As a director and/or producer of documentaries, he collaborates with RAI, ARD, ZDF, and ARTE.

His films are known for their extreme eclecticism, ranging from the life and deeds of Ilona Staller (Cicciolina. Godmother of Scandal), to the world of Italo Disco (Italo Disco. The Sparkling Sound of the 80s), to the depiction of Cistercian art and spirituality (The Legacy of the Cistercians in Italy).

The documentaries produced by Alpenway regularly participate in international festivals. For his entrepreneurial work as a migrant citizen, in 2015 the city of Munich awarded Alessandro Melazzini the Phönix Prize.

He often travels across the Alps, one of the reasons why he named his company Alpenway, a symbol of his constant desire to cross borders.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

My first love was literature. With this film, I ideally close a circle, combining an old passion with my profession. I do so by dedicating myself to one of the great Italian authors who is less prominent on the international stage.

Italo Svevo captivated me from a young age, and for many years I questioned his allure, his complexity, and his irony. On a human level, I have always found his story—his success denied for many years, combined with his determined desire to write—one of the most interesting to explore.

What I have always loved about Svevo is his deep individualism, his refusal to align with ideologies, literary circles, or cliques, fully aware that the price he paid for many years was being ignored by everyone.

And then there’s Trieste, a city that has always fascinated me, for its position at the crossroads of countless borders, for its breath of freedom, for the vibrancy of its citizens, standing between the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Italy, and just a step away from the Balkans. Despite all the rightful criticisms that can be directed at those who promote a postcard-like image, and fully aware of its many conflicts, the cosmopolitan spirit of Trieste lives on in every street.

Of Trieste, as with Svevo, I have always loved the ability to be authentic while remaining contradictory. There is no Hegelian synthesis in them, no dialectical process. There is a mosaic-like mixture of fragments, pages, alleys, attempts, and failures. All united by the great humanity of their irony. After I die, it might happen that my wife takes me to Serbia to rest with her. Along the way, please let me make a stop in Trieste.