Black Biscuit

Here at Kollektivnye, as I’m sure you know by now, we are always on the lookout for compelling people and projects, bursting into the creative sphere and those boxes were both boldly ticked last week when discovered Fabrizio Federico and his début film ‘Black Biscuit’.

Fabrizio has a somewhat alternate view on film making and this has resulted in an incredibly astounding piece of work which flagrantly flies in the face of traditional and even Indie cinema. We not only secured the official trailer and some exclusive frames from the film but also an absorbing interview with the charismatic and provocative director (whose bloodied nose you will have seen on the homepage) as he talks us through not just the film, but his take on film making as a process and an art form.

Kollektivnye: Your new film is called Black Biscuit, what can you tell us about it in terms of the concept?

Fabrizio Federico: The film’s concept is along the lines of a nightmare, it’s about when you reach that age where it’s time to decide to do something meaningful with your life, and you can’t think of anything.

What are you gonna do with your life? because school is out.

The character Chet has reached that stage. He’s stuck doing shitty little jobs like life modeling, and prostitution, but everyone has got bigger plans, even gutter snipes wanna swing on stars. One day Chet sees an ad for a film competition and decides to enter into it. This is a baby step for him to make sense of his life; he decides to become an artist. Only problem is you still got bills, food, and all that to think about so he can’t turn down his prostitution gig yet, but will he ever be able to distance himself from all that and focus on his dream goal, that’s the bottom line.

But it’s about making that baby step in the right direction. That’s why Im a huge fan of the Venus Project, I wanna get free and not be a slave.

K: The manner in which the project is filmed is very striking, what led you to this style of film making and what does it mean to you?

FF: I got into a few fights with more ‘established people’ such as film teachers and cameramen. I’ve never been to film school I don’t have respect those Universities because they’re raping the youth of their money and identities, and I would never dream of ever paying to have someone teach me how to make art, I think that’s crazy. So I wanted to break every rule, piece of advice, and just do my thing.

Just listen to DVD commentaries, and director interviews to learn about film making, save yourself thousands of pounds. I want my films to be deranged like me, to challenge, piss people off, to create bliss – if you can’t take it close your eyes. I wanna take chances and fuck with values. I am gutter film making.

The person should be the art, I do understand not everyone’s gonna get it, but I hope people reading this will see that as a challenge to themselves – can I take it, have I got balls to alter my state of perception, to step out of my comfort zone, let me make you numb. I do believe in getting high, pushing your self mentally. I used many forms of digital technology, mainly mobile phones to film Black Biscuit. Plus I edited most of the film high on weed, and LSD as a fuck you to the establishment.

Technology has gone way over board we don’t need HD, or better pixels or any of that shit, and this is my way of inspiring new film makers. Make a feature don’t bother with a short, it is easy. Hand held is so exciting; it gives you a rush, like being in a battle zone. I believe in filming people when their unaware that a camera is on them. Steal reality.  Black Biscuit is a film within a film within a film, going all the way.

K: Do you use actors/actresses in Black Biscuit?

FF: Theres maybe 1 or 2 wanna be actors/actresses but I made sure to put them in a scene where they wouldn’t be able to act because I didn’t tell anyone what the film was about. Im an anti-director, I’d lie about the scene give them fake ideas and mainly confuse them. Everyone else in the film is for real, what happens I have no control over.

If I saw someone in the street, a street superstar, I’d ask them to be in the film. I look for people who are about to have a huge nervous breakdown, the homeless, porn stars, S&M mistresses, old people, pimps, drug addicts – these people mean a lot to me, I want people to learn what it’s like in a society of people who live on the outside, only WAY on the outside. Adventure is what I look for, I come back for more. If someone called me up and said “make a movie of me” and they were delusional enough, I’d say yes. As long as they’re for real.

K: Where do the real and the fictional cross over in this project as a result of this style of film making?

FF: It’s very very very close, I’m not telling you where, but to capture a lot of what’s in the film I had to lie, because everyone is so paranoid once video is involved, that did surprise me a lot. The fear that appears in people’s eyes once they realize that their being filmed is such poetry. Why? We live in a society where we’re filmed 24/7 cameras everywhere, I would love to compile a film out of CCTV footage, can you imagine the performances, they would shit all over those Oscar winners.

I want everything now.

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From 'Black Biscuit'. Fabrizio Federico, 2011 ©

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From 'Black Biscuit'. Fabrizio Federico, 2011 ©

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From 'Black Biscuit'. Fabrizio Federico, 2011 ©

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From 'Black Biscuit'. Fabrizio Federico, 2011 ©

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From 'Black Biscuit'. Fabrizio Federico, 2011 ©

K: What is the Pink8 manifesto about and how did it come to be?

FF: Pink8 is about creating a revolution in film, we need one. I have seen and heard of some new films that are pushing cinema (Greek Pete, This is Not a Film) but there isn’t a big movement that’s influencing people to become experimental film makers. All I see on film book shelves are Tarantino, and the director from Clerks’ (Kevin Smith) memoirs.

The film world is getting too comfortable and I want the Pink8 manifesto to vomit all over established film making. You don’t need scripts, or actors, or money to make an interesting cutting edge film. The Punk movement is ground zero for DIY ethics, we can do it. I got knocked out several times making my film, my computer fucked me by wiping out my files, the police literally told me to stop the film, and being told no, no, no over and over again.

Pink8 is about inspiring, because directors like Dennis Hopper, Harmony Korine gave me courage and I’m forever grateful for that. I want Pink8 to take over, basically there are no rules, the sooner you realize that the better.

K: What do you think of other movements like DOGME 95?

FF: These grass roots movements mean more to me than religion. Dogme95 created some extraordinary films, way better and exciting than Titanic, or Space Cowboys or the other top grossing films of those days. I mean come on: Space Cowboys Vs The Idiots! that example should be enough to turn everyone onto experimental film.

I’m not blind, I do understand that people want to be entertained in a light hearted manner, but all the time, that’s cotton wool entertainment. People are smarter than that and we’re being made fools of by being given Mission Impossible 14. What was so wrong with the New Hollywood blue print that existed in the 70’s? Who’s got the gun?

K: Do you feel that the accessibility of technology could lead to a dilution of quality in filming?

FF: Yes, but I’m prepared to face that chance, quality is a very strange word anyway because everyone’s got different forms of quality control. I’m more interested in getting people started and giving them an alternative path to becoming the next James Cameron.

That’s what puts people off from being creative, will it be good enough? Will I make money? Just try it; I had a fantastic time making Black Biscuit. We are living through a  film renaissance, all I’m saying is lets push our outrageous ethics forward, I’d like to take the heads of the film world, Showcase and the ratings board into the gutter, we’re not bad people just shinny and new.

K: So how would you say film exists as a medium of expression for you?

FF: Film is everything, what other art form can you incorporate everything into (art, sculpture, music, fashion….) plus it immortalizes, you’ll live forever. I’m a happy ghost.