Porta di Mare · 29 March 2015
From Salento to America: Steven Spielberg’s eyes on filmmakers Luca and Gabriele Stifani
English translation of the archived 2015 Italian article.
NEVIANO/LONDON — Luca and Gabriele Stifani, originally from Neviano but living in England for fifteen years, are ready to shift into gear for their first feature-length film intended for the big screen.
After theatrical successes around the world and awards for numerous short films, they return to their “first great love”, making a documentary about Duel, Spielberg’s first film.
Made in 1971 on a small budget, without major stars, the film has kept generations glued first to television and then to cinema screens for more than forty years. Viewers were mesmerised by the terrifying, never-revealed truck driver pursuing a lone motorist through the desert roads of Southern California.
The Stifani twins’ documentary is called The Devil on Wheels, abbreviated to DOW — Il diavolo su ruote — and will travel from Salento to California to uncover the secret of Duel’s success.
The first trailer introducing the project features Neviano, with their mother Agatuccia saying goodbye to Luca and Gabriele before they leave for America.
Amblin Entertainment, the film and television production company founded by Spielberg, has been informed and is following the project with pleasure and considerable interest.
“Our aim is to explore the power of this film, trying to reveal the magic behind its timelessness,” says Gabriele.
Luca adds: “Even today, film experts study the deeper meaning behind Duel, while aspiring directors analyse how the film was made.”
“This early work by Steven Spielberg has become one of cinema’s most frequently cited references. It is no coincidence that director Alfonso Cuarón drew on Spielberg’s film when making Gravity.”
The filmmakers from Salento will work with a distinguished international team: Roger Allen, an English film producer with more than twenty-five years’ experience and an IT expert at the Daily Mail; Roger Vicente, a Spanish journalist and cameraman living and working in China; and Manuel Rodriguez, a video-editing specialist living and working in Barcelona. The director leading this film project is Enrich Folch, an award-winning Spanish television director.
“When Roger Allen introduced me to the Stifani filmmakers, whom he regards as brothers, I was immediately captivated by their spontaneity and humility,” says Enrich. “Their talent and creativity immediately prompted me to suggest joining the DOW team.”
The five filmmakers will fly to America to interview members of Duel’s cast and reconstruct, piece by piece, the mosaic of a great success. Meetings with genre fans and film experts will also explore the film’s still-growing following.
The production of The Devil on Wheels will launch a crowdfunding campaign: public fundraising through donations and rewards, with contributors choosing how much to give.
The campaign will allow fans to take part directly in making the documentary. The crowdfunding runs for thirty days, ending on 4 April on Kickstarter, under its “all-or-nothing” model.
On a typically rainy London morning, in their small apartment that doubles as a production company in Westminster, in the heart of London, Luca admits nostalgically: “We cannot wait to return to Salento and involve our homeland in this project once again, shooting additional scenes.”
Gabriele adds emotionally that they are looking for the right location to screen the documentary’s premiere.
“The premiere will certainly be in Italy, but our dream is to hold it in our Salento, where we could welcome the overseas fans who have contributed most to making this documentary.”
Cinema: the story of a love…
Luca and Gabriele wear the same clothes in different colours, gesture in the same way and always make the sign of the cross before eating. The Stifani brothers were born on the same day, 13 September 1980, and have shared everything ever since: their values, a strong Christian faith and their great passion for cinema.
“I still remember when our father took us on holiday to Venice. We were ten, and we were mesmerised by the video camera our uncle lent us,” says Luca.
“After examining it for a few days, we broke our father’s rule not to touch it. Whenever we were not helping our parents in the butcher’s shop, we spent hours editing films,” adds Gabriele.
To pursue their passion, they travelled far away to Newcastle in northern England, where they graduated with top marks in film directing and production.
In an emotional telephone interview between London and Neviano, their father Totò recalls how, at nineteen, Luca and Gabriele tried to study filmmaking at a prestigious university in Rome, but the fees were too high.
“With a large family of five children, we could not afford those expenses. They both tried working to support themselves, but between rent and university costs they could not continue their studies,” Totò explains.
“Luca and Gabriele told us they wanted to follow their dream in the United Kingdom. They won a scholarship to Northumbria University, and their graduation day will remain forever etched in our memories.”
Speaking of their faith, Totò recalls an episode: “When I visited them years ago, the priest in Newcastle told me that my sons were a joy to humanity because of their selflessness.
“For me, that naturally confirmed that I had done a good job. Because it is not material wealth that shapes a person, but values.”
He adds: “It is no coincidence that wherever my sons find themselves in the world, they always look for a church in which to practise their faith.”
Now that Luca and Gabriele are preparing to fly to America for the documentary about Spielberg’s film, Totò readily admits: “I would like to go with them and share this wonderful experience. I too have always loved cinema, and now I am making that passion a reality with my sons.”
Their mother Agata admits with some embarrassment: “I have not been able to watch again the scene in which my sons filmed me.
“One morning they told me they would be filming, and without a second thought I said yes, since we have always supported our sons in their great passion.”
Support also comes from friends. Patrizia Simone from Neviano says: “Luca and Gabriele have always called me aunt, even though we are not related by blood. Our families have always been close.
“Whenever they return to Italy, they come to see me and ask me to join them for a frisella, with the same spontaneity they had as children. I have always enjoyed meeting the many friends from around the world whom they have brought on holiday.”
From Nardò, Roberto and Fabio Colella reaffirm their humility: “We have known the Stifani twins and their family for many years, and we have never doubted that travelling around the world would leave Luca and Gabriele’s authenticity intact.”