An artistic director at the 'Giffoni Film Festival', Italy, Antonia Grimaldi says that cinema is more than just a story that is being told. According to her, it is an experience that one lives along with the characters in the movie.
Having always seen India through the eyes of different film-makers in their movies, Antonia finally experienced the country first-hand recently.
She visited India for the first time as part of the foreign delegation at the '8th International Children's Film Festival'.
But when she came to the City, one of the first things she noticed was how similar Italians and Indians are.
"The culture of being bonded by family and giving importance to family values is seen very clearly in both the countries — and even in their movies," she tells Metrolife.
One of the first things she did when she got to her room was to put on the television and listen to some of the songs.
She was immediately impressed by the music. And the same goes for the movies as well. One movie that really left an impression on her, she admits, was Chillar Party.
"They took such a bizarre issue and presented it in such a lovely way. There is so much colour and richness in Indian movies that it keeps you gripped till the end," she adds.
In Italy, very few children's movies are made. This is partly because it is difficult to know what children will like on screen and partly, due to the production cost.
"Children are aware of so many things and ask so many questions. So, to make a movie that is presented differently and will capture their attention is a challenge in itself," she says.
Antonia has always been fascinated with India. "Being born in the 70s, India has always been a magical place for me. It was the place where Siddhartha (Buddha) met Bollywood. The vibrancy, the youthfulness and even the spiritual discourse fascinated me no end. So, when I got an opportunity to come here, I just couldn't refuse," she adds.
And the City, she says, has more than lived up to her xpectations. During her short stint in Bangalore, she plans to go out and explore the place, the food and of course, watch some good movies.
"I want to get the real essence of the country and I'm sure I will not be disappointed," she sums up.