He is one of the most prolific and talented directors of photography in Italian cinema. At 41 he conquered his first David di Donatello for Veloce like the wind of Matteo Rovere . Today, due to quarantine, he is forced away from the set, but he has nevertheless found a way to feed his second great passion, the bicycle. When not filming with the camera, Michele D'Attanasio , a Pescara doc, turns on two wheels, following the advice of his friend and fellow countryman, the former Giro d'Italia champion Danilo Di Luca. This time, however, he tries his hand on the rollers at home, away from the curves and straights of the road.
"I pedal mainly to move around the city, both to reach the sets and for pleasure - he says while pushing on the pedals -, but another thing I like to do is run, and I can do it practically everywhere, even when I travel for work" . Before the stop for the coronavirus emergency, D'Attanasio - who also won two other David di Donatello nominations for Lo Chiamavano Jeeg Robot and Capri Revolution - was shooting the new film by Michele Placido on the figure of Caravaggio. "It is a very interesting film visually - he says -. It was really a shame to stop, but we are waiting for everything to start again. The film has stopped, but it will start again".
FAST AS THE WIND (2016) by Matteo Rovere - Official HD trailer
But D'Attanasio's career begins almost twenty years ago when, after attending the Dams in Bologna, he makes his debut alongside Paolo Carnera in L'Amore returns by Sergio Rubini. It was 2003 and a lot of time and films have passed, over 30 films for cinema and television series such as Gomorra or Rocco Schiavone . "When I was a kid I was the classic student who brought his father's camera to school to shoot something - his memory -. Initially my idea was to be a director, because I thought he would also take care of the visual part of the film, which would make over the years, I realized that what I wanted to do, among the various roles, was the director of photography. "
For some days now, he has returned to training on the street. Now D'Attanasio is just waiting for the go-ahead to return to the set. In the meantime, he does not hide the dream of being able to make a film about Danilo Di Luca's life , to tell the successes and the human and sporting misadventures of a former champion like his great friend . And who knows, it could also be his directorial debut. "Not only is he my fellow countryman, but also a friend since forever - he concludes -. I would shoot a film based on his book 'Victory Beasts', the story of a great bike champion like Danilo".