The lights dimmed, and the first scenes of our documentary appeared on the screen. I was sitting in the last row of the movie theatre with filmmakers Morgan Bertacca and Valerio Bariletti, who had created this film.
It was an emotional moment for the three of us. The project took six years in the making, and we were about to see it in a cinema for the first time.
We were in Cluj – Napoca in Romania. This modern city has a charming old town at its centre, and it was June, so it was hot and sunny. The trees lining its larger avenues gave off a wonderful perfume.
Even the air in the lobby of our modern hotel was filled with incense. It evoked memories of my younger travels. The people we met during our stay were friendly, open, and curious. The whole town had an atmosphere of fiesta.
Our documentary had been selected by the Transylvania International Film Festival, or TIFF, to have its world premiere in front of a live audience. The following night, there was a second screening under the stars, inside the amazing courtyard of the Art Museum. This was my favourite of the two. The screen was even bigger this time, and as the sky slowly darkened, I could sense the public relaxing on comfortable bean bags.
I was told I could leave once the film started and return at the end, but I didn’t. I was again caught up in the story as soon as it began. Even though I had seen it many times on a computer as it evolved during the six years, I still discovered little things I had missed. The two shows were sold out, and I was happy to see not only tattooed but also “regular” people in the audience.
When the lights came back on at the end of the screenings, the Q&A was a little daunting for me. I never had to speak into a microphone to a theatre full of strangers before.
At least there were three of us to answer, and as soon as I felt the interest and warmth coming from the audience, it became easy.
At the second screening, the last question a young woman asked me was: Do you think it is possible to live a life like yours today? Absolutely. Dare to Dream.
This documentary has been an independent passion project with no outside backing. I hope it will find a way to reach a wide audience. As Felix would say, the main object is sharing.
