Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1991, the director, screenwriter, actor and acting tutor Renzo Cozza currently lives in Madrid, Spain where he divides his time between filmmaking and acting training. His films have been presented at various international festivals.
What was your starting point for „La hora de irse“?
The starting point was Martín Shanly, the lead actor. He is a very close friend, and I began writing with him in mind. From there, the short film gradually took shape, with its different characters and spaces. For some time now, I’ve been interested in exploring the poetics of actors and how, through them, a tone emerges that builds the universe and atmosphere of a short film.
Do you have a favorite moment in the film? Which one and why this one in particular?
One moment I particularly love is the first scene with the muscular guy, because I surprised myself while shooting it and through the actors’ work. Every time I watch it, it fills me with joy. There is something very unique about the way what is written becomes amplified through the actors’ bodies: during the shoot, this creates a heightened state of presence, as everyone behind the camera becomes captivated by the performance, and an almost theatrical space is formed.
What do you like about the short form?
I like short films because there is something deeply intriguing about the possibility of storytelling within such brevity, especially when it comes to exploring writing: how to tell a story with very little, particularly in relation to what excites me about cinema -characters, humor, and sadness. Irish writer Claire Keegan says that a short story is what remains of something that happened to someone, its aftermath. That resonates with me: the present is brief- just a few scenes, that moment and no other.
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