Interview with Filmmaker Nancy Allison (MARMO)

MARMO was the winner of BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY at the September 2018 Experimental FEEDBACK Film Festival in Toronto.

Matthew Toffolo: What motivated you to make this film?

Nancy Allison: Location! Location! Location!

I was traveling in Versiglia, Italy when friends there took me to visit several amazing marble quarries. The rugged beauty of the massive exposed rock face captured my imagination and invaded my dreams. Learning from contemporary sculptors in the area who flock to the region from all over the world, that they were following in the footsteps of Michelangelo, who often came to this outpost of the Medici empire to choose his marble, added another layer of creative inspiration. I was already familiar with Michelangelo’s writing and had often used the quote that appears at the end of the film with my choreography students at New York University where I was teaching at that time.

2. From the idea…