DIRECTOR'S NOTES It all begins with an article in the newspaper. The initial source of inspiration was a short piece in a daily newspaper entitled: “Street cleaners with first class degrees”. In reality it is about two young guys with philosophy degrees and masters who work for AMA, the company responsible for keeping the streets of Rome clean. Two street cleaners discussing The Critique of Pure Reason while sweeping the sidewalk was the first, and for quite a while, the only image of the film. It was the spring of 2010 and after filming my last short, Matteo Rovere asked me to write a film. But in my head I only had the image of the two street cleaner philosophers. In reality, that image was the synthesis of what was going on around that time. The front pages of the newspapers were full of articles about research funding cuts and the consequent sight of young people for whom life had only been about studying who were now pushing 40, unemployed and hopeless. No-one seemed to notice the paradox that the most intelligent people in the country were being marginalised. And what if they decided to rebel? And if the most brilliant minds around were the ones to turn to crime? And if they joined forces? I Can Quit Whenever is an acid comedy, paradoxical and ultra well-known, in which social drama is played out only and exclusively as a vehicle for the comedy. Our starting point was reality, as in Italian-style comedy and we allowed ourselves to be influenced by contemporary American cinema, putting everything we liked in the film. What Tarantino does with Italian films, we have tried to do with the American product. The result was a sort of Usual Suspects in the time of Ocean’s Eleven, The Big Bang Theory and Breaking Bad. A gang of congenial nerds using neurobiology, classics, anthropology and macroeconomics to worm their way through a totally Italian legal loophole, smart drugs: a very interesting but little known phenomenon. AWARDS AND HONORS March 2015, Young Cinema Prize: Young Cinema Prize for Best First Film. December 2014. Asti Film Festival: Creative’s Prize for Screenplay; Best Actors – Feature Films December 2014, Capri Hollywood Festival: Carmelo Rocca prize – Director of the Future. (Matteo Rovere). November 2014. Vittori De Sica awards for Italian cinema (competition): Vittorio De Sica Italian Cinema award (Sydney Sibilia). October 2014, Arthouse Cinema Meetings – FICE Prize (exhibition): FICE Prize for New Director of the Year (Sydney Sibilia). September 2014 Kineo Prize “Diamonds of Italian Cinema” (competition): Prize for Best First Film. September 2014 Political Satire Prize (festival): Prize for Political Satire (Sydney Sibilia) September 2014 Reykjavik International Film Festival (festival): Discovery of the Year: The Golden Puffin. September 2014 Trailers Film Fest (competition): Best Publicity Campaign; Best Poster “Coming Soon.it”. July 2014 Est Film Festival (festival): Audience Prize for Best Feature Film. July 2014 Magna Graecia Film Festival (festival): Colonna d’Oro prize for Best First Film. June 2014, Ciak d’Oro (competition): Ciak d’Oro Prize Discovery of the Year (Sydney Sibilia) – Best Poster (Federico Mauro) June 2014, Ciné – Summer Days of Cinema (festival): Prize “Cinéciak d’Oro” Comedy of the Year June 2014, L’Isola del Cinema (festival): Audience Prize for Best First Film June 2014, Nastri d’Argento (competition): Falconeri Prize – Nastri d’Argento Style and Elegance (Valeria Solarino); Best Producer (Domenico Procacci), Best Producer (Matteo Rovere) July 2014, Tuscia Film Fest (festival): Pipolo Tuscia Cinema Prize (Sydney Sibilia) June 2014 , Festival delle Cerase (festival): Film revelation Prize May 2014, Premio Prize (competiton): “Simpatia” Prize for Cinema (Sydney Sibilia) March 2014 BAFF – Busto Arsizio Film Festival (festival): Made in Italy Prize BAFF 2014 City of Busto Arsizio – Best Film. Made in Italy Prize BAFF 2014 – Digitalia ’08 – First Work July 201, Ortigia Film Festival – OFF (festival): Jury Special Mention Via G.B. Piatti 23, 00185 Roma P.IVA/C.F. 13097601002 Via G.B. Piatti 23, 00185 Roma P.IVA/C.F. 07512681003 Privacy & Cookie Policy