"Criticism, positive or negative, must always be seen as a gift" - Corinna Coroneo

Actress, dancer, and author, Corinna Coroneo was born in Galatina in Salento, Italy. She studied classical and modern dance for fifteen years. In 2003, she graduated from DAMS in Bologna with a thesis on the film “Querelle”, an adaptation of the famous novel by J.Genet. Since 2004, she has been working in independent films, taking part in feature films and several short films, including “The Poet” by Mauro John Capece of 2012 in which she played the female lead. She has won various awards for her film “The Sculpture” at The Indie Fest, The International Euro Film Festival, The World Film Awards, Jakarta, and The Nez International Film Festival. In an exclusive chat with Abhijit Ganguly, she speaks about her journey in the film industry on the sidelines of The  NEZ INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, an initiative by Dr. Sudeep Ranjan Sarkar, founder of NEZ Foundation.

Are there more female writers, producers, and sound engineers in the film industry today?

The presence of women in the audiovisual sector has increased compared to the past, but I think that there isn’t a complete equality of the sexes today, especially in the areas of cinema that are more technical. I also believe that the male roles are always predominant. Stories are written that continue to focus on men. But this reality has never been a problem for me. I am a woman who loves women, the different facets of the soul of women. And if I had the opportunity to produce I would do with great courage and love. I am a writer who loves to write stories about women and an actress who likes to explore. The most important thing for me is to make films, as a producer, as a writer and as an actress. I think it is more important to do what you love rather than sit there and focus on the various issues and on who has more power. I believe that the greatest power that each of us can have is to find our own ways to do what we love, go our own way, and be happy about what we do. Life is full of problems, but we have to try beauty and love everywhere.

Have you experienced gender discrimination or sexual harassment?

No, never fortunately. Discrimination for me touches other aspects, for example, the closed mind of the producer that continues to focus on simple and stupid movies, comedies, spanning the average people rather than focusing on culture and art. This is the true horror. And there is no sex difference here.

All performers at one point or another face negative criticism for their performance, and are unraveled by it because they feel they have done a great job and given it their best. How do you deal with criticism?

An actor knows how to perform an act of magic, travel and above all, know that his work will be submitted to the judgment of the viewer. An actor must never stop, must always explore and be curious. And criticism, positive or negative, must always be seen as a gift. We have to understand that we must grasp in what way criticisms can develop us. We need to bend criticisms to our service. Only in this way an actor can dig deep into the mind of the beholders and offer them even greater magic.

What has been your most challenging role and why was it been so?

Each role for me is difficult and complicated because I like to get to the bottom of the character. There aren't difficult roles for an actor- this is the essence of life, it is its oxygen. The difficulty is only in the search for that which belongs to the character and not the actor. But that's the fun part: exploring what is unknown to us daily.

What would be your dream role?

My dream role is to play a man, exploring the body and the mind of a man being a woman!

If you were to give once piece of advice to younger women you meet, what would it be?

The only thing I could say to anyone is to remain true to themselves and their integrity.