What happens when a village at risk of disappearing decides to reinvent itself? Our latest winner, ‘Cambio Vita‘, takes us to Rocca San Casciano, where new families, professionals and dreamers are breathing fresh life into a historic community. Blending fiction with reality, director Ettore Zito creates a warm and timely portrait of belonging, change and the search for a life on a human scale. Winner of Film of the Month, Director of the Month, Screenwriter of the Month, Original Score of the Month, Actor of the Month and the Audience Award, ‘Cambio Vita’ reminds us that sometimes the future can be found where we least expect it. We spoke with Ettore about the story behind the film, working with the local community, and the importance of keeping Italy’s small villages alive.
TMFF: Congratulations, Ettore! Cambio Vita had an extraordinary month at TMFF, winning Film of the Month, Director of the Month, Screenwriter of the Month, Original Score of the Month, Actor of the Month and the Audience Award. How does it feel to see the film connect so strongly with both the jury and the audience?
EZ: I was deeply moved by the news of the six awards. What surprised me most was the audience award: we know full well that jurors’ criteria often differ from viewers’ tastes, making such common ground a rarity. Seeing such convergence between the critics’ verdict and the audience’s reaction gives me enormous satisfaction.
TMFF: Cambio Vita begins with a very real and urgent issue: the depopulation of small Italian villages. What first drew you to Rocca San Casciano and made you feel there was a film waiting to be made there?
EZ: I first came to Rocca San Casciano for a screening of another one of my films. Afterwards, a group of people approached me to tell me about a project they had been running for a few years to revitalize the town. Their goal was to let people experience village life by offering a free one-week stay in a home to anyone who applied, giving them a chance to learn what living there is really like. Over the course of five years, more than 100 families moved there. This success story—this model—deserved to be shared, so we decided to make a film about it.
TMFF: The film is ultimately about more than saving a village; it’s about people actively choosing a different way of living. What does the idea of “changing your life” mean to you personally, and how did that shape the story?
EZ: It is true—the film goes further; it aims to show how changing one’s life to live in a small village makes certain values tangible—above all, time. Having more time means having more opportunities to devote to ourselves, our hobbies, our passions, and even to others… and it was this aspect that left the deepest impression on me… thanks to this, I am slowly relearning how to use my time.
TMFF: One of the most fascinating aspects of Cambio Vita is the way you blur the boundary between reality and fiction, bringing professional actors together with the real inhabitants of Rocca San Casciano. Why was that approach important to you?
EZ: Bringing together professional actors and actual residents of Rocca San Casciano was crucial to stripping away the veneer of fiction and revealing the town’s true soul. While the professionals provide the dramatic structure, it is the locals who imbue the film with their spontaneous truth, authentic silences, and visceral bond with the land. In this way, the community is not merely a backdrop but the story’s beating heart, transforming cinema into a slice of real, shared life.
TMFF: How did the presence of the village’s real residents influence the performances of your actors? Were there moments when reality changed what you had originally planned on the page?
EZ: In terms of the screenplay, absolutely nothing was changed: the story remained exactly as I had written it, because right from the casting sessions with Riccardo Piana (1st Assistant Director) and Manuel Vece (2nd Assistant Director), we saw that everyone fit perfectly into the roles envisioned for them. Reality didn’t alter the writing, but it radically transformed the final result for the better. While an actor usually has to build a character, for them, it was enough simply to be themselves. By bringing their faces, gestures, and lives to the set, they conveyed a visceral truth that no drama school can teach, influencing the entire atmosphere and transforming the script into something extraordinarily alive.
TMFF: There is something very cinematic about the contrast at the heart of the film: a medieval village facing disappearance while becoming a place where people can imagine a new future. How did you approach capturing Rocca San Casciano visually without romanticising the realities it faces?
EZ: Rocca is truly beautiful! And I’m not saying that just to flatter… I simply observed it with the curiosity of someone arriving there for the first time and becoming captivated—it speaks for itself!
TMFF: Was there a particular scene or moment during the making of Cambio Vita when you felt you had captured the true spirit of Rocca San Casciano and what the film was trying to say?
EZ: There were many memorable moments, but the scenes by the river gave me a true sense of freedom. Being able to immerse yourself in such clear waters just steps from home is a luxury unthinkable in a big city, and clear proof that in Rocca San Casciano, you can still be the master of your own time.
TMFF: At a time when many rural communities across Italy and elsewhere are facing depopulation, what do you hope Cambio Vita contributes to the wider conversation about how these places can survive, and, perhaps more importantly, thrive?
EZ: I hope *Cambio Vita* demonstrates that small villages are not museums of the past to be preserved out of nostalgia, but rather laboratories for the future capable of reversing depopulation. The film aims to serve as a megaphone for concrete initiatives like the one in Rocca San Casciano, and I hope this model becomes a benchmark that many other communities can replicate. Indeed, the revitalization of these areas hinges on bold hospitality projects, the growth of remote work, and genuine synergy between institutions and citizens to build new economies centered on well-being.
TMFF: Finally, after Cambio Vita, what comes next for you? Are there any new stories or projects you are currently developing?
EZ: After filming “Cambio Vita” I shot my new documentary, “I Will Not Surrender! Mafia is Not a Movie,” premiering in Palermo this September.This project follows Pippo Giordano, a former investigator of the Anti-Mafia Directorate (DIA) who worked alongside the iconic prosecutors Falcone and Borsellino. The film strips away the glamorous myth of organized crime popularized by cinema to expose the raw, painful reality of the Mafia. By tracing Giordano’s choice to reject his childhood ties to future mob bosses and fight Cosa Nostra from the front lines, the documentary serves as a powerful educational tool to promote justice and legality.
TMFF: Thanks so much for your time, Ettore. It was a pleasure to discover Cambio Vita and the community at the heart of it. Congratulations again on an exceptional month at TMFF, and we look forward to seeing where your filmmaking takes you next.
EZ: Thank you so much! It has been an absolute pleasure sharing the journey behind Cambio Vita and the community that made it so special. I am deeply honored by the recognition at TMFF, which means a great deal to all of us who worked on the project
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