Nastassja Kinski and Cody Morgan in The Magic Of Marciano. Photo: C. Reardon.

Nastassja Kinski stars in Tony Barbieri’s second feature, The Magic of Marciano, a wrenching tale about a nine-year-old boy whose beautiful young mother (Kinski) is growing more unstable due to mental illness. When his mother’s boyfriend becomes abusive, the boy retreats into a fantasy life. "There’s something inherently poetic and powerful about the unconditional love between a mother and son," says Barbieri. "But what if the mother had an uncontrollable illness she’s trying to suppress for her son’s sake? I pictured him developing his imagination as a means of coping."

Barbieri, 30, was born and raised in San Francisco and spent his early twenties studying fine art in Paris, where he was inspired by the French New Wave and the Italian neo-realist movement.

Back in San Francisco, Barbieri made One, his first feature, on a shoestring in 1997. The film, a story of two old friends struggling to redefine their lives after being variously thrown off course, premiered in the American Spectrum section at Sundance ’98 and was widely praised for its style and the power of its camera work. Though distribution never transpired, the film won fans in high places. One of those fans was Lumiere Films production chief Lila Cazes who immediately offered to finance Barbieri’s next film. Lumiere ultimately financed Marciano for a reported $5 million with Cazes on board as producer.

Barbieri says he saw over 200 boys before finding a neophyte with the eyes to signal James’ emotional complexity and inner life; Kinski, he says, was his only choice for Katie. Marciano was shot in Nova Scotia last October through December, and Barbieri returned to California for postproduction. Rights are available through Lumiere.

Cast: Nastassja Kinski, Robert Forster, Cody Morgan, Jason Cairns. Crew: Producer, Lila Cazes; Executive Producers, Mickey Cottrell and Wendy Cary; Screenwriter/Director, Tony Barbieri, Cinematographer, Matthew Irving; Production Designer, Victor Syperek; Editor, Jeffrey Stevens. Contact: Mickey Cottrell, Cottrell and Lindeman, 7223 Beverly Blvd., #203, Los Angeles, CA 90036. Tel: (323) 936-6677, Fax: (323) 936-7101.

Boyd’s Out - Dani Minnick
Follow Me Outside - John Sullivan
Kali’s Vibe - Shari Carpenter
The Magic of Marciano - Tony Barbieri
Maryam - Ramin Serry
On the Q.T. - Yale Strom
Slice & Dice - Rob McCall
Swimming - Robert J. Siegel
Waiting - Patrick Hasson