Interview with Attilio De Razza, producer of “Familia”
Attilio De Razza is one of the most established film producers in the Italian audiovisual industry. After an important chapter in comedy, television, and theatre production, he expanded his work into cinema, creating films that range from mainstream comedy to auteur-driven projects. Among his most notable titles are Indivisible (2016), It’s the Law (2017), The Vice of Hope (2018), Once Upon a Time in Bethlehem (2019), Strangeness (2022), Comandante (2023), and Familia (2024), the latter selected this year to represent Italy in the race for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.
Since 2009, he has led the production company Tramp Limited, which he founded together with Nicola Picone. With Tramp, he has received numerous accolades, including David di Donatello and Nastro d’Argento awards for Indivisible, It’s the Law, and Strangeness. His career is marked by a constant commitment to enhancing Italian talent and contributing to the international growth of Italian cinema.
Attilio, your career in entertainment began in television with the Bari-born comedy duo Toti e Tata, followed by the nationwide success of Ficarra and Picone. How did those early years start, and in what way did they shape your evolution toward cinema?
Attilio De Razza: It all started many years ago. I was the artistic director of a cabaret venue. All the comedians of the moment came through—artists who would later become Italian comedy stars in theatre, television, and cinema, contributing to the success of comedy venues in the 1990s. A lively creative movement was born there. One day, two very young performers, Ficarra and Picone (who would later become my partners at Tramp), passed through, along with Mago Forest. That’s where my career truly began. My first experience in cinema came in 2004, when I joined my partners on the set of a film produced by another company—I was simply a fascinated guest at the time… and here we are today.
Tramp Limited has supported very diverse projects, from mainstream comedy to auteur cinema. What is the common thread in your production choices, and what do you look for in a story when deciding to bring it to the screen?
Attilio De Razza: There is no real thread—the project is always the film itself, the story. Whether it’s a comedy or a drama doesn’t matter. If you fall in love with a story, you don’t categorize it. You fall in love with it, full stop. When the Tramp group decides to bring a story to the screen, it’s because we loved that story. It’s a very simple choice, really.
In recent years, you have contributed to titles that have strengthened the international presence of Italian cinema—Strangeness, Commander, and Familia—thanks to festival visibility, positioning in foreign markets, and high production values. From your perspective as a producer, what conditions allow an Italian film today to break through globally?
Attilio De Razza: In my opinion, the most important conditions for Italian films to succeed internationally today are the creativity and talent of our directors and actors. Producers and production companies do their best—sometimes with great difficulty—bringing passion and the uniquely Italian art of making things work to achieve a high-quality result. We make things possible on screen despite having far fewer resources than our European and American colleagues, who can rely on stronger support systems and produce richer, more exportable content. Plus, Italian is spoken only in Italy, so we primarily produce for our own market. But the talent of our artists helps us make our stories universal.
“Familia” is representing Italy at the Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category. From a production standpoint, what were the most significant aspects of making the film, and what do you believe makes it resonate with audiences worldwide?
Attilio De Razza: Familia fully embodies everything I just mentioned. It is a film made possible thanks to the talent of Francesco Costabile, the generosity of extraordinary actors—Francesco Gheghi, Barbara Ronchi, Francesco Di Leva, and Tecla Insolia—and our determination to bring such a story to life with limited financial resources but tremendous artistic strength and passion. We felt the need to tell this story. It is a true story, sadly rooted in the 1990s, but shockingly—even tragically—even more relevant today. Violence against women is a reality we are forced to confront every day, in countries across the world, and we still haven’t managed to stop it.
Is the name of your company, Tramp Limited, a tribute to the song “The Lady Is a Tramp,” a classic of the American jazz repertoire?
Attilio De Razza: Actually, the name of our company is a tribute to Charlie Chaplin. His short film The Tramp—known in Italian as Il Vagabondo—represents a model of comedy, imagination, and artistic talent that continues to inspire us every day.
Italy Meets Hollywood would like to thank Attilio De Razza.
© Italy Meets Hollywood – All rights reserved.
Share:
Interview with Francesco Costabile: with "Familia", Italy Heads Toward the Oscars
How “Playing God” Took Flight: Domestic and International Strategies Behind a Global Festival HitRelated Posts
Attilio De Razza is one of the most established film producers in the Italian audiovisual industry. After an important chapter in comedy, television, and theatre production, he expanded his work into cinema, creating films that range from mainstream comedy to auteur-driven projects. Among his most notable titles are Indivisible (2016), It’s the Law (2017), The Vice of Hope (2018), Once Upon a Time in Bethlehem (2019), Strangeness (2022), Comandante (2023), and Familia (2024), the latter selected this year to represent Italy in the race for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.
Since 2009, he has led the production company Tramp Limited, which he founded together with Nicola Picone. With Tramp, he has received numerous accolades, including David di Donatello and Nastro d’Argento awards for Indivisible, It’s the Law, and Strangeness. His career is marked by a constant commitment to enhancing Italian talent and contributing to the international growth of Italian cinema.
Attilio, your career in entertainment began in television with the Bari-born comedy duo Toti e Tata, followed by the nationwide success of Ficarra and Picone. How did those early years start, and in what way did they shape your evolution toward cinema?
Attilio De Razza: It all started many years ago. I was the artistic director of a cabaret venue. All the comedians of the moment came through—artists who would later become Italian comedy stars in theatre, television, and cinema, contributing to the success of comedy venues in the 1990s. A lively creative movement was born there. One day, two very young performers, Ficarra and Picone (who would later become my partners at Tramp), passed through, along with Mago Forest. That’s where my career truly began. My first experience in cinema came in 2004, when I joined my partners on the set of a film produced by another company—I was simply a fascinated guest at the time… and here we are today.
Tramp Limited has supported very diverse projects, from mainstream comedy to auteur cinema. What is the common thread in your production choices, and what do you look for in a story when deciding to bring it to the screen?
Attilio De Razza: There is no real thread—the project is always the film itself, the story. Whether it’s a comedy or a drama doesn’t matter. If you fall in love with a story, you don’t categorize it. You fall in love with it, full stop. When the Tramp group decides to bring a story to the screen, it’s because we loved that story. It’s a very simple choice, really.
In recent years, you have contributed to titles that have strengthened the international presence of Italian cinema—Strangeness, Commander, and Familia—thanks to festival visibility, positioning in foreign markets, and high production values. From your perspective as a producer, what conditions allow an Italian film today to break through globally?
Attilio De Razza: In my opinion, the most important conditions for Italian films to succeed internationally today are the creativity and talent of our directors and actors. Producers and production companies do their best—sometimes with great difficulty—bringing passion and the uniquely Italian art of making things work to achieve a high-quality result. We make things possible on screen despite having far fewer resources than our European and American colleagues, who can rely on stronger support systems and produce richer, more exportable content. Plus, Italian is spoken only in Italy, so we primarily produce for our own market. But the talent of our artists helps us make our stories universal.
“Familia” is representing Italy at the Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category. From a production standpoint, what were the most significant aspects of making the film, and what do you believe makes it resonate with audiences worldwide?
Attilio De Razza: Familia fully embodies everything I just mentioned. It is a film made possible thanks to the talent of Francesco Costabile, the generosity of extraordinary actors—Francesco Gheghi, Barbara Ronchi, Francesco Di Leva, and Tecla Insolia—and our determination to bring such a story to life with limited financial resources but tremendous artistic strength and passion. We felt the need to tell this story. It is a true story, sadly rooted in the 1990s, but shockingly—even tragically—even more relevant today. Violence against women is a reality we are forced to confront every day, in countries across the world, and we still haven’t managed to stop it.
Is the name of your company, Tramp Limited, a tribute to the song “The Lady Is a Tramp,” a classic of the American jazz repertoire?
Attilio De Razza: Actually, the name of our company is a tribute to Charlie Chaplin. His short film The Tramp—known in Italian as Il Vagabondo—represents a model of comedy, imagination, and artistic talent that continues to inspire us every day.
Italy Meets Hollywood would like to thank Attilio De Razza.
© Italy Meets Hollywood – All rights reserved.
Share:
Interview with Francesco Costabile: with "Familia", Italy Heads Toward the OscarsHow “Playing God” Took Flight: Domestic and International Strategies Behind a Global Festival Hit
