Exclusive Interview: Filmmaker Fabio Massa Talks ‘Global Harmony,’ the Story’s Poignant Themes, and More

Fabio Massa is a multifaceted storyteller who writes, acts, directs, and produces. His latest feature, Global Harmony, is currently taking the festival circuit by storm, winning numerous awards for its poignancy and timely message.

This edge-of-your-seat thriller follows award-winning journalist Richard Foster, who leaves behind his family’s business empire to found the Global Harmony Foundation. He dedicates his inherited wealth to promoting equality, justice, and global unification. However, as Richard and his team prepare for a massive global conference, a crime ring plans to thwart their efforts.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Fabio about bringing Global Harmony to life on screen, his work both behind and in front of the camera, and more.

PC: In so many of the projects that you’ve worked on, there’s this social justice/commentary that sparks a lot of necessary conversations. Why do you think Global Harmony lends itself to this type of storytelling and what inspired the film?
Fabio: My co-producer and good friend Matthew Stegemiller brought this issue to my attention about twenty-two years ago when we met for the first time in California. We spoke about this idea of global harmony, justice, and the idea of equality. We always look at our differences, but in truth, we’re all the same. We all come from the same place. We forget this every day. It really spoke to me and I’ve always believed that cinema has the power to influence others. Years later, after discussions and a lot of research about child labor, we created the screenplay for Global Harmony.

It was such a great experience working on this project, and one that I’ll never forget. It was such an amazing experience from an artistic and human point of view. We had all these actors from all over the world come and film with us because they believed in the themes and messages of the film.

We had actors from France, Australia, America, Canada, Syria, Sri Lanka, and Italy. We shot this in Lampedusa. It’s this wild and beautiful Italian island that’s known all over the world for its migration problems. But this was one of the first times that the island wasn’t speaking to that problem and was being shown for its beauty. It becomes a dream for many of the characters in the film.

PC: This is your third film as a director and actor. Because you have that experience in front of the camera, how helpful is it when you’re directing? Is there a different language that’s spoken because you know what it’s like to be in their shoes?
Fabio: This is my third movie as a director and actor. I did my first film as an actor in Italian when I was eighteen. I started off with shorts. Once I felt more confident as a director-actor, I worked my way to a feature.

I had a vision for this film. I spoke with all of the actors and my director of photography and started working on storyboards. When I arrived on set, I was very prepared. Once I’ve done all that, then I can start working on my work as an actor. I ask myself, “What are my character’s goals? Where do I want him to go? What is the message behind what he’s doing?” Those are all the questions that an actor has to ask themselves.

This was also my first time working in English. I’ve always spoken in English because I studied it at school, but it’s different when you’re directing. I’m always trying to improve. I have a very strong Italian accent. It works for my character Alessandro. It worked out for me because I wasn’t stressed about speaking in English as my character. I hope that audiences enjoy it because it’s really important to me that I’m always improving myself with each character that I play.

PC: Your son also has a cameo in this film. What was it like getting to share the screen with him and bring him into your world?
Fabio: [laughs] It’s true. Movies are forever. Nowadays, you can watch films that were made a hundred years ago, so I always want to put people in my movies who are friends and family, so I can embrace these moments forever. My son has one line in the movie, but for me, it’s important. Every time that I see him on screen, I’m like, there’s Christian!

I have to confess something else: my wife is also in it! She has just one line at the beginning of the movie. It isn’t meant for them to be discovered or anything, but it’s a way to bring my life into the movie. It’s really special, especially for this story.

PC: The film is making its way around the festival circuit and it’s been incredibly well received. What do you think is resonating most with audiences? What has it been like getting to experience that with a live audience?
Fabio: It’s true. The first screening was at the Spokane International Film Festival in Washington. The audience really enjoyed it and they had a lot of questions. Then we had a lot of positive reviews come out following that. It was a great moment. The second festival was the Los Angeles Italia Film Festival at the Chinese Theatre. We had our first premiere with a lot of the actors and producers. We just discovered that we won Best Feature. It’s our first award that we were able to bring home, and we were really, really excited. It was a great night.

For me, and all the Italian cast and crew, it felt like a dream to come to Hollywood to screen our project. There were like two hundred people there. I will never forget that night. We want to bring this to every corner of the world.

To keep up with Fabio, follow him on Instagram.