Maria by Callas

Tom Volf discovered Maria Callas by chance in 2013, after a performance at New York's Metropolitan Opera. This first contact triggered an intense passion for the diva assoluta and a four-year quest to reveal the woman behind the legend. Travelling the world, Tom gathered previously unseen archives, films, letters and testimonies from Callas's close friends and family, who had never before shared their memories. The result is Maria by CallasAn intimate, authentic portrait in which Callas's voice moves and fascinates even those unfamiliar with opera.

A unique insight into one of the greatest voices of the 20th century, based on exclusive archive footage. The film has received critical acclaim in over 40 countries, and has won awards at film festivals in Europe and the United States.

Genesis of the project : "I knew nothing about opera, but this opera made me want to hear more. When I got home, I surfed the internet, looking for other interpretations of Donizetti, and Callas came up. The shock was so violent that I spent the night listening to her entire repertoire. I read just about everything that had been written about her and, very quickly, I met the people who had known her. My first instinct was to put Callas back at the centre of the story of her life, whose legend is riddled with untruths. She has left the image of a capricious diva. This is ridiculous. Her impetuous temperament often underlines the demands and perfection of a precise and rigorous work".

Impressive material: " Each time we met, it was the human element that prevailed, each person revealing a moment, a memory, and very often emotion would arise. I like the subjective truth, the storytelling, the evocation. I remember Robert Sutherland telling me about a rehearsal with her, and the emotion was so tangible, so vibrant, that I could feel just how much of an aura this woman had, and how it continued to radiate. At each meeting, most of them opened their drawers and took out personal photos, letters from Maria, super8 films taken during an afternoon with friends, recordings... I looked at all this after a year and a half and realised that the material was original and precious. In most of the documents, Maria was telling her own story.

A real headache: " With all this material, I wanted to favour film because it captures the light best. Then a colossal digitisation and restoration project was undertaken to obtain high definition quality. After working on the original element, I looked for harmony to always highlight the chosen archive. The colourisation is also part of this desire to rediscover the original media, just as you would look at colour photos of those evenings. It was a masterly job to render the original colours of the archive down to the last nuance, making the image more intimate and closer to the viewer.says the director.

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