Isabella Rossellini Talks Lynch, ‘Green Porno’ and How Animals Became Her Favorite ‘Muses’: ‘They Fascinate Me’
Isabella Rossellini received the Excellence Award at the Locarno Film Festival, an honour she noted her father Roberto Rossellini won in 1948 for "Germany, Year Zero" and her brother Renzo received four years ago. During her masterclass at the festival, the actress discussed her career and her enduring fascination with animals, which she said became her "muses" after she began making her own low-tech films inspired by Georges Méliès's techniques.
Rossellini, who holds a master's degree in Animal Behaviour and Conservation, spoke about her web series "Green Porno" and "Seduce Me," both exploring animal mating rituals, and revealed she plays every role in her forthcoming film while hoping to focus more on directing. She reflected on her path from working as a costume designer on her father's films to modelling for Richard Avedon and acting, partly inspired by her mother Ingrid Bergman, and touched on political concerns in the US that have made her weigh whether to leave her farm and land behind.
In short
- Isabella Rossellini wins Locarno's Excellence Award, following her father and brother.
- She discussed her love of animals and web series "Green Porno."
- She reflected on her career shift from modelling to acting and directing.
Explained simply
Isabella Rossellini is an Italian-American actor and filmmaker, the daughter of director Roberto Rossellini and actor Ingrid Bergman. She began her career in fashion before moving into acting, and has also worked behind the camera.
Alongside her film and television work, Rossellini studied animal behaviour and conservation. Her short series Green Porno and Seduce Me use humour and simple film techniques to explore how animals court and reproduce, reflecting her interest in wildlife.
Her career brings together cinema, performance and science, while her family links her to several generations of filmmaking. Her work about animals has also given her a way to share scientific subjects with audiences beyond universities and nature programmes.
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