“She’s very strong, but she’s never conservative,” Italian filmmaker Saverio Costanzo concluded this morning during a Q&A at Thessaloniki when asked about his enigmatic countrywoman Elena Ferrante, whose acclaimed Neopolitan novels he adapted to create the popular series My Brilliant Friend .

Costanzo co-wrote all 34 episodes of the HBO series. He directed the entire first season, with Alice Rohrwacher subbing in for two episodes in season two, and Daniele Luchetti and Laura Bispuri taking the reins for seasons three and four. Costanzo is also known for the feature films Private (2004), which won the Golden Leopard at the 2004 Locarno Film Festival, and the Venice competition title Hungry Hearts (2014).

Costanzo told the audience in Thessaloniki that he first made contact wi

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