Born and raised in Bologna, Italy, Generator Films director Igor Borghi is a man of great taste. Smooth jazz, fine dining and classic Italian cinema all tickle his fancy. But what else is there to know about this directing virtuoso?

LBB caught up with Igor to find out what he considers his Essential List.

Travel

◦ Place of birth:  Bologna, Italy

◦ Hometown: Somewhere between South Europe and North America

◦ Staycation: Milan, a super exiting city!

Milan, Navigli, Milanese channel. Photo taken by Igor Borghi

◦ Vacation:  Bussing around Asia or jeep rides in Eastern Africa

◦ Place of work: Old fashioned cafes in the city centre

◦ Place of workout: Cinema, cinema, cinema.

◦ Mode of transport: I still prefer the train or aeroplane. I can people watch for hours building biographies about them in my head

◦ Miscellaneous Travel Essential: Get lost

Culture

◦ Artist: After ‘Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable’ it’s hard not to mention Damien Hirst. He is the best in the art of storytelling that I have seen

◦ Musician: My heart belongs to jazz and Miles Davis is its brightest star. After that I would mention Max Richter because he gets everything so naturally absolute, and Bob Dylan because the absolute is natural

◦ Commercials director: Mark Molloy for the intense humanity in his films

◦ Film director: Jean Luc Godard and Fellini, they remind me that there is always an alternative way. I would add David Lynch every time I need to lose myself in the magnificence of the human mind

◦ Photographer: Todd Hido for his portraits of lost women and Claudine Doury for her Eastern European Reportage

◦ Film: 8 ½ from Fellini, for me it is the best movie ever made

◦ Series: True Detective season 1, I know that’s a ‘long movie’ but I can’t resist

◦ Commercial: The next one

◦ Music Video: When Gondry meets Foo Fighters…

◦ Video Game: Atari tennis

◦ Board Game: Atari tennis

◦ Book: “The Blue Flowers” by Raymond Queneau and “The Master and Margarita” by Nabokov

◦ Graphic Novel: Everything from Enki Bilal and “The Last Days of Pompeo” by Andrea Pazienza

◦ Newspaper (off or online):  El Pais

◦ Magazine: The New Yorker

◦ Miscellaneous Art: Artribune

Food and Drink

◦ Breakfast: South of Spain, pan y tomate and fruit juice

◦ Restaurant:  Langosteria Bistrot, Milan

◦ Cheap bite: Street food

◦ Working lunch: Dim Sum is my realm