What we know about Goncharov’s mysterious director, Matteo JWHJ 0715 and his tragic, yet fascinating life.
- He was born as Matteo Di Sciocchezze to a poor catholic farming family on November 5th, 1938, in Torre del Greco, just outside of Naples, during the fascist Mussolini regime.
- It is rumored that the Sciocchezzes were heavily indebted to the Russian-Italian Chmerkovskiy crime family, after they bought a surplus of inventory from Matteo’s father’s cheese-making business when they weren’t able to sell off the excess supply.
- His older brother Macareo was killed by German Nazis during WW2, causing him to have an intense hatred of Nazism and fascism, which would later be themes in his work.
- Self-identified as bisexual in his teens but was shunned by his family. He would later join Fuori!, or “Out!”, the first homosexual organization in Italy, in 1972, soon after its founding after being attracted to its initial Marxist ideals. It was one of the first associations of the Italian homosexual liberation movement.
- Matteo was briefly married to actress Rita Lozionne and had one son with her, Bruno Lozionne, in 1970, but the separated soon after she gave birth.
- Sophia Loren mentioned in a 1984 Variety article that she had been “madly in love with Matteo” at one point during their relationship in the early 1960s but had to end their relationship because of the “incident in Prague.” She would not go into further detail.
- Changed his last name to his license plate number, rejecting his homophobic family and becoming disillusioned with the idea of nationalistic self-identity.
- Knew John Waters and helped fund some of his earlier films.
- Aside from Goncharov, the only other surviving work in his filmography, most which was tragically lost in a studio fire in Milan in 1987, were the underground early 60s short films “Tales of the Dog,” a 4 part series, and his 90 minute 1968 film “Green Candles.” These works are incomplete and partially damaged due to the fire.
- Matteo had been in a gay love affair with the married producer Domenico Procacci (pictured below from a still one of Matteo’s “Tales of the Dog” films) during the production of Goncharov. Procacci admitted to this years later in 1998, and that they had been planning to leave for San Francisco before his untimely death.
- Matteo died tragically in 1974, however, after falling backwards out of a window, supposedly while playing the mandolin (his favorite past time), as sources claimed.
- His son Bruno Lozionne emigrated with his mother in 1976 to the United States, and is currently living in Carbondale, IL, working as the senior office manager of Hardison Supply Co.
If anyone can send in more information on Matteo please feel free to add to this post.
