“I would try to turn memories into touchstones, a pizza movie into a madeleine”: David Shapiro on Untitled Pizza Movie

Veteran doc-maker David Shapiro (Missing People, Keep the River on Your Right, Finishing Heaven) is an Independent Spirit Award winner whose work has been Emmy-nominated and Oscar-shortlisted. The born and bred New Yorker is also a visual artist, having exhibited at both the Brooklyn Museum and MoMA. Which is why a seven-part “pizzamentary” might seem an odd project for such an acclaimed filmmaker to pursue. Then again, Untitled Pizza Movie – the first three episodes of which debuted at last year’s Sundance, and is virtually playing in full at NYC’s Metrograph February 26 to March 14 – can perhaps more accurately be described as a stunningly crafted and heartbreakingly poignant love letter to a bygone city (and best friend), with pizza served up as red herring.

And to read my interview with the unconventional filmmaker and pizza connoisseur visit Hammer to Nail.