Filmmaker Manlio Castagna first visited Lucca in 2018 and initially described the city as something like a carnival, with people in unusual costumes. Yet stepping inside the awe-inspiring walled town, he felt a deeper sense of liberation and community that would come to frame his documentary. In a conversation with Variety, Castagna explains how Lucca’s atmosphere inspired the project, culminating in the documentary They Put on Masks to Show Their True Selves. The film uses the tension between spectacle and authenticity to explore how masks can reveal—or conceal—our true identities. For audiences seeking thought-provoking, place-driven cinema, Lucca emerges not only as a picturesque backdrop but as a symbol of freedom and communal spirit. This interview highlights Castagna’s vision and positions Lucca as a living example of how a city can illuminate personal truth behind the masks of everyday life.