Six: Dedicated to Kiarostami

Six: Dedicated to Kiarostami is Gianni Romeo’s personal reinterpretation of Five: Dedicated to Ozu by Abbas Kiarostami. In this iteration, the number of long takes increases from five to six, though their duration is constrained by the technical limitations of the Grand Theft Auto V’s filmmaking tool, the Rockstar Editor. The recording time within the game varies depending on the complexity of the environment — densely populated maps with numerous objects, vehicles, and pedestrians shorten the clips to as little as thirty seconds, whereas more open and unoccupied spaces allow recordings of up to four minutes. The six locations are sex venues located in Los Santos: sites that exist on the margins of daily life, yet hold significance within urban culture. Some were encountered by the artist in reality and later identified — or reconstructed using modifications — within San Andreas. Romeo has long been drawn to contemplative cinema, a style characterized by long, static shots where action is minimal or absent — Five by Kiarostami is a key example. In Six, his interest in cinematic contemplation converges with an exploration of sexuality within virtual environments. The result is not simply a remake but a personal reinterpretation, translating Kiarostami’s poetics through his distinct artistic lens.