<P> The producers reached out to Luca Guadagnino and lined him up as their first choice to direct, but he declined, citing a busy schedule . Living in northern Italy, he was first hired as a location consultant instead, to help "put the movie together from the Italian side ." Guadagnino later suggested that he co-direct the film with Ivory--without any contractual agreement yet in place . Ivory accepted the offer, and spent between six and nine months in 2014 working on the screenplay . Guadagnino, who has described the novel as "a Proustian book about remembering the past and indulging in the melancholy of lost things," wrote the adaptation with Ivory, while also collaborating with Walter Fasano to "really fine - tune it". It took place at Ivory's house, Guadagnino's kitchen table in Crema, and sometimes in New York . Ivory hardly met the director during the process, as Guadagnino was busy making A Bigger Splash (2015). </P> <P> Completed in late 2015 and early 2016, the screenplay was approved by Aciman, who commended the adaptation as "direct,...real and persuasive ." He added, "as the writer I found myself saying,' Wow, they've done better than the book"'. The completed screenplay was vital in securing funding for the film's production . Among the financiers were the production companies La Cinéfacture (France); Frenesy Film Company (Italy, owned by Guadagnino); M.Y.R.A. Entertainment (United States); RT Features (Brazil), and Water's End Productions (United States)--along with the support of the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism . During negotiations, the production budget was reduced from $12 million to $3.5 million . </P> <P> In 2016, Ivory stepped down from directing to avoid conflicts, leaving Guadagnino to direct the film alone . According to Ivory, financiers from Memento Films International did not want to have two directors involved in the project, as they "thought it would be awkward...It might take longer, it would look terrible if we got in fights on the set, and so on ." Guadagnino has said that Ivory's version would have likely been "a much more costly (and) different film"--one which, in fact, could not have been made, because of "market realities". Ivory became the solely credited screenwriter, and subsequently sold the rights to the screenplay to Guadagnino's company . It marks Ivory's first produced screenplay since Le Divorce (2003), and the only narrative feature that he has only written, not directed . Despite that, Ivory was "very much involved" with other aspects of the production . Guadagnino chose to dedicate the film to Bill Paxton--a friend of the director, Spears and his husband, Brian Swardstrom--after his death in February 2017 . </P> <P> Call Me by Your Name is the final installment in Guadagnino's thematic Desire trilogy, following I Am Love (2009) and A Bigger Splash (2015). The film represents a departure from his previous work, as on it he took a "non-aggressive" and simple approach; he has said this is "the most calm" movie he has made . Despite being a literary adaptation, many scenes in the film play out wordlessly . "Words are part of what's going on, but it's not necessarily what's going on underneath . I think this film celebrates the underneath," he said . Guadagnino considers the film an "homage to fathers," referring both to his own father and to four filmmakers who have inspired him--Jean Renoir, Jacques Rivette, Éric Rohmer, and Bernardo Bertolucci . </P>

Who was call me by your name dedicated to