Posts Tagged ‘interview’

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Cinema helps me to extend the borders of ‘reality’ around me

Sunday, July 24th, 2011

Interview with Cenk Erturk director of Posthumous

Synopsis:
Mirsad’s father’s village is evacuated due to dam construction. The village will soon be under water. Mirsad arrives from the city intending to move his father’s remains from the old village cemetery to a grave in the new village’s graveyard.

We’d like to know who you are. Where are you from, how old are you,  what film school (if any) did you graduate from?

I’m from Turkey. I’m 26 years old. I studied Film at the University of California, Los Angeles. I am currently living in Los Angeles and working at a production company.

Also, we’d like to know why you make films, what makes your filmmaker heart beat faster, what describes you as a filmmaker.

I believe the reality is larger than what we see. Cinema helps me to extend the borders of ‘reality’ around me.

In a film, when I experience a feeling / emotion which I’ve never experienced through my life, it makes me excited. Seeing a character in the middle of a situation I’ve never lived and observing his reactions / feelings  to the facts of that specific situation make my heart beat faster.

There are a lot of things around to be curious about. Filmmaking is a good way to satisfy this curiosity inside me. I’d love to be described as a curious student who learns by filmmaking.

Posthumous – On the Set

What is your film about? Could you summerize the synopsis and tell us about the story’s background? Why did you choose this topic, how did you find your actors – tell us a little “behind the scenes” info!

Posthumous is about Mirsad who visits his dead father’s village for the first time after many years. Mirsad’s father’s village is evacuated due to dam construction. The village will soon be under water. Mirsad arrives from the city intending to move his father’s remains from the old village cemetery to a grave in the new village’s graveyard.

This is my 8th short film. Five of the previous seven were about different aspects of the concept of death.  Posthumous is the sixth one on death. I like working on ‘death’ which I will never personally experience while living. I had a unique image of Sarajevo in my mind from the last time I was there for the Talent Campus. That image always reminded me of death with its wounded buildings and scattered graveyards around the city. I had a sentence from my father in mind: ‘Death is an inevitable but beautiful teacher.’ This sentence, Sarajevo and my father are combined all together and turned into this story.

Senad Alihodzic(Mirsad) was my friend from  the Talent Campus. We met there. After the Talent Campus, I saw Loving Glances, a feature film he was lead-acting. I loved how he made it. I sent him the script of Posthumous and he accepted to work in the film. When I went to Sarajevo before the shooting started, I with Adnan (Imam) who was also a former participant of the Talent Campus. We became very good friends and he got into the production.

There was a highly committed and serious group of people behind the film. Everybody was working silently together as friends. I became very good friends with each of them.

Posthumous – On the Set

Looking back, why do you think your script was selected for production at the City of Film? What is its strength?

It might be that this story is trying to have a natural, organic  and silent connection with Sarajevo and its history. I’d recommend everyone look up the definition of the title ‘Posthumous’ to have an idea about what I mean. Posthumno, the film’s Bosnian title, has a slightly different meaning than the word “posthumous” but that meaning also fits the story perfectly. Again, please look up ‘Posthumno’ in a dictionary.

What was it like to work on this project, being part of the Sarajevo City of Film? Was it any different than the way you normally shoot? (Was it well organized? Did you have a big or small team at your disposal? Did you have good equipment?)

I was working with a crew who was really aware of the story and what we were trying to do. It is what a director needs most in order to realize his dream. The smiles on their friendly faces and their professionalism are what I will always remember from our set. Regarding the production, we had some restrictions but the producers were trying to do their best to provide everything we needed. We had some problems before or during production but what I liked most was how we solved the problems as a team. I always felt the generous support of the SCF with me: their producers and coordinators were frequently visiting us and asking if we were happy with everything.


Posthumous – On the Set

Tell us a funny/interesting story that happened while on the set.

For the driving scene with Imam’s green truck we had a very long way to drive from the beginning to the end of a road. There was no room in the back of the truck for me so I was waiting at the end of the road. Senad and Adnan were repeating the scene because the road was long enough to take the scene 6 times. They had a dialogue in that scene.  After we had taken the scene, I watched the takes. I saw the first take and felt that something was wrong. But what? At first, I couldn’t put my finger on it. Then I realized that I understood what they were saying to each other! I wasn’t supposed to, because I don’t speak Bosnian. We were shooting the film in Bosnian but Senad and Adnan wanted to make a joke to me and had the first take of that scene in English. I turned back smiling to Senad and Adnan and they, with the whole crew, were all watching me behind on the edge of a big laugh. We had five other perfect takes in Bosnian. We deserved to smile.

What plans do you have with this film?

I hope it can succeed transferring what I feel to its audience. I hope it can be seen by as wide an audience as possible.

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Making a movie brings a special state of mind to me

Sunday, July 24th, 2011

Interview with Nora Lakos director of Edina

Synopsis:
Edina, is a playful story on a one nigh stand of a writer and his own creature. Due to their  adventures the writer losses his superpower being able to change the character and the story and can’t get away from his perfect women character any more.

We’d like to know who you are. Where are you from, how old are you, what film school (if any) did you graduate from?

I graduated from the University of Theatre and Film in Budapest last year. I made several short films during the university years that were selected for competitions of Hungarian and international film festivals. In the last year I was mainly working on my graduation project in a Hungarian-German co-production. This humorous documentary of 60 minutes is based on the story of a European Moustache Championship. I also shot a short film in Sarajevo last year within the framework of the Sarajevo City of Film.

Also, we’d like to know why you make films. What makes your filmmaker heart beat faster? What describes you as a filmmaker?

Making a movie brings a special state of mind to me, starting with writing the screenplay. I enjoy the experience of seeing how the fictional world of the film gets confused with reality. It is nice to live in such a time out of joint. Besides, the fact that I visualize an image in my head, and a couple of months later, as a result of the work of a bunch of people another image, just like the original is shown on the screen is a wonderful feeling. I find it astonishing, especially because most of the crew don’t even know the screenplay, since they are in charge of technical tasks.

What makes my filmmaker heart beat faster?

Well, maybe times like when we get to a scene at the shooting that is challenging because of technical reasons or because of difficulties in the tasks of the actors. But I also enjoy just listening to the audience when the film is ready. As a director I strive to try new things, to be open-minded and not to stick to schemes of any kind. This is why my films are relatively diverse. But of course you can not become a different person all of a sudden, so despite all my efforts, certain characteristics or styles can be recognized in all of my films.

What is your film about? Could you summarize the synopsis and tell us about the story’s background?

This film is a creative adaptation of the short story Identification of a Woman from András Cserna-Szabó’s collection of short stories called Half Past Three. In fact this text only provides the beginning and the ending to the story, the rest of it I wrote myself. The simple plot is about a writer who is trying to shape a female character called Edina. Her hair colour, her voice, style, nationality, taste and studies are continuously changing and all these changes influence her personality. The writer is slowly falling in love with his own creature and has a love affair with her. But finally, after a last change he drops the story, keeping the character for a hopefully more worthy future screenplay. My film basically deals with the relationship between the creator and the creature in a very playful manner. There is a great emphasis on the scenery and the costumes in this film, since Edina  appears in 10-12 different costumes throughout the story. We used built scenes and also digital and traditional film effects.

Looking back, why do you think your script was selected for production at the City of Film? What is its strength?

This question is hard to answer. I was told that its strength was that it was very visual. Actually, I only found out about this open call in the last minute. And fortunately it was about the same time that I came upon this book that I hadn’t seen for years. The funny thing is that I picked the same book at the entrance examinations of the university when I was asked to choose a book that I would make an adaptation of. But then I forgot about it for some time. And it seems like it turned up in just the right moment because it was chosen for the City of Film. As I didn’t have much time before the closing date, I handed in a proposal in an initial state, which went through a lot of changes until it was later finalized. Now it is hard to tell why the initial proposal was chosen. I assume that their preference was to choose a true short film, instead of a short version of a full length feature, and a film that could be shot in 3 days. I guess this was also important besides their subjective opinion of the concept.

What was it like to work on this project, as being part of the Sarajevo City of Film? Was it any different than the way you normally shoot? (Was it well organized? Did you have a big or small team at your disposal? Did you have good equipment?)

The main concept of the Sarajevo City of Film is to bring together young film professionals from a variety of South-Eastern European countries, including Romania, Hungary, Greece, Turkey and all the former Yugoslavian countries to work together on projects. Every year 4 directors and 4 producers are chosen to participate and are supported to realize their film proposals. This means that the Sarajevo City of Film finances the production and provides a crew of local professionals in Sarajevo. The realized projects are presented at the Sarajevo Film Festival and are sent to several other festivals. The director is supported to invite two members of the crew from his/her home country and an actor or a screenplay writer from the members of the Talent Campus. Just like many others, I invited a cinematographer, Dani Bálint and an editor, Béla Barsi from my home country. The main character, Eszter Tompa was a participant of the Campus, and all the other members of the crew were provided by the programme from Sarajevo. So, finally, a multilingual crew was brought together and its members more or less worked together for the first time. In addition to this, we had quite a short time to shoot the film. It also made things harder that we had to face serious shortcomings in both the technical equipment and in the production section. Still, all in all this was a very exciting and challenging experience for me, and I met a lot of people with whom it was great to work.

When would you consider that a short film is successful?

As a filmmaker I would say a short film is successful if most of the original ideas survived through to the end product. As a member of the audience, I would say a film is a success if it has had an influence on me.

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The Kick-off of a Career in Film

Friday, July 22nd, 2011

Talking behind the scanes with Ivana Pakusic manager of the Sarajevo City of Film, one of the most ambitious short film projects from the Balkans.

What is the main goal of the Sarajevo City of Film Project?

To encourage and motivate young film authors from the region of South-Eastern Europe to collaborate and to enable the shooting of films that would be a quality reference for their further work.

This year you have chosen 4 projects for realization. What were the selection criteria?

A good story and the possibility to shoot that story within 3 shooting days, with a micro budget at disposal.

Was there any connection between the various projects or did every team work on its own?

The main connection, of course,  is the city of Sarajevo where all the films were produced at the same time. Every team had a maximum of 3 days for the shooting, worked with the same production team and same equipment, and had the same budget on disposal.

Do you have a favourite project of this year’s entries?

Every film is different and has its merit, but being included in the production process  as well as in the process of organising the project itself (from the call for entries to the distribution of the films) doesn’t leave me too much room for an objective perspective of the films. I don’t have a favourite project but I honestly believe that each of those 4 films will find its audience.

The SCF brings together talents from South-Eastern Europe. Did any of the previous co-operations have a follow-up?

There are some co-operations that started during the Talent Campus or the Sarajevo City of Film and continued afterwards. For example, Nives Zemba from Croatia and Dženan Medanović from Bosnia and Herzegovina are currently developing a feature documentary that is supposed to start shooting in September. Nives and Dženan met during the Sarajevo City of Film 2010 where Nives participated in the project as a producer and Dženan was one of the scriptwriters of the film Frigidance (Frigidance, 2010, dir: Kelmend Karuni).

The Sarajevo City of Film Project is somewhere in between film school training and the “real” film industry. Do you plan to serve as a first step for young talents?

Yes and No. Yes – for those who aren’t experienced in working in professional conditions and aren’t used to have a complete production team at their disposal.

No – for those who have already had that experience. These authors recognise the challenge of making a quality film by accepting all requirements this project has (working with an international crew, with a limited budget and having a maximum of 3 shooting days).

Whether or not authors have already experienced professional filmmaking, the Sarajevo City of Film serves them as a training and networking platform.

The SCF is a follow-up to the Sarajevo Talent Campus. Is there a similar relationship between the SCF and the Competition programme? Have you already had SCF alumni presenting their films at the festival?

We have had SCF alumni in different festival sections and programs. Sonja Tarokić who directed “Smart Girls” (Pametnice, 2010, co-dir.: Hana Jušić) is a director of the film Red (Crveno, 2010) which was selected for the Short Competition Programme of the 16th Sarajevo Film Festival. The same year, another participant of the SCF project, Dane Komljen – who directed the film Bodily Function (Tjelesna funkcija, 2011) – had his film “I Already Am Everything I Want To Have” (Ja vec jesam sve ono što želim da imam, 2010) at the same competition programme.

We also have some participants who started to develop their first scripts for feature films and got into selection for the Cinelink programme (Sarajevo Film Festival co-production market): Karoly Ujj-Meszaros who directed “Alena’s Journey” (Alenino putovanje, 2008) as a part of SCF 2008 and Nikola Ljuca who directed the film “Scenes with Women” (Scene sa ženama, 2011) as a part of this year’s edition of the SCF.

Tell us a success story of the SCF Project!

64 Talent Campus Alumni, 18 shorts produced in 4 years, over 100 world festivals (including the International Film Festival Rotterdam where “Liberation in 26 Pictures”  (Oslobođenje u 26 slika, 2009, dir.: Marko Škobalj and Ivan Ramljak) was screened) and 10 awards.

In the industry, short films are a bit on the side, mainly because of financial reasons. Do you think it is possible to make money with short films?

Since there is no theatrical distribution for short films developed yet, for now, I don’t think it is possible to make money with short films.

But I believe in securing money for subsequent feature films by making good and quality short films. If there is a successful short which helps the author to present him- or herself as a good and creative director, then it will be easier for him/her to get the funding for a feature film, and then, with the feature film, there is a possibility of making some money.

What do you think about the relationship between short films and the Internet?

I think this connection is natural considering the fact that beside film festivals there is rarely any other time or place where you can see short films. With short films on the Internet you have the access to a huge archive of great films, which is very valuable both for film professionals and short film fans.

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Martin Bargiel: “From the first idea it was designed as a short film different to all other short films”

Tuesday, June 28th, 2011

Interview with Martin Bargiel, winner of a Special Mention at the Impossible Film Contest for Blink of an Eye

Synopsis:
In the middle of the night a fight between Schenker’s neighbors won’t let him rest. Half asleep his mind is playing tricks on him: constantly he awakes in different places.  He tries to put himself back to sleep by smoking one cigarette after another. But soon he runs out of matches and takes a walk to the 24/7 market next door. Accompanied by heavy rain and rumbling thunder he awakes again. But this time not in his bedroom, not in his bathroom nor in the 24/7 market. This time he finds himself in an interrogation room, and he has to face questioning by an inspector about a dead woman. Now his real nightmare begins.

How would you describe your short film?

From the first idea Blink of an eye was designed as a short film different to all other short films that came out of my hometown Hannover in Germany. During film school all our short films looked alike. So this time I wanted to make it look different, make it look more international. That’s why we made up and designed our own Cigarette brands or have an international cast for example. I wanted to make it look bigger and more expensive. Blink of an eye should be my last short film. It is supposed to leave a good impression on what I can do on a small budget in this genre. And now that I’m working on my first feature, I hope that people can see what they can expect on a larger scale. This short is my business card, a flagship for what my come…hopefully…;-)

You also have the scriptwriter’s, DOP’s, producer’s and the editor’s credit on your short film. How did these artistic approaches work together? How could you perform all the roles?

Writing a script is a total pre-production phase, so that this doesn’t interfere with the shooting at all. Similar to being the producer, or the editor. Editing is entirely post-production. So the only thing that might have been a little difficult is giving direction and doing the cinematography. But even that didn’t restrict me. I had an awesome crew, so we usually did the technical stuff first while rehearsing. While I was operating the camera and staging and blocking with the actors, the gaffers/ best boys and sound crew were preparing themselves (actually that’s the way it should always be, get a good crew and you can experience this way of work). Also the actors were awesome and their timing was always right on the spot. I don’t know if I would do this all over again in the same picture, but after seeing that it works and having so much fun being active in all of these departments I will never say never. But the secret to this is having a great crew that knows what it’s doing. Also of course a good pre-production, storyboards an organized schedule and mood boards help to show how you want things to play out.

In the end it helps writing the script in a shooting script format, since as the DOP you know how you want it to look like. And as the DOP you know exactly how much material you need for the cut, since you’ll edit it the next day. So being the director for such type of work flow is kind of natural since you are already making most of the key decisions. As long as you can stay objective to the work you do and stand back from time to time to reflect and look at it with “clean” eyes, it should turn out good. And having a lot of people who are not involved in your project have a look at different stages of the edit is of tremendous help also.

Tell us a little bit about the production of the film. What kind of difficulties did you have to face while shooting?

The production was a huge undertaking. I had a passionate crew, but my intentions for the film were even bigger. For most of the visual sequences we needed the locations to be built with moving walls while shooting. Planning was one of the key elements before building the locations or even shooting in them. So all the local home depot stores were my best friends for at least a month. Another obstacle was the really big pauses there were between some shooting days. The biggest break was a couple of months. In total Blink of an eye was shot over a period of 2 years, even though the total days of shooting was only 10. Another time consuming factor were the visual effects: the entire post production took about another year. All of this had different reasons: budget, crew and actors weren’t available due to other projects and also me building my own film production company „into foCus“ at the same time.

Participating in the Impossible Film Contest I guess you have an open attitude towards making short films available on the Internet. What is your opinion about online distribution?

Times have changed and we as indie filmmakers can be happy about this new distribution way compared to the once only way of distribution: „offline distribution“. So having another way is always a good thing. But I would say that it should be an additional way to the distribution channels that already exist. Depending on how passionate you are about filmmaking I would always use all the possibilities that there are. But of course going the digital way is going globally. That’s a good thing since people all over the world can see your film, where as a couple of years ago only the people in your hometown could see the 5 print copies you had for the movie theater or a regional DVD release. But as with everything digital, there is always the danger of copying without permission, and making all of the hard work you and your team did worthless. Sure there are security mechanism to prevent this, but one day a new security system comes up, the next day you have to think of a new one.

Are you planning your first feature film or do you want to keep on doing shorts?

As much as it is a lot more comfortable to keep making short films, you have to make the step to the next big thing if you want to be recognized as a serious film maker. If you are passionate about filmmaking and want to make a living with it, then short films will get you the attention you need. But when the time is right move on. Not only to finally and hopefully make some money and be a feature film director (sounds cool doesn’t it ;-) but also to emerge and evolve in your own filmmaking experience. So the short answer is yes, I’m working on two feature film ideas right now.

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Interview with Son Tae-gyum, directors of YA-GAN-BI-HANG (Fly by Night) presented at the Cinéfondation

Saturday, May 21st, 2011

Behind the Scenes at the Cannes Film Festival

Synopsis:
A boy whose only family is his elder brother has sex with a man for money. Caught short of cash, the man suggests they meet again the following day and asks for his number. But the boy’s cell phone has been confiscated by his brother who won’t give it back.

How would you describe your film?

I want my films to be seen as a poetry for those who have to fight for their happiness, and an attempt to closely depict the hidden part of life that people don’t usually like to talk about.

What kind of approach to the story was important for you as a director?

I am interested in human nature in its deepest aspects. Naturally, it is important for me to observe and describe the lives of people in detailed reality. Their actions, especially the ones that are tabooed by society are what mostly make up my films. Besides, those who make such actions usually end up facing ironical situations that vividly unveil the problems in our current society. It is the only way for me to appeal to the audience and convey certain emotions.

What kind of difficulties did you have to face while shooting?

The main problem is finance. In addition, there’s always the matter of the gaps between what I pictured in my head and the images I got in the end. I am not very familiar with technical stuff either, and it’s also hard for me to control the film crew because sometimes I can’t be angry even when I should be.

What do you expect from the Cannes Film Festival?

I am very excited about being actually invited to the Cannes Film Festival, which I only used to read about in magazines and stuff. Besides, being able to be at the same place with such filmmakers as Pedro Almodóvar and Gus Van
Sant is an honor for me. I am also expecting to see all the various works of filmmakers from around the world at Cannes..

Are you planning your first feature film or do you want to keep on doing short films?

Once I’m more settled as a filmmaker, I would like to make both feature and short films. Of course, making a feature film that can be screened in major theaters has been my dream, but short films do have their unique attractions. Considering the realities, I assume I will make a couple of more short films before I’m able to make a feature film, if given a chance.

Find more interviews and articles about the World of Shorts in our Cannes 2011 Special Edition!

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Interview with Mariano Luque, directors of Salsipuedes presented at the Cinéfondation

Friday, May 20th, 2011

Behind the Scenes at the Cannes Film Festival

Synopsis:
Salsipuedes is a particular approach to different shades of violence against women in a family environment. With this film, I attempt to explore how this violence is maintained and naturalised verbally. I also try to create a contrast between the harmony and peace of nature and the tension and ambiguity of our human world.

What kind of approach to the story was important for you as a director?

I am interested in talking about this kind of violence, very present in my social environment in this particular way, to the women. Also, when I travel by bus in Cordoba (Argentina), where I live, I often hear others talking with a high dose of violence hidden in humorous comments. I think this resource – overhearing ordinary people’s chats – is very rich. I believe this is an idiosyncrasy of Cordoba.

What kind of difficulties did you have to face while shooting?

The film was made with a low budget but this turned out not to be an impediment. On the contrary, it strengthened the creativity and commitment to work. We shot the film in 6 days in 3 locations, relatively close to each other. The main difficulty was the rain, the classic enemy of the shooting. It rained a lot those days, fortunately we were able to rearrange the schedule and we managed to adapt. We worked with a very willing crew, we all got along great. They have even created new job opportunities together since.

What do you expect from the Cannes Film Festival?

My main idea is to see how the most important agent of legitimization in the world of film works. I’m intrigued to find out how this mechanism works. I would like to meet people and see lots of movies. In the official competition this year, there are several directors whom I admire and it’s all very exciting. I’m going to Cannes with the purpose of networking so that Salsipuedes could continue to be selected at other festivals and could be released in other countries, also in Argentina.

Are you planning your first feature film or do you want to keep on doing shorts?

I am planning to continue the Salsipuedes project with a film of 65 or 70 minutes. Now, I am travelling to Cannes with a new project that is in the process of script development, looking for funds to be able to finish it. The title is “Amorosas” and it deals with human relations within the family and in the workplace. Its background is a recent historical event of Argentina, a political conflict between the state and the agricultural production sector, that has a high purchasing power. As a resolution, the state tried to tax soy exports. There were many protests of the financial upper class on the streets. I’m interested in researching how the middle class supported this wealthier class and how the lower classes, with their real needs, were left out.

Find more interviews and articles about the World of Shorts in our Cannes 2011 Special Edition!

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Interview with Kamal Lazraq, directors of Drari presented at the Cinéfondation

Friday, May 20th, 2011

Behind the Scenes at the Cannes Film Festival

Synopsis:
Drari is inspired by the friendship between two young men coming from opposite social backgrounds. The film was shot in Casablanca, Morocco. It’s between documentary and fiction, the main actors are non-professional actors and they are acting their own life. The main subject is the difficulty for these two characters to have a normal relationship despite the difference of caste.

What kind of approach to the story was important for you as a director?

The two young men are friends of mine. As I was spending time with them, I felt that their relation was telling a lot of things about the Moroccan society, the social inequalities and the caste system that is still very present, especially in a city like Casablanca. So I tried to write a story very close to reality, which can subtly make us understand what is behind this friendship.

What kind of difficulties did you have to face while shooting?

To shoot with non-professional actors is very exciting and also very difficult. I had to do my best to obtain all what I was expecting from them despite all the technical difficulties which always occur during a shooting.

What do you expect from the Cannes Film Festival?

I’m very happy that I will have the chance to show my film to a large audience during the festival. Unfortunately, there is not a lot of Moroccan films that cross the borders. I’m really curious to see how people who are not familiar with the Moroccan culture will receive this film.

Are you planning your first feature film or do you want to keep on doing shorts?

I’m currently writing a feature screenplay. But I’m planning to make another short film in professional conditions, with people who are there because they are paid. I guess it’s very different to a school film, especially as far as the relation with the crew is concerned, and I want to experience that before trying to make my first feature film.

Find more interviews and articles about the World of Shorts in our Cannes 2011 Special Edition!

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Interview with Pieter Dirkx, directors of Bento Monogatari (Lunchbox Story) presented at the Cinéfondation

Friday, May 20th, 2011

Behind the Scenes at the Cannes Film Festival

Synopsis:
It’s a story about a couple that’s been married for a long time. They both feel like there’s something missing between them and they each escape into their own, very different worlds. The woman tries to get her husband to follow her into the world of Japanese (pop-)culture. The whole story is constructed like a Japanese legend, but it takes place in a Western setting.

How did the story come to you?

I read somewhere that there are women in Japan who wake up at 5 am each morning to create a little edible work of art for their children. Food is cut out with great care to look like characters from popular anime and manga series. For me, this was a perfect subject to write a story about because I wanted to make a short movie that drew from the Japanese films which influenced me the most.

What was the production like for the film? Was it easy to get the financial background? How long did it take to make it?

I worked on the film throughout my last year in Sint-Lukas. It was filmed on a very low budget, and I was really fortunate to have a lot of people who believed in the project and invested their time in it. There were also some big setbacks, but they’re easily forgotten when you see that people appreciate the result.

What do you expect from the Cannes Film Festival?

I still don’t really know what to expect. The Cinéfondation programme was created to give young directors a platform to show their work, so I hope there will be some opportunities to get some advice from people who have already proven themselves in this world. The only sure thing is that it will be a very unique experience and I’m very fortunate to take part in it.

What are your plans for the future? Do you want to keep on doing short films?

The project I’m working on right now is a feature length film because I’m impatient to have the time to tell a story on a larger scale. So far I’ve constructed my stories as if they were going to last for two hours on the screen, leaving away all the excess to make it fit into a realistic budget and small amount of shooting days. However, I’m not opposed to making other short films or music videos because I also like the larger amount of freedom they give.

Find more interviews and articles about the World of Shorts in our Cannes 2011 Special Edition!


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Interview with D. Jesse Damazo & Joe Bookman, directors of The Agony and Sweat of the Human Spirit presented at the Cinéfondation

Friday, May 20th, 2011

Behind the Scenes at the Cannes Film Festival

Synopsis:
An offbeat comedy about a professional ukuleleist and his annoying manager who are in the process of recording a children’s folk album. At essence, the film is about the glory and absurdity of pursuing a hopeless
dream.

How did the two of you work together as co-writers and co-directors?

For the most part, we did everything as a team. Pre-production and writing was very much a collaborative effort. On set, we both actively communicated our vision to the crew. We didn’t do much in terms of delegating responsibilities. Ultimately, we just wound up spending a lot of time together.



This film heavily relies on characters, so casting must have been an important issue. How did you pull it off?

We cast ourselves.

What do you expect from the Cannes Film Festival?

We have no expectations from the Cannes Film Festival, but we are eagerly looking forward to it.

What are your plans for the future?

We are currently at work developing a feature film based on the short. Ideally, we would like to shoot it in the summer of 2012.


Find more interviews and articles about the World of Shorts in our Cannes 2011 Special Edition!

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Interview with Nathanael Carton, director of Suu and Uchikawa presented at the Cinéfondation

Thursday, May 19th, 2011

Behind the Scenes at the Cannes Film Festival

Synopsis:
Suu et Uchikawa tells the story of an elderly Japanese man and his young Burmese partner finding their union at threat when the immigration services discover that she resides in Japan illegally. It is told in the form of a long interview across their home, blurring the line between fiction and documentary, and brings about the intrusive nature of an investigation into a very intimate setting.

You also have the editor’s credit on your short film. How do these two artistic approaches work together?

I tried to wear very different hats by staying away from the footage for about two months from the moment I got it back from the lab. Going back to it with fresh eyes helped me look at it objectively and see what we shot as opposed to what I wanted to shoot.

What was the production like for the film? How long did it take you, how did you fund it, etc?

Seven 12-hour days of shooting. The movie was shot in a three-storey-house, in the centre of Tokyo. It was rented empty, for ten days. This left us enough time to dress it for the first three days (from wallpaper to furniture and props). Myself and my cinematographer then slept on the premises during the shoot, and would pre-light for the  next day each night. Our crew from NYU Tisch School of the Arts Asia got help from Japanese producers and local students interested in the project, all working for free, which helped us keep the budget under 7,000 dollars.

What do you expect from the Cannes Film Festival?

To gain access to professionals potentially interested in my first feature project, to be shot in Paris and Tokyo. But also to get my short film distributed, meet future collaborators, and watch great films in a great setting.

What are your plans for the future?

To keep directing narrative and documentary films, ideally for projects involving France and Japan since my roots are very much anchored in both countries.

Find more interviews and articles about the World of Shorts in our Cannes 2011 Special Edition!

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