Nisimazine San Sebastián 2014 #4

Nisimazine

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REVIEW 2nd October 2014

SAN SEBASTIÁN

the magazine by NISI MASA - European Network of Young Cinema

Magic Girl Lasa and Zabala Güeros Casanova Variations Voice Over Tigers from Magical Girl by Carlos Vermut

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Editorial Being the largest showcase of Spanish cinema, San Sebastian proved all those who prophesized about the premature death of filmmaking in the region wrong. Somehow, despite extensive budget cuts, and an all agonizing financial austerity that is pervasive to all levels of society, the power house that once was Spanish cinema is not only very much alive, but perhaps going through a particular eye opening phase.

The greatest sign of such a phenomenon has to be Carlos Vermut´s great winner, Magical Girl, that blew away all competition by taking the two main awards of this year´s edition, the Golden and Silver Shells, for best film and best director respectively. It was not exactly a surprise, despite some gigantic and intimidating names on the official selection list.

Susanne Bier, Danis Tanovic, François Ozon or Bille August all presented powerful works, but none as deep and thought provoking as Vermut´s second feature. His victory means a lot more then these awards usual do, though.

CREDITS NISIMAZINE SAN SEBASTIÁN 19 - 27 / 09 2014 Edition of 2nd October 2014

Vermut is part of a new breed of Spanish filmmakers. One that gave its first steps on the internet, light years away from the glamour and praise of the festival circuit. For a while it seemed impossible to have such a vision scattered on the big screen, but Vermut´s victory proves that in times of difficulty the Spanish industry is willing to look beyond its usual path. Underneath there is something brewing, something exciting, new, and fresh, which for many people will hit like a true revelation. For these and other reasons these awards could hardly have been any more vital.

This is perhaps the greatest lesson taken from our presence in San Sebastian this year.

Now that the festival is finished we bring you our final newsletters, larger and longer then you are used to, mainly because there was no shortage of films that gripped our team.

So do turn the page and dare to find out, among others, more about Vermut´s unique award winning film, as well as reviews and interviews on the Basque ambitious sensation Lasa and Zabala, or Danis Tanovic´s new drama, Tigers.

Fernando Vasquez (Portugal)

EDITORIAL STAFF Director Fernando Vasquez Design & Coordination Francesca Merlo, Luisa Riviere, Lucía Ros Serra Communication Ewa Wildner Contributors to this issue Sara Martínez Ruíz, Thomas Humphrey, Robyn Davies, Teresa Pereira, Bruno Guerra, Fernando Vasquez, Mariana Mendes (photographer).

NISI MASA European Network of Young Cinema 99 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis 75010, Paris, France +33 (0)1 48 01 65 31 europe@nisimasa.com www.nisimasa.com www.nisimazine.eu A magazine published by NISI MASA in the framework of a film journalism workshop for young Europeans Special thanks to José Luis Rebordinos , Gemma

Beltrán and Nekane Miranda With the support of the Youth in Action of the European Union. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

@ Mariana Mendes

Picture of the day

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REVIEW

Magical Girl Carlos Vermut, SPAIN - Official Selection Golden Shell best film - Silver Shell best director

I just can imagine one thing more personal-style than Carlos Vermut’s Magical Girl: Carlos Vermut himself. There is something magic around a group of thirty something highly audiovisual guys that have been scratching at the side door of Spanish cinema for the last few years, trying to blow the dust with fresh air. The surprising but deserved Golden Shell, unusually walking hand in hand with the Best Director´s Silver one, comes to allow an invisible flow from the underground to the surface, much like Truffaut did in Cannes half a century ago. Far away from claiming histrionic similes between films and filmmakers that have little in common, the triumph of Vermut’s second feature, first one in terms of traditional way of filmmaking, means indeed a golden opportunity for a smaller cinema, living on the edge, to become visible for huge audiences.

More than film directors, these, Vermut included, are 21st-Century artists. An intellectual blend of film, literature, painting, music, design, comics, videogames or just random homemade clips of video makes them masters in mixing high culture with popular references, under their peculiar sarcastic point of view. They are out of the box, so they don’t care about what they are not supposed to say or do.

They conquered the internet and made it their ally. Apart from some random screenings of his post-humour Catalonian colleagues Carlo Padial or Venga Monjas, to whom Carlos Vermut is unavoidable linked to by their particular harsh-nonsense low cost (as they say) halo, it was impossible to imagine that the special black, ironic and completely absurd Youtube humour would one day reach the big screen.

That’s the hypnotism of Magical Girl. Apart from its accurate technical mise en scène, in which the director himself takes an important part as art director, the irreverently funny spirit of his short Don Pepe Popi, feels comfortable along this almost thriller about the lack of limits to

reach human desires. As calm announces the storm, Vermut’s stages the narrative in peace, plain and clear, simply beautiful, waiting for the strength of the complicated characters to destroy everything in a sudden perverse spiral.

The story of an unemployed father trying to please his badly ill daughter, by buying a scandalously expensive original outfit of her manga heroine, Yukiko, little by little turns into a dirty network of blackmail, obligated favours, wickedness and death around the real magical girl, the enchanting Bárbara. The first introduction of the 12-years-old manga fan, twists soon into a flamingo style intense femme-fatal story, leaded as a leit motiv by Manolo Caracol’s Niña de fuego, in a subtle trick where Vermut, the illusionist, blows up that first kitsch colourful pop layer in a brilliant demonstration of handling McGuffin without leaving a trace.

Magic girl is a deconstructed thriller where the Spanish filmmaker and comic illustrator (also designer of his film’s poster) stays faithful to these features that make us recognize his work. Leaded by his nonsense rules, and still adding a touch of unjustified magic, far away from looking pointless he also reaches to finger the critical points of the social context where the film is build upon. Economic, social and political crisis, educational budget cuts, unemployment, sensationalizing in the media and other taboos all show up behind this clever and funny drama which proves that, paradoxically, fun and drama can be matched in the same sentence with a unique result. Sounds like a new wave to explore an alternative path, parallel to the main usual road, has finally appeared in Spain.

Sara Martínez Ruíz (Spain)

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Lasa and Zabala Pablo Malo, SPAIN - Official Selection

This review requires total honesty. For that reason, I will openly admit that as somebody not from Spain, I do not feel comfortable passing judgement on Lasa y Zabala. You needed only to observe how audiences in northern Spain turned out in force to see the premier of Pablo Malo’s latest film to realise how much it meant to them. The topics touched upon are too personal, too pervasive for anybody not from Spain to legitimately comment on them.

Malo’s film discusses the political climate which resulted from decades of internal strife and General Franco’s dictatorship, a climate which subsequently allowed terrorist organisations to thrive in Spain. Lasa y Zabala zeroes in on one particularly salient example of this: the unjust killings of two young members of ETA (a group which violently fought for Basque independence) Joxean Lasa and Joxi Zabala in 1983. These men were savagely tortured and then murdered by GAL, a para-militaristic group who were secretly affiliated with the Spanish government.

Releasing a film about this at the San Sebastian Film Festival (deep in the heart of Basque land), is therefore like igniting a stick of political dynamite in a room full of precariously placed hand grenades. Except lighting that fuse was necessary. Ever since the Franco regime atrocities like this have simply met silence. Perhaps out of interest stability, but also as a method of silencing opposition.

The murder of these two young men is taboo even today. And when they are spoken of, they are often discussed biasedly. It is therefore necessary that these social tensions find a voice to diffuse them. As a result, Lasa y Zabala is an important landmark in Spanish history. And the film’s opening gambit begins with promise: characters speak out about ending the conflict by trying to understand both sides.

Unfortunately I believe the film fails to deliver this premise. Malo and the scriptwriter Joanes Urkixo have skilfully tied together the endless strands of historical facts which make up this horrific episode. But factually recounting history is not the same as understanding it. You can understand the anger of the Basque people, that much is true.

Though despite the film’s cast saying they went to great lengths to understand the motivations of GAL, I do not believe that comes across.

The filmmakers talked about having actually toned down anecdotes about the members of GAL, to prevent the film from becoming grotesquely comic. But the problem is that, having decided to make a drama rather than a documentary, Malo has had to turn real people into character types. And I actually think he has done so heavyhandedly, turning Galindo’s militants into caricatures. It was right to show these men as monsters, but not as jumped-up clowns (even if they may have been). In doing so the roots of their ideologies are trivialised. The unfortunate consequence is that this film comes across as propaganda.

Perhaps this imbalance was necessary, to correct previous imbalances. But it does seem like a failure to achieve the opening’s peaceinducing understanding. And what is most grievous about this film is a style so controlled by genre, and taken so seriously (as Malo also misguidedly does in La Sombra de Nadie), that I actually felt I cared far less for these characters than I should. So whilst I respect what this film seeks to achieve and the fact it represents the beginning of a very vital process, Lasa y Zabala is poorly made, making it useless as a didactic tool unless you are personally involved in these issues.

And that’s regrettable.

Thomas Humphrey (UK)

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INTERVIEW

Pablo Malo Director of Lasa and Zabala My rendezvous with Pablo Malo, director of Lasa and Zabala, began in the long, plush corridors of Hotel Maria Christina. This setting being too grandiose, I suggested we skulk to a secluded table on the balcony. Soon a smartly dressed man with a briefcase joined us, announcing he was our translator. I decided to play it like Columbo, disarming them with inane questions about the film’s reception.

Pablo, clearly familiar with Columbo, parried me with a phone call.

But he resumed, saying he was very happy with the response; he added that there had been a lot of expectation around the whole film, but they had been prepared for dealing with that.

I took the director up on this, suggesting his film’s opening advocated achieving peace by understanding others’ points of view.

But then I probingly added that perhaps the rest of his film failed to do that. Unflinchingly, he responded: “With this film we had to concentrate on the details of the case. Some people have commented ‘faltó contexto’ whilst watching the film, but of course in a film of less than two hours we couldn’t cover twenty years of the Basque conflict.

I didn’t want to anyway; this film was never meant to be a ‘película barricada’ –what we call a ‘trench film’ –where you take one stance so that you can throw bombs against another.”

Rather than start with politics, I then asked Pablo to tell me about He added: “I certainly wouldn’t have spent two years of my life worvisual or stylistic features he was proud of (something he had pre- king on this film if I thought people could then use it to confront each other. I wanted to move towards dialogue, or at least open more viously said he wished to do): dialogue, so that future generations … might be able to watch my “I appreciate your question,” he said. “Of course politics invades film and think, this happened to my parents and grandparents, and everything in this case, because we’re coming from a background of therefore learn something.” many years of political conflict and terrorism … but I’m very happy to talk to you now about the cinematic aspects of my film. This was a I pushed further, asking whether he thought Borja Cobeaga’s Negocomplicated film to make. In total, there are fifty-six speaking roles. ciador (also screened at the festival) perhaps better starts such a And building a story like this was complicated too, because there was dialogue, with its comedic “free version” of Basque history. Unproso much historical ground to cover … a lot of research was required. voked, Pablo answered: But fortunately in the end we managed to turn facts into a political “To me it seems like a healthy thing to make films about subjects like thriller, which is what I wanted to do.” this from different perspectives, whether that be through comedy or Feeling rebuffed, I asked Pablo about the influence of British or serious drama. The fact that we’re doing that means we’re capable of Irish political films on his latest work, and whether he thought breaking taboos like this, or moving towards breaking taboos, and as he’d added anything to this genre. He cagely offered that “Basque a result one can hopefully start to be able to deal with these topics people no doubt look at those English and Irish films from a very dif- faithfully and openly.” ferent perspective from, say, how people in Southern Spain would.”

As a final point I asked him about the future distribution of his I persevered, trying to get Pablo’s take on wider European politics: film in Spain. His answer was very sincere, and well worth reading Did he think Scotland’s “No” vote was representative of a general against my review: trend in European politics, politically progressive on the surface, but ultimately socially conservative? Interestingly he replied: “I’m “There will definitely be interest in this film here in the Basque country, strongly in favour of all countries being in a position where they can but I think there will be in the Spanish state as well… politics in the have referendums on the issues which affect them …But I think this Basque country and in the rest of Spain is polarised, which will comaspect of social conservatism, or of being afraid, is perhaps conditio- plicate things. We also have to remember that there was a thousand causalities cause by ETA and twenty-seven by GAL, so this isn’t an easy ned by the surrounding economic situation.” subject to broach. Some will see this film as political propaganda, but I then put it to him that the film’s subject had previously been ta- that was certainly not the intention … The idea was to make a politiboo in Spain, and I asked if he believed something had changed to cal thriller, but from a human perspective.” make this film possible now: “I certainly couldn’t have made this film if ETA had still been active,” he replied. “In spite of how it may seem though … I have been asked if I would do a film about ETA for some time now. But it was quite clear that …it would have been impossible Thomas Humphrey (UK) to make everybody happy.”

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This film about convictions (or the lack of them) is a prodigious story of young people discovering themselves, their city, and their Icons. Ruizpalacios’s debut feature is an extraordinary, refreshing approach to coming of age films. Güeros, meaning a white skin blonde hair person, is an easy going comedy made of contrasts: Between brothers, between ideals, between expectations and truth.

Güeros Alonso Ruizpalacios, MEXICO - Horizontes Latinos

What the hell is going on? It’s the first thing that pops in our mind when the awarded best first film at the Berlinale´s Panorama Section, Güeros, begins. And believe it, this will be the most surprising film we’ll witness in a long time.

This exciting film by Alonzo Ruizpalacios brings us Santos, a boy that just likes doing pranks, but his tired mother decides to send him to spend some time with his older brother, to cold off. Sombra is the older brother who lives in a chaotic apartment with his friend Tomás. As good brothers they don’t get along, just sharing one commom love, Epigmenio Cruz´s music, the same that their father used to listen to, a musicien known as the one that could have been the saviour of the national rock scene. Between the natural youth laziness and driving their neighbours crazy, they start a road trip within México city looking for their beloved icon. On their path they stop by a student strike to pick up Ana, Sombra’s sweetheart.

With a well worked mise-en-scene, where anything is left to chance, and every new frame has a new surprise. We could wonder if there’s space for so many things happening and if all works together, but the answer is not just obviously positive, as even humour finds its way in the film. The way Ruizpalacios decided transmit the Epigmenio Cruz music is just perfect, increasing our expectations until the moment of truth: the meeting with the artist himself. After all, what could be more powerful that our own imagination? The music is one of the most important elements and together with the black and white style, regardless of the reason for such choice, it just fits, giving to film a timeless aura. The bound between the characters is memorable, set through several details and with humour notes which are right in the spot, form a touching, endearing relationships between all of them.

Güeros by Alonzo Ruizpalacios surpass in such way the expectations that, at the end, becomes difficult to identify fragilities in the film. We could say that at some point in the middle, the rhythm maybe slows down a little bit, at least compared with the beginning, but it’s also truth that its necessary so we can dig deeper in the characters. And it simply doesn’t matter, we just want to continue following the story and wait for the next surprise, hidden in unsuspected moments.

Teresa Pereira (Portugal)

Nisimazine Tallinn 2014 The final workshop of the year is coming for Nisimazine and your last chance to take part in 2014 is just around the corner. Between the 20th and the 28th of November Nisimazine will be covering the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, an increasingly influential event that has just received its A-list Certificate.

Therefore we are now looking for young European writers, photographers and videographers (no previous experience needed) interested in such a challenge.

For more information please visit our website at www.nisimasa.com or contact us directly via fernando@nisimasa.com NISIMASA www.nisimasa.com

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REVIEW

alongside atheatrical show on the same subject, performed at the São Carlos Opera House in Lisbon in front of a “live” audience.

There’s also a third narrative playing out, a kind of ‘meta’ scenario in which the actors talk backstage and frequently break the fourth wall. The overall effect is a chaotic and confusing romp that’s too cluttered to find space for any real substance.

Casanova Variations Michael Sturminger, FRANCE, AUSTRIA - Official Selection It was said that at this year’s festival, the most requested interviewee was not a huge Spanish star, nor was it the head of the jury. It wasn’t even Benicio Del Toro. Instead, San Sebastian’s most wanted man in 2014 was John Malkovich. They do say that life imitates art, so after watching Casanova Variations this seems only fitting – the Malkovich in the film, both as the title character and as himself, is also very much in demand. But it’s not journalists who are after him,it’s women… lots of them. Indeed, so much time is dedicated to ‘wanting’ MrMalkovich that director Michael Sturminger may just have forgottenwhat exactly he wanted to do with his film, or who it’s for -because as an audience, we’re left bemused.

With Sturminger’s past credentials, it’s hardly surprising that this is the finished product. Not only a filmmaker, he has also been responsible for numerous theatre productions and operas, so the presence of all of these elements was to be expected.He has stated that his intention behind mixing genres was to express freedom in cinematic structure, though in all honesty this feels like an excuse. It seems rather more like Sturminger simply wanted a wider audience for his play, and deduced that adaptation for the big screen was the best way of achieving this.But with it becoming increasingly common to screen stage productions at the cinema (National Theatre Live, for example), it feels as though there’s very little need or purpose for the hybrid that is Casanova Variations.

There’s no disputing that at times it’s incredibly entertaining. Malkovich has excellent line delivery that’s almost Shakespearean in its bravado, and the theatre production is nothing short of a spectacle. There are also ample amounts of comedy thrown in, much of it self-deprecating (which is probably why it’s so amusing). But ultimately everything is too shallow to truly engage us, and as the credits roll we can’t help but think of one of the film’s best lines: “Sometimes when people applaud, it’s because they’re so relieved it’s over.”

As you might have guessed, the film seeks to tell the life story of the great seducer Giacomo Casanova, detailing his many romantic encounters and his fears of loneliness and death. Nearing the end of his life, he is paid a visit by a beautiful baroness, also a writer and one very keen to get her hands on his memoirs. This plot occurs Robyn Davies (UK)

Voice Over Cristián Jiménez, CHILE, FRANCE - Official Selection Cristian Jiménez had his debut feature Bonsai at Un Certain Regard in 2011. Now he returns with Voice Over, which premiered at Toronto, starting a promising career at the festival circuit. This film comes to confirm the very prolific phase of contemporary Chilean cinema, growing and becoming more stronger. As such, this film joins works like Pablo Larraín´s No or Sebastián Lelio´s Gloria, putting Chilean cinema back on International map.

Sofia is a divorced young mother, with two kids and a dead career as an actress. Her sister lives in Paris but, now, with a new-born child, she decides to come back to Valdivia. Both sisters are confidant of each other, in spite of being complete opposites. Divorced from a sikh, Sofia doesn’t eat meat, uses cell phones nor internet.

Ana is a confident working women with no time to waste. These two will share the sudden discovery about their father, at the same time they witness their parent´s divorce.

This is a story about the dramas in the relationships of an apparently normal family, portraying divorces, beliefs and lies, mixed with an obsession for eating meat, stepping on nails and playing tennis. Cristian Jiménez does this with his characteristic kind of comedic satire. Starting with an explicit birth image, probably to emphasize the most ancient and tight kind of bound that exists: the mother and son bound. Then, the curiosity is seeing how the three mothers act with their children. Sofia seems the most fragile and sweet one but actually she ends up being very strict with her beliefs, passing them to their decedents. Then there’s Ana, a very quiet and disconnected mother, letting the husband assume the maternal role. Finally there’s Matilde, starring Paulina Garcia, the actress of the prestigious Gloria, has their mother. She’s a kind of a day dreamer, the last one to know everything, almost a daughter to her single child. And we can’t forget Mamy, the great-grandmother who combines the best of the two worlds: making cookies and talking on skype with her great-grandchildren. This fact will result in some confusion, making one of the funniest and, at the same time, most touching moments in the film. The father figure, between so many women, doesn´t fade away, on the contrary, he’s one the most amusing characters.

Jiménez’s style flows naturally, we almost don’t feel the camera movements except when he deliberate wants to emphasize them.

But the most notable fact is the editing, that at some strategic and well chosen points, mixes the narrative with some unexpected images. All covered, of course, with Sofia’s kind voice. Despite serving it’s proposes, and being a well constructed film which will appeal to a lot of people, when the film is over we can’t help but feel that something is missing. Something beyond, a deeper way to approach the characters and situations.

Jiménez makes us question: how far can we stick to our beliefs and where’s the point when we are just being stubborn? Then, in a beautiful and astonishing ending scene, he gives us an answer: is never too late to change your mind.

Teresa Pereira (Portugal)

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Tigers Danis Tanovic, INDIA, FRANCE, ENGLAND - Official Selection Art’s biggest purpose is to make you think. Often a work of art is more than what it is shown. There is also, almost every time, a need to extract a meaning from an expression of art, even if the author didn’t think like that. We are, by nature, curious living beings. And Tigers, the latest film from the academy award winner Danis Tanovic, combines, in an extremely effective way, a powerful message and an inquisitive curiosity.

The pre-title sequence is an off-screen (we only see the black dialogues painted in the white screen) exchange of questions and answers between Senator Kennedy and a spokesman for a baby formula producer during a senate hearings in the eighties, that refuses to bear consequences for the death of infants in developing countries. This pre-title sequence sets the tone for the story that follows, remembering the viewer how long this problem has been present.

Therefore, the story follows Ayan Raza (Emraan Hashmi), after accepting a dream job in the multinational Lasta (fictionalised name that represents Nestlé), after realising that the local pharmacies, and more important their clients, didn’t care for the cheap, yet effective, drugs from their local country, Pakistan, preferring the ones with the fancy packaging, from multinational companies. After a successful couple years as a salesman for Lasta, Ayan hears from a doctor friend that the infant formula he sells to poor women is being diluted with filthy water causing diarrhea and, consequently, organ failure to their baby’s, leading to their death. So, Ayan, quits his job and ignites in a David vs Goliath fight, in order to remove this infant formula from the market.

Danis Tanovich, best known for his «portraits» that somehow show/ reflect the war, takes a different approach in this movie. It is still a war, sure, but more an emotional one, a war from within, that makes Ayan question his morality and, eventually, fight, replacing guns with papers, a brutal battle where there is clearly a disadvantage for him.

In this point, the scrip delivers an important message, showing the

pressure on those who work for multinational corporations and the realities they face when trying to stop human rights abuses. It also carries and important message of how effective and how dangerous aggressive marketing can be, resulting in millions of sales from a product that was actually not needed, with an important mention of how big corporations manipulate for their own profit. But the main purpose of the script lies in a man´s bravery, and the obstacles you face when fighting for the well being of the world you live in, and how hard that fight can be when there’s money behind. It’s not a movie about Nestle or the fictional Lasta! It’s about all companies that are doing the wrong thing, companies for which the only concern is the amount of right sided zeros that are in their bank accounts.

Tigers, an Indian-French-British production, also gains a lot with the performances. Emraan Hashmi, and young talent from Bollywood, hands over an emotional Ayan, that reflects the struggle of a man that is trying to do the right thing but also trying to keep is family safe. His wife, Zainab (Geetanjali Thapa, who won India’s National Film Award last year), portrays a gentle woman that believes in his husband failing only in not showing up enough time in the movie.

Tanovic, technically, meets all of the goals, presenting a mise en scene that aligns degradation of the poor streets of Pakistan with a beautiful, yet disturbing, cinematography that sets the landscape and the mood for a truthful drama filled with suspense. Assuming that cinema is a visual expression, then Tanovic created a beautiful film.

Tigers is a great movie. It works as a thriller but it is in its message, which drills our heart, that lies its spell. Tanovich said once that if someone would ask him what filmmaking really is, he would probably say that its about waiting. Due to a lot of problems, Tanovich waited 8 years to make this movie but he proved his point.

Bruno Guerra Cunha (Portugal)

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INTERVIEW

Danis Tanovic Director of Tigers DanisTanovic is a different person since he won the Oscar, back in 2001. Since then, his kids have changed him and in his newest film, Tigers, Tanovic triumphs in touching everyone on an emotional level, in particular parents. In the process he exposes multinational corporations that limit themselves in their methods to reach their profitable goals. Once again we had the opportunity to sit down with the director to find out more about his work and process.

You said once that if someone asks you what filmmaking really film and after a few scenes, they feel bad. Why? Because they see is, you would say that is about waiting. You waited 8 years to something that don’t exist, you know, the cultural differences are make it but you did it. everywhere. You have to be careful when shooting. There is some shocking scenes that people don’t think about, like in the end of Yeah (laughs). Yeah, you know, in this case was not only waiting. I the film, when he is saying goodbye to his wife, people asked me did other films, but filmmaking is about waiting. You write a script, why they didn’t kiss. Well because, in real life, they don’t kiss. I know you send it and you have to wait for other people to read it, then it´s astonishing to you but, in Pakistan, they don’t kiss. I already you wait for money, then for the sets. There is a lot of waiting. But made it a little more romantic than it would actually happened, but you learn to do other things meanwhile. I often read or listen to they would never kiss in the street. And for this things, you need music, so I can entertain myself. to have these people that you trust. Because I would have made an enormous romantic scene (laughs).

Do you feel your filmmaking style changed in this movie? The war is no longer a background, although there is an emotional You didn’t want to give a happy ending because, I believe, war. there isn’t one. Right?

I think my style changes all the time. For me, the story decides how I will shoot. I couldn’t shoot this movie like, for example No Man´s Land. It wouldn’t make sense. This film is totally different, it’s a David vs Goliath film, so for me, I find the best way to tell a story, I always discuss with people a lot about the shooting, how to make each scene.

Yes, there isn’t one. What is a happy ending? Happy ending is that we made the film and Emraan still cries whenever he sees the movie. He had been through a lot, this movie changed his life.

Is it one of the many purposes of this movie to make people report situations like this whenever they happen in their corporations?

How do you deal with the cultural differences when shooting a film in India but set in Pakistan?

You know, we are all humans. I mean, he lost his job, he had his wife, his kids and parents to feed. And still, he was in this battle, a This is my sixth film. I filmed in Bosnia, Slovenia, Spain, Ireland, David vs Goliath fight. Even I questioned myself and what the hell India, etc.. I travel, you know, I am a lucky guy, it is not very often was I doing shooting a movie in India, in the middle of nowhere, a director can travel the way I do. I go to places, I live there, and I where I didn’t know anything about. We all have our doubts, we shoot there. Filming in a language I don’t speak, its crazy (laughs). are only humans. I really want to do the right thing, knowing if I die tomorrow, I would´ve done something that matters to me, and You said in the press conference that you were constantly sur- hopefully to the world. rounded by five people that spoke their language, knew their culture. How was it to trust in such people to make your film?

I have to trust. It’s like a marriage, you have to choose people that you trust. Because I hate people that go to somewhere to make a

Bruno Cunha (Portugal)

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