2015 Santa Barbara International Film Fest: Meet the Makers, Issue 4

4 issue

four jan. 27–feb. 7 • 2015 independent.com presents

Meet The Makers

interviews with the filmmakers

Special Presentation Oscar-Nominated

Tangerines

Director Ivo Felt allfilm.ee

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ar seems constant in many parts of the Caucasus Mountains, where the culture of the West collides with that of the East. Nowhere is this truer than in the region of Abkhazia, the disputed region of northeastern Georgia that Russian-backed separatists took control of many years ago. This thought-provoking and downright excellent film enters that era, showing how two Estonian men — their own ethnic role in the region an entirely interesting piece of forgotten history — bring a Georgian soldier and Chechen mercenary who shot each other back to health under the same roof.

What inspired you to tell this story?

When I heard about the Estonian villages in Abkhazia, I immediately thought it would give me the nice possibility to tell a very human and pacific story through this historical fact. I’d been thinking about making the film on this totally senseless war in Abkhazia for a while already, and when an Estonian developing producer turned to me with an offer to shoot one, I was happy that I found the intriguing way to make it. It is a very human drama, I hope — it is funny and sad as one’s life is.

Why were Estonians living in the Caucasus anyway?

They moved there in the second half of the 19th century, when the Russian czar wanted to liven

up agriculture on the shore of the Black Sea. Estonians are hardworking people, and they managed very well in Abkhazia. The climate is much nicer there than up north where they are originally from, so they liked it very much and stayed for many generations until this bloody war broke out.

How has the film been received in Georgia and the neighboring territories?

The film was a real hit in both producing countries, Estonia and Georgia — it went very, very well there.

Now, after the Golden Globe and Oscars nomination, we are like heroes in our small countries — a very weird situation, but nice, of course. The film runs in Estonian cinemas again, and the audience goes to see it again — quite a beautiful fact, as it was originally released more than a year ago already.

Are people in the region becoming averse to the fighting, or are they still very much entrenched?

There is no actual war in the region at the moment; still, the atmosphere is quite tense. Just a few days ago, there were two people killed on the border of Abkhazia again.

What do you hope the wide world learns from this film?

Live in peace; wars are senseless — this is our message. We are not that naive that we think our film would change the world, but at least we know we have done something against these insane things.

Making films is our weapon, and we are using this as well as we can.

— Matt Kettmann 1.

u.S. premiere cinematic overtureS

hip hop-eraTion

proDucer paula JoneS hiphoperationthemoVie.com

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his documentary follows a group of senior citizens from New Zealand, some with limited mobility, who form a hip-hop dance troupe called Hip Op-eration and take their show on the road to the World Hip Hop Dance Championships in Las Vegas.

Along the way, they receive warm support from young Polynesian and Maori rappers and breakers.

How important was the goal of getting to the competition in Las Vegas?

The journey to Las Vegas to perform at the World Hip Hop Championships was clearly an extraordinary goal for this group of seniors — our “raison d’etre,” if you would, for approaching the NZ Film Commission for funding.

But from the start, director Bryn Evans and myself aimed for a character-driven narrative that celebrated and explored some of the issues of aging from a distinctly Kiwi perspective.

However, it would be fair to say that had the group not made it to Las Vegas, it would have been a different and more localized fi lm.

2.

Hip Op-eration uses local music and dance talent to prime the members of the group for their adventure. In what ways do these local performers reflect the reality of New Zealand today?

New Zealand has an enormous hip-hop culture, and, in dance, it extends to mainstream and traditional dance studios that are now incorporating it into their routine.

Documentary films often contain moments of unexpected clarity. Is there a scene or sequence in your film that came as a surprise and that stands for something important about the whole experience?

The scene in which the senior hip-hop group meets the young Polynesian and Maori hip-hoppers was a revelation. The elderly group was apprehensive. They were right out of their social and geographical comfort zone.

It was a tear-jerking moment to watch those young people embrace the elderly with such generosity and humanity — a true demonstration of the enormous power of music and dance to cross cultures and generations and to change perceptions — Charles Donelan forever.

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How long has Brolin been snowboarding?

He’s been snowboarding for about seven years now. For a guy who still hates the cold, he’s pretty good. You’ll see a couple tricks he learns in the fi lm as well as learning some new switch tricks and more inverts ... still looking to put that double flip to snow, but his work ethic both in the classroom and on the slope will take him far in the next four years.

Why has the snowboard community at large embraced Brolin’s quest?

to the maXXX

far froM hoMe Director galen KnowleS farfromhomemoVie.com

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stirring and downright inspirational look at Ugandan Brolin Mawejje’s ongoing quest to become the first snowboarder to represent an African nation in the Olympics, Far from Home is an action sports documentary with some serious soul. More than that, that is a celebration of the human spirit and the unrivaled power of community.

How did this film project come about?

Brolin, the fi lm’s producer Phil Hessler, and I met our first year in the dorms at Westminster College.

At the beginning of sophomore year, these guys approached me with the idea for a doc about Brolin, and it just grew from there.

Brolin presents a human-interest story with more layers than the world’s largest onion, and we can spotlight snowboarding in a context it’s never been shown in.

Snowboarders feed off the energy of each other when they’re learning tricks on the hill, and I think it’s not a far leap to say that transcends to something like Brolin’s story where we (as a community) can build off this journey into an opportunity for others to achieve a similar dream.

What has making this film meant to you?

It’s meant everything to me and a great deal to my friends and family. I mean, really, from what started as a small idea our sophomore year grew into a project that would take us around four continents and [allow us to] meet incredible people. The greatest surprise was being pushed to the limit and discovering you may just be capable of more than you — Ethan Stewart thought.

What’s the significance of an Ugandan vying for the Winter Olympics as a snowboarder?

For a kid who had never seen snow before he turned 12 to now be on a path to the Winter Olympics really sets the stage for anyone who may stare up at a seemingly impossible dream.

What’s most impressive about Brolin’s story?

I can narrow it to two things: The community of enablers who have come behind Brolin and gave him confidence when all hope was lost. Second, Brolin’s perseverance and unwavering work ethic.

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For film festival coverage and schedule changes, visit independent.com/sBiff

U.S. Premiere

In the Sands of Babylon Producer Isabelle Stead humanfilm.com

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n the wake of the first Gulf War, as American soldiers left Kuwait, millions of Iraqis rose up against Saddam Hussein, only to be brutally crushed when the promised support from President George H.W. Bush fails to arrive. This is a narrative film set amid that time, focused on an Iraqi soldier who is mistaken for a traitor and how the prison where he is held becomes a hotbed for the tragic revolt.

Why is it important to tell this forgotten saga?

For us it’s about giving a voice to people and addressing an important part of history that mainstream cinema has neglected. Many of us are familiar with the details of the Gulf War, a crisis instigated by Saddam Hussein’s government that, at the time, made world news and included the intervention of coalition forces. But the aftermath and effects of the war on the Iraqi people have remained uncovered for far too long.

The uprising of 1991 was encouraged by Bush’s administration and mounted by rebels of diverse ethnic, religious, and political groups and included military mutineers, all with the goal of overthrowing Saddam Hussein. Despite initial successes, the uprising was brutally crushed by Saddam’s regime.

Reprisals against the rebels were severe: one million-plus rebels and innocents were systematically murdered and buried in mass graves. To this day a majority of the victims’ bodies remain undiscovered, and their whereabouts unknown.

4.

Is life better or worse for Iraqis today than it was in the 1990s?

Iraq has seen a lot of change over the past 20 years.

Certainly the fall of Saddam paved the way for progress in the country and marked the installment of a democratic government. People now experience a freedom that they never could under Saddam, though restrictions continue to be imposed on the population. From 2003 until 2011, the Iraqi government acted in accordance with coalition forces, essentially being an occupied country. In recent years, Iraq has bared witness to an increase in extremist groups and sectarian violence, and tensions are becoming ever more heightened.

Iraq needs time to adjust to its relatively newfound freedom, but it is our hope and the hope of the international community that the future of Iraq is a safe and peaceful one for its population. But whilst there is still oil in the sands of Babylon, we have to question whether Iraqis will ever be able to live in peace.

Is it a hard to film in Iraq?

Simply put, filming in Iraq is difficult. There are very few facilities catering to filming in the country, so equipment, film stock, experienced crew, and backup all need to be brought in from abroad. Once the team is out in Iraq, we have to deal with challenges as they arise, of which there are plenty. If there is a camera or equipment malfunction, we need to be resourceful and fix the problems ourselves.

Essentially, parts of Iraq are still a warzone — sectarian and extremist violence is all around, so obviously it is vital to consider the safety of the crew when filming. There have been times when it was necessary to hire a security escort. But just like any other — Matt Kettmann film project, it’s never easy.

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ages while just up the steep slopes yucca plants grow. In spring, the hilltops support wildflower-filled meadows and the hilly-tosteep slopes are covered with bay laurel, oak trees, and pine forests. Dry exposed slopes host chaparral, grasslands, and sage. There are rocky and sandy beaches used by people, wildlife, birds, and marine mammals. This region is one of the most biologically diverse we ever have filmed. reel nature

iT’s a Wild life

co-DirectorS Kennan anD Karen warD itsawildlifefilm.com

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ore than six years in the making, this is a cinematically gorgeous nature fi lm showcasing the world-class beauty of the Big Sur wilderness and all the beasts, big and small, that call it home. From the husband-and-wife fi lmmaking team of Kennan and Karen Ward, the fi lm strives to present an unfi ltered and unprecedented glimpse into life in the wild along California’s most raw stretch of coastline.

What are you hoping viewers take home after watching the film?

We have watched people review the initial screeners and have been surprised. I would like to make a podcast of the expressions.

The fi lm first appears to be “slow” because the audience doesn’t know yet that they are going on a roller coaster! Nature is calming, and people slow down, and then out of nowhere, they are on the edge of their seats in full surprise as the action unfolds. Some are so emotional they are crying with hope, joy, and awe while others are simply trying to figure out how we fi lmed some of the more impressive bits and pieces.

This fi lm is organic and as true to life as any fi lm has ever wanted to become. It took six and a half years to be an honest fi lm. It was not easy. —Ethan Stewart

How did this film come about?

We were the early adapters of a new camera technology in 2007 with 4K and Red Cinema Cameras. We were one of the first to take these things out into nature, and we decided on a backyard subject, Big Sur! We have been around the world, to all seven continents, and not just for visits but months and years at a time. What we found in Big Sur is world class, not just landscape but wildlife.

Why is Big Sure perfect for a film like this?

Big Sur has some of the steepest and roughest terrain in California. Cone Peak is 5,155 feet tall and is only three miles from the ocean. The jagged topography creates varied micro climates.

Fog influences the plant life, and here you find redwood trees along the drain-

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5.

parts of the world kept reviving this masterpiece. Although there are differences between the legal systems in China and the U.S., the pursuit of justice is the same.

Many great actors appear in the film. Where are they from?

Pan Asia U.S. Premiere

12 Citizens

producer li zhu china-cinema.com

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his contemporary Chinese remake of 12 Angry Men has been a hit in that country and won the Cinema Today People’s Choice Award at the Rome Film Festival in October. China does not have trial by jury, so the story, which is performed by an all-star cast, concerns a group who come together to simulate the experience of deliberating on the verdict in a famous murder case.

Do Chinese audiences recognize the source material of the American film 12 Angry Men? 12 Angry Men has a huge fan base in China. Up until this day, fans are still posting their film reviews online. To all movie lovers, especially those legal practitioners, it is a mustsee film. The spirit of laws represented in 12 Angry Men is universal, and the structure of its screenplay is classic; therefore, many countries from different 6.

The 12 leading actors all come from the top Chinese theaters: 10 of them are from Beijing People’s Art Theatre and two are from National Theatre of China. They all have appeared in many popular films and TV series.

However, their stage experiences make them expert at performing in this closedspace setting and only using their performances and dialogue to drive the story development. The director, Xu Ang, is also from Beijing People’s Art Theatre, where he has been a friend to these 12 actors for years.

What was it like for the director to work with such talented performers on this project?

The director once used the metaphor “playing soccer” to describe the collective performance of these 12 actors: Each of them has their own position of the same importance, and it takes seamless collaboration to keep the game going smoothly and eventually to score.

Ang and the 12 leading actors rehearsed for a couple weeks in the manner that they used to do for theater plays. This helped to fine-tune the lines and make them more vibrant.

—Charles Donelan

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learning to understand your sons and daughtersin-law. Of course, Finland is a very modern country, and I believe the “modernization” is even faster there.

Is there a strong rivalry between Finns and Russians, as is explored early in the film?

norDic the worlD laughS

The grUMp

Director Dome KaruKoSKi Yellowaffair.com

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hat begins as a funny fi lm from Finland about a grumpy old man from the country who must move to the city while his busted leg heals evolves into a self-examination of a lonely life that was full of mistakes. This lovable feature, which touches on the pain brought by Alzheimer’s, will make you laugh, cry, and think about your own life, no matter your age.

Why tell this story of a grumpy old man who hates the modern world?

My father passed away during the holidays. I made this fi lm for him, knowing he would be gone soon.

I wanted to do one fi lm he would love. When I read the books that the fi lm is based upon, I could relate to them through my father. He was a great man, but the world changed around him in a rapid pace. It must’ve felt terrible. Suddenly everything is somewhere in “iCloud,” or nothing works as it used.

Is that sentiment especially common in Finland?

My father lived in New York; The Grump lives in very rural Finland. Still, they shared many traits. I think aging and especially the generational gap is universal. In its core, the film is about that: understanding different generations and, as it’s shown in the film,

The Soviet Union attacked Finland during the second World War. This is a dark memory for the older generation. Sometimes it’s difficult for them to understand that the younger generation is suddenly doing business with the old enemy.

The film has a tragic undertone but is also a comedy.

Basically every good comedy has a strong story behind it. Otherwise it’s just surface. The Grump is about a lonely man seeking a place in the world. It’s about the loss of his love and realizing the mistakes you’ve made — in a way being in the mist until you confront those mistakes. I always start from the core story, and I have to even cry when thinking it.

And I just love to deal with grim or serious subjects with laughter and a smile. Laughter relieves and heals — even the fi lmmaker.

How have people liked the film?

It’s been nominated for Best Film in the Finnish Film Awards, and it’s also the number one fi lm at the Finnish box office last year, beating titles such as The Hobbit 3 and Interstellar. And the fi lm premiered at Toronto Film Festival, which is of course a good head start.

Would you prefer living like he did in the country or in a nice place in the city?

I was raised in a village of 5,000 people, and I now live in the Finnish capital Helsinki. Even though my home village is beautiful, I think my driving— Matt Kettmann the-tractor times are over.

7.

For film festival coverage and schedule changes, visit independent.com/sBiff

But I’m accustomed to misreads; there are even those who call Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard a satire. My novels contain the profane and the sacred, and I hope that shines through Maps.

Why did the film take so long to come to fruition?

Special Presentation

Maps to the Stars

Screenwriter Bruce Wagner mapstothestarsfilm.com

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his funny, sad, and hard-to-stop-watching-thetrainwreck satire about child stars both young and old is an acerbic critique of Hollywood culture. But what would you expect from the team of writer Bruce Wagner and director David Cronenberg? The film, which took quite a while to make, boasts an all-star cast of Julianne Moore, John Cusack, Robert Pattinson, and Mia Wasikowska, among others.

This seems to be a very venomous attack on the Hollywood of today.

David and I had absolutely no interest in mounting an “attack” on Hollywood. Maps to the Stars is a melodrama, pure and simple. One of the obsessions among critics is to call it an “attack” or to call it “satire.” There is nothing, not a single thing, in my experience, that is exaggerated in the film in terms of the depravity or madness of human behavior.

But the film is very funny as well, and sometimes people don’t know how to digest the intermingling of comedy and tragedy. I was raised here and wrote a story about a quintessential show business family — their rise and fall, so to speak — that ends badly. End of story! We have a lot of fun along the way.

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Maps took a long time to make for a number of reasons. Because I’m an American [and the film is Canadian], there were a lot of fairly strict rules of funding, such as those mandating that we only have one American actor. (Carrie Fisher was allowed, too, because she was a “cameo.”)

Eight years ago, we intended to make the film but couldn’t; in the meanwhile, Julianne Moore acquired dual citizenship, so we were able to have another American actor, John Cusack, come aboard.

It was also expensive to shoot in Los Angeles, and we were unable to get the monies to do that in our first round. But it’s true that Hollywood movies of a modest budget are difficult to get off the ground, not because of the town’s animosity toward them, but the feeling that the genre doesn’t perform well at the box office. Obviously, a director of David’s stature (like Altman or Lynch) changes things when it comes to financing and casting, but it was still difficult, even after we had Julianne and Rob Pattinson.

How have people liked the film?

The movie has been extraordinarily received. Julianne, of course, won Best Actress at Cannes and was nominated for a Golden Globe. We received 11 Canadian Screen Award nominations, their version of the Academy Awards. (We weren’t eligible for Oscar contention.) We will open in 50 theaters at the end of February, but I believe our largest audience will be on VOD. The Interview has paved the — Matt Kettmann way!

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archive of footage and was really blown away. I immediately fell in the love with the story.

This film transcends its obvious genre and subject.

Why?

to the maXXX

sUnshine sUperMan Director marah Strauch sunshinesupermanfilm.com

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t first blush, this documentary is an entertaining origin story of the most extreme of extreme sports: BASE Jumping. But really, the fi lm is a captivating love story about Carl and Jean Boenish and how their passion for jumping off of disturbingly tall things set the world on fire in the late 1970s and early ’80s.

How did you discover this story?

I was a visual artist, working in mostly installation art, and I was looking for material. I was home visiting my dad, and I discovered these fi lms of Carl Boenish’s in an old box of my uncle’s footage — my dad was a rock climber, and my uncle was a BASE jumper. I was really taken by the quality of the footage and this idea of people BASE jumping, which I’d never seen before. I was attracted to the movement, but I also was drawn to the personality of BASE jumpers, so I started going around and interviewing people after seeing these first amazing clips. I then found Jean Boenish and her huge

I have always thought of BASE jumping as the backdrop for a story about extraordinary individuals who dreamed big and made their dreams come true despite the consequences. I think the fact that I am not a BASE jumper allows me to find what is interesting about the world of BASE jumping. I wanted to make a date movie, a pop song of a film with a deeper message. The film is about the birth of an activity, but I also think it is about a time in California when the West was still wide open and enthralling. I think this energy can be felt in the film. It is a portrait of a man and wife and a time and place, California in the 1970s to the early ’80s.

Was the choice to leave out details of Carl’s faith until the end of the film a deliberate one?

The decision to reveal more about Carl later in the fi lm was a combination of conscious and intuitive. I did not want people to get caught up on Carl’s faith, although I certainly think this is a big and important reveal. The fi lm is not about Carl’s faith. It was interesting to me to know about Carl’s faith, but I also think it was not the bulk of who he was. He was also an engineer and very grounded in science.

I think, at its core, the fi lm does struggle with some tough themes that question the validity of faith and the notion of invincibility, rather like the story of Icarus. I feel Carl’s faith is an important part of his decision-making process, but I felt to reveal this too soon would have been a mistake.

My intention was to not wrap everything up with a bow. People can draw their own conclusions.

— Ethan Stewart

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9.

Then I introduced her to my cousin Malini (the inspiration for the film).

Malini gave her complete access to her life and private moments. Kalki is a keen observer and learnt not just physical things but also imbibed Malini’s joie de vivre and independent spirit.

Pan Asia

Margarita, With a Straw Writer/Director Shonali Bose widemanagement.com

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his film about a woman living with cerebral palsy in India and then New York City centers on the stunning performance of actress Kalki Koechlin, who portrays the disability with passion, pain, and even pleasure. It surrounds her character’s sexual awakening and yet powerfully delivers the message that those with disabilities can experience full, engaging lives.

Kalki Koechlin is utterly amazing in her depiction of cerebral palsy. How did she develop her technique?

The condition I made for casting the actor for Laila’s role was that they give me a dedicated three months of time to completely immerse in the role in preparation for it. It required not just talent but discipline and hard work to pull this off. Kalki was one of the rare actors who understood the importance of this.

I brought in and worked hand in hand with an acting coach trained in the Grotowski method to teach her how to perform honestly and with complete transparency from within her body. This broke down barriers and got rid of bad habits learnt from other film sets where performance was often cerebral. I believe this intense workshop, which was eight hours a day for one month, was a key part of her preparation to delivering her luminous performance.

10.

Why did you decide to tell this story of sexual awakening?

When I was 40 and Malini was 39, we were having a drink in a London pub.

I was passing through on my way from America to India, and she was getting a second master’s degree there. I said, “What are we going to do for your 40th? It’s absolutely the best birthday.”

Her speech is usually garbled and difficult to understand. But sometimes when she is angry or excited, it comes out crystal clear. This was one of those times. She banged her fist on the table and spoke loud and clear for all the pub to hear: I just want to have sex by the time I’m 40!

I grinned sheepishly around and assured her it was not what it was made out to be, et cetera, et cetera. But later when I was thinking about what she said, what she so passionately wanted, I realized that I had never thought about her sexuality much. Or maybe I just avoided it as I didn’t know what to do about it. This started me on my journey of Margarita.

As I started exploring my fictional character and her issues, the big question that came up was one of self-worth. This is a core issue that everyone faces — whether one is disabled or not. From there it went to a place of finding deep self-acceptance and — Matt Kettmann self-love.

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city and also involved helping newly relocated farmers adapt to urban life.

What is the “Chinese Dream” that’s so prevalent in the film?

u.S. premiere

The land of Many palaCes co-DirectorS Song ting anD aDam Smith thelandofmanYpalaces.com

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e all hear of how fast China is rapidly changing from a rural country to one that lives, works, and plays in cities. This brilliant documentary, wrapped in a questioning yet never critical tone, shows that trend in action, following elderly villagers who are lured from their ramshackle farm houses to high-rise apartments and providing thoughtful insight from the government workers who bring them there.

How did you get access to make this film?

AS: We knew we wanted to follow the relocation plan in Ordos that involves farmers being moved off their land and into the new city from both the side of the government and the side of the farmers. Finding a farmer who hadn’t moved to the city yet but was planning to and who was also charismatic enough to be on camera involved a lot of time on the ground going from village to village. As for the government side of the story, we stumbled upon Yuan Xiaomei, the government worker in our fi lm, by chance one day, when we were exploring a neighborhood built for relocated farmers in the new city. We learned her job was so interesting and involved going out to the countryside to convince farmers to move into the

ST: To be honest, most Chinese people seem confused by what the “Chinese Dream” officially means. Everyone seems to have their own interpretation of what it means, and maybe this is the point: To get Chinese people to dream and aspire for something and look to the future. Ironically, there are urbanites in China who dream of escaping the city and living in a suburban area in the countryside, much in the same way Americans once did. So their “Chinese Dream” fits more closely with the “American Dream.”

You focus on people who aren’t quite sure about the move, but are most Chinese happy with the situation?

AS: We would say that the majority of relocated farmers we spoke to, who now live in the new city, were happy with their new situation as they’ve been lifted out of quite a hard life trying to farm in an arid region and into a new urban area with a free apartment and urban benefits. Perhaps “happy” isn’t the right word, and maybe “accepting” is. What you have to keep in mind is that the older generations in China are used to forces much larger than themselves steering the direction their lives take. Depending on their age, they’ve lived through foreign occupation, the Cultural Revolution, the Great Leap Forward, famine, the reform years, the economic rise of China, and now they’re being pushed off their land and into the city. It’s just another huge cultural shift that’s out of their control, and so they just accept it.

— Matt Kettmann

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11.

transforming the way graduates view the world and enhancing their ability to impact the future

pacifica.edu Pacifica Graduate Institute is an innovative, employee-owned graduate school with two campuses near Santa Barbara that offers accredited masters’ and doctoral degree programs in psychology, the humanities, and mythological studies.

At Pacifica, leading scholars have developed a cutting-edge curriculum designed to engage and expand the creative intelligence of the human imagination.

Pacifica’s unique approach to education and outstanding academic resources attract individuals seeking a challenging intellectual experience that resonates with their inner calling.

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