LATONIA HARTERY NATASHA DEBETAK MONIQUE BLOM SHAYNE METCALFE ZORNITSA STOYANOVA SYBILLE FEZER DANIEL BURKHOLZ NEVADA McENIRY-HATAJLO AZADEH GHOCHAGH KATELYN WILKERSON BOYANA TOPCHIYSKA
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CINEMA DOC THEATRE VIDEO ART DANCE
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Building on the success of the fourth edition, CinéWomen continues showcasing video practice from around the world. As the ultimate mirror-medium of our times, video is all around us. Despite the proliferation of mainstream cinema, independent films continue to be made –radical, poetic, and dreamlike films, whose directors work on the edge of the mainstream film industry, never restricting themself to any single field, yet inviting the eye and the mind to travel further. Cinema is no longer the monolithic system based on large capital investiment: in the last decade the technological advances have dramatically changed the economic conditions of cinema production. Revolutions arise from obstinacy. It is not by chance that today one of the protagonists of the digital revolution in cinema is a talented and courageous woman director, Elle Schneider, co-founder along with Joe Rubinstein of the Digital Bolex Project, who after developing a cult-camera harking back to 16mm film aesthetic -a significant leap towards the democratization of technology- is now promoting an application process for a grant for producers employing women in their camera troupes. Only eight percent of 2015's top-grossing films were directed by women: it's time to reverse this trend. However, cinema is not only technology, but ideas, experimentation, and above all dialogue, networking, interaction. Creating and supporting a fertile ground for innovation and dialogue does not necessarily require compromise. Honoring the influence of women in video art and cinema, our womenartconnect.com editorial board is proud to present a selection of powerful and surreal visions from seven uncompromising outsiders. In these pages you will encounter details on a new wave of filmmakers marching away from the Hollywood stereotype, with films like 2183 Days by the talented Natasha Debetak; the visionary dance cinema of Zornista Stoyanova ; SADIE, an immersive film and hypnotic film by Latonia Hartery, and much more.
editorial womenartconnect.com
CinéWomen Board
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>16 COVER Production still from SADIE by Latonia Hartery. Joanne Kelly as Nurse Josephine TOP Production still from SADIE by Latonia Hartery Photos by Duncan De Young
LEFT Still from
, Mengxi Rao
Edition curated
wac* VIDEO ART CINEMA THEATRE DANCE
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latonia hartery SADIE (Canada, 2015) Photos by Duncan De Young
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independent cinema
Shot in gorgeous digital, Latonia Hartery's SADIE is an emotionally complex meditation on loneliness and isolation. Utilizing beautiful, elusive imagery, Latonia often use specific locations as inspiration for larger emotional inquires. Her short film SADIE is emotionally penetrating journey to the darkest corners of the human mind. We are proud to present Latonia Hartery for this year's CinéWomen Edition. Latonia, tell us about your trajectory as a filmmaker. What inspired you to express yourself in this medium? I’ve been interested in making films for so long that I don’t remember a time I didn’t want to make them - even though it took me a while to get to it professionally. But if I have to think about what inspired me, it’s down to two things. I grew up in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada’s most easterly province – it’s known for its hard to reach places and beautiful scenery. Experiencing the daily effect these
stark visuals have on your mood was an early lesson in the power of things that are cinematic. You couldn’t help but to want to take pictures of it, either moving or still. My father gave me a Ricoh 35mm camera (not digital) when I was 13 and I did my best to wear it out. Film-wise, the one movie that inspired me was Schindler’s List. I am person who is quite calm and even-keeled but that story ripped my heart out. In a sea of black and white, who can deny the impact of the girl in the red coat and the fate that befell her? It was a masterpiece film that highlighted a dark historical time. I was never the same after I saw that, and I remember thinking ‘I’d love to create something like that one day, in and about, Newfoundland’. There is only one Spielberg, of course, I don’t mean that – what I mean is I hope to create a film related to my own truth, and that of the people here, which is insightful, historical and emotionally charged.
How did you become involved with SADIE and what attracted you to this film? SADIE was made as part of NIFCO’s Picture Start Program. NIFCO (Newfoundland Independent Film) is our local co-operative. For the program, a team of filmmakers pitch a short film as part of a competition, and 3 teams are selected annually. I was interested in the program, but had no script at the time, but knew I wanted to work with women. I approached local producer Deanne Foley about her interest in working on a project together. At our first meeting, we decided to ask Emily Bridger to write the script – she is a young woman in her 20s who has immense writing talent. Emily agreed and our team was created. We wanted to try our hand at a suspense-
thriller film centred on a range of female character types and ages. In the end, she created a story about a nurse who becomes intrigued by a teenage patient who is struggling to deal with the tragic death of her parents. We set the film in the 1940s Newfoundland, in an isolated sea-side village where the nurse and patient are next door neighbours. So that’s how SADIE happened, three people who sort of knew each other coming together with a common goal of making a film by and about women. Your life in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador has deeply influenced your visual imagery as well as your quiet and observational style. How has your history influenced the way you produce art?
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NL is a cultural crossroads - I think it can be best explained that way. First Nations people have been in the Labrador part of the province for 9000 years, and began living on the Island portion about 5500 years ago. Vikings came here about a 1000 years ago, and beginning about 500 years ago Newfoundland was visited by Basques, French, English, Irish, and Dutch for example, due to our rich cod fishing grounds. Labrador is also home to the Inuit, who moved there from the higher Arctic around 1400 AD. So this cultural diversity has created a very interesting contemporary way of living, and identity, which is steeped in tradition. Set all these influences to stunning scenery and as expected - a very rich music, film and literary art scene develops. So like, many other artists here, I draw a lot of
strength and inspiration from this place. I also have a PhD in archaeology, and other degrees in anthropology, and this kind of work does require a lot of quiet observation as you say, and the asking of many questions such as “Why do people behave the way they do?” So I suppose, when you bring this kind of background together with filmmaking, a film like SADIE gets made. Can you talk about your creative relationship with Emily Bridger and Deanne Foley and how it has evolved through your work together? We actually didn’t know each other that well at first but we knew of each other’s work. However, our creative compatibility and connection was instant. We had a great experience
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talking about and planning the film, and deciding how we were going to achieve our goals. Now, we’ve gone from strangers to good friends. I am working on another short script that Emily is helping me with and likewise, Emily is writing and creating a new piece of work set in the early 1900s and I am helping her turn it into a TV series. Deanne is a well-known director in her own right with two feature films under her belt, Relative Happiness and Beat Down. She also recently won Newfoundland and Labrador’s Artist of the Year Award for 2015. That gives you an idea of the caliber of her talent! Deanne is a little further along in her career than Emily and I, but all in all, we support each other. A little over a year ago, I hardly knew them, now I can’t imagine my life without them in it. But that’s what is magnificent about making films, not just the final output, but the experience along the way.
SADIE features a peculiar sense of time and rhythm, worth of Tarkovsky. How did you develop your filmmaking style? I am certainly am honoured by that statement. For me, Tarkovsky was one of the greatest filmmakers that ever lived. In addition, if you listen to interviews he gave about his work and film in general – it’s clear he was also a philosopher. He had incredibly poignant thoughts on what art means to human beings and why it’s so vital to our lives. I think the peculiar sense of rhythm you might be referring to relates to elongated takes, and scenes that have few edits. I grew up in a small town at the base of a long fjord. Here, things also moved slowly, and there was always time to interact with people, and have meaningful conversations. No one rushed you, at all. This feeling stays with me, and spills over into my films. Taking the time,
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and letting the camera linger on two people talking together, as they emotionally bond or have conflict, is very powerful – and at times uncomfortable, which works very well for SADIE. I’d prefer to set up a few shots, with care and put the time in, than to feel rushed to get lots of coverage I don’t need. So, I choose projects that suit this pace. What was the most challenging thing about making this film? Since SADIE is set in 1940s, getting that time period right came with certain challenges. I worked closely with the cinematographer, production designer and costume designer to make sure that all the details were accurate for that time. Even though the film is only 14minutes long, we put a lot of time into discussing and planning
these details, several months at least. This was important to me. I felt an obligation to do this since I knew the film was representing an aspect of our ancestor’s lives. Another challenge was dialogue. Emily and Deanne and I thought a lot about how people would sound and the way they would address each other. Back then, many of the rural towns in Newfoundland were very isolated, and the way people interacted was based on warmth foremost, but also politeness and respect, since getting along with your neighbours and helping each other was critical for survival. It is this getting along or taking care of each other at all cost that is one of the main though lines of this film, and helps move the story along. We got rid of the casual language that we use today and tried to balance formal language with nonrigid, fluid characters. It was tricky,
but I think Emily did a great job in the end. In your film you combine a penetrating naturalism -that harks back to your earlier documentary work- with a dynamic, Hitchcockian story-telling: each shot is carefully orchestrated to work within the overall structure. The first time we watched it, we immediately thought of Herzog's cinema. Can you tell us your biggest influences in art and how they have affected your work? It is fitting you should mention Hitchcock because I admire his work, and have seen nearly all his films, many of them several times. I was influenced by Hitchcock’s storytelling style, as it relates to anticipation. He is always quoted as saying “There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it.”
In our film, through a flashback at the very beginning, the audience immediately knows something terrible is going to happen, but what? We spend the rest of the time laying clues to build tension and a slow accumulation of suspense until we see the opening clip again. Then, the film’s climax occurs. Most people say they didn’t see the ending coming, which makes me happy, and makes me think we accomplished what we set out to do. The ending revolves more around a psychological shock than graphic violence. One film that has stayed with me is a German film I saw about 9 years ago, The Lives of Others, by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. I think it is one the best films in recent history. It has everything: suspense, politics, intrigue, romance, questions about loyalty - it is superb. But what also struck me was the way textures, colours, and lights were
used to tell that complex story. I was inspired by that film and wanted to do something similar for SADIE. I also love Scandinavian cinema, with films by Ingmar Bergman being at the top of the list, he’s the king of examining isolation through visual media. I also watch anything Susanne Bier from Denmark creates; she is a true female pioneer. You have production managed and field produced two recent CBC DocZones shooting in several locations from all over the world. Can you describe this exciting experience? This was one of the best experiences of my life, shooting in locations from Hong Kong to New York, LA to London, Geneva to Paris, over the course of two years - it was a rush. One of the films
was about the effects of social media on our lives, the other about problems associated with counterfeiting, not so much money – but things that can harm your health. Both were rewarding and eye opening. With documentaries, you can make plans but unexpected events will happen in the field and you need to problem solve on the spot. And in these situations everything gets put to the test: patience, team work, and skill. Perhaps the greatest part of the experience was working with the crew. These gigs were the first large scale projects with significant budgets I had ever taken on. I was the only female crew member, the other three were men were 20-25 years older than me, and who had massive amounts of experience in the film and TV industry. I wasn’t sure how it would go, but it was great. It didn’t bother them I was young woman with less experience – every logistic I planned or suggestions I
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made were always respectfully and carefully considered, and then we implemented the plan that worked best for everyone. It was a real lesson in filmmaking equality, and how male and female teams can work together. I compare all my projects to this, and use it as an example of respectful collobration. What do you hope viewers will take away from the film? For this film, there is a clear story, but there are a few details within the story arc that are ambiguous, so I hope people will enjoy filling in those blanks for themselves and therefore, as an audience member, become part of determining the narrative. I’d love for them to become so immersed in the story that they do not think about anything else for the time they are watching, and drift away to a world completely different than their own. Likewise, we do explore themes of remoteness, expectations placed on people in small places, and I also think it is a little about following instinct. Our main character, played by Joanne Kelly, a nurse, suspects that all is not well with her neighbours. I think everyone has been in those situations where we know something isn’t right, but the big question ‘what to do?’ is not that easily answered. I hope they find something in the film that they identify with, or at the very least, be entertained by the story. We want to catch this occasion to ask you to express your view on the future of women in cinema. For more than half a century women have been discouraged from getting behind the camera, however in the last decades there are signs that something is changing. What's your view on the future of women in cinema? I think the future is very bright. Many film festivals are now devoted to the work of female directors and producers, this makes me very happy. Here in St. John’s our Women’s International Film
Festival has been ongoing for 25 years, and it sees a dramatic annual increase in submissions. In March, 2015 SADIE was selected for the Women in Film and Television International Short Film Showcase. WIFT mentioned for this festival they had nearly 1000 films from 59 countries - those numbers are great. In Canada, one of our largest multimedia companies and funders, called Bell Media, recently made a big announcement. One of their funding arms, BravoFACT (Foundation to Assist Canadian Talent) declared 2015 as The Year of the Female Filmmaker, and they committed to guaranteeing a minimum of 50% of its funds, in perpetuity, to female-led projects. It has taken a long time to get to make this kind of headway, but change is happening. In the US, Geena Davis is doing incredible work with her Institute on Gender Equality in Film and Television, and I think women like Kathryn Bigelow are leading by doing. There is still a long, long way to go – in regards to opportunity, acceptance, and equality but little victories do matter, and bit by bit, I am confident we are going to see more female films on all major circuits and directing high budget feature films. Earlier this year (January, 2015) at Sundance Robert Redford said that the ‘future of the film industry is in the hands of women and young people’… far be it from me to argue with such a great actor! We wish you all the best with your filmmaker career, Latonia. What's next for you? Right now, I am involved in a development phase, as director, with a documentary about the Vikings in Northern Newfoundland. I am also working on another narrative script for short film. My plan is to do at least one more short before I direct a feature. Given my production managing and field producing experience, I feel ready to take on producing a feature film, and hope to do that in the next year or two. All the best to you too, and thank you for the thoughtful questions, as well as your efforts with this wonderful publication.
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azadeh ghochagh Titolo che (Iran, inizia per Sormeh 2015)
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independent cinema
A work of unusual maturity and power, demonstrates Azadeh Ghochagh's ability to capture the subtle depths of emotion. What begins as a gentle comedy gradually reveals a more somber side, and the exquisite performances lend the story a touching beauty and emotional resonance, reminescent of Agnes Varda's cinema. We are proud to present Azadeh Ghochagh for this year's CinÊWomen Edition. Azadeh, tell us about your trajectory as a filmmaker. What inspired you to express yourself in this medium? First of all, it is an honor to me to be reminescent of Agnes Varda’s cinema. To me, cinema is a compound branch of art, consisting of different mediums
like the theatre, painting, architecture, etc. On the other hand, cinema and its dramatic aspect feels close to the reality. In addition to all this, it has got a vast range of audience and it is reachable for the majority of people. These features makes this medium tempting to use as a medium. We want to take a closer look at the genesis of your film: how did you come up with the idea for Sormeh? The Script is a free adaptation from a short story written by Zoya Pirzad, the Iranian writer. Reading the story, I noticed that the dramatic setup of the story is a suitable container for me to grasp and a fitting frame to depict a personal concern, which was the
uncertain nature of human being. As a result, I decided to form this dramatic setup into a script. An additional point to that, the word “Sormeh” refers to a traditional eye-liner, which brings me back to the nostalgic scene of that specific era in the history of my country. Why did you choose to set the film during the Iran's '79 revolution? The revolution theme was already in the story. But I had two reasons not to change the time period. The first reason was the reliance of the dramatic setup on the social revolution factors. These factors would made it logical and possible for two strangers to meet up in the same way as in Sormeh, speaking of the rational relations between the
different elements and events in the script. The other reason was the nostalgic touch of the lifestyle of those specific years. Although I was born two years after the revolution itself, my childhood memories contain the same set and theme of clothing and lifestyle depicted in Sormeh. We have been deeply impressed by your original approach to narrative that combines visual elegance with allegorical storytelling. how did you develop the ‘script’ and the structure of this short film? Writing the script and also Making the Movie, I tried my best to make a symmetrical diagram for the timeline of Sormeh, as an element of making the core concept of the
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movie. Giving out examples of this symmetrical form, we used the beginning Truck-in shot to set up the whole theme and introducing the main character, and in opposition to that the movie finishes with a Truckback shot of the same character in order to finish up the whole story, but as the viewer sees, the woman is not the same person in these to similar but contradictory shots. Or we have got the staircase shots on two sides of the storage room sequence, the first one showing the woman coming down the stairs and the opposite side, showing the woman going up the stairs, two different characters on the inside again. On the other hand, considering the rules and regulations of the short film, featuring a short period of time to form up the characters of the
story and the short film nature itself, brings us to the conclusion of putting the symbolic elements and the cinematic codes in order to make the points in details and concept. For example, depicting the ongoing unpleasant sort of feeling in the couple’s marriage by the symbolic code of changing the tune on the radio, from the favorable theme of the music into the serious, rigid theme of the news. Another cinematic and cultural code is that considering the social conditions of those years of Iran, being the same age as the couple in Sormeh and not having a child would be realized as a marital failure, as a result the viewer cannot see any visual element in the scene or even in dialogues, meaning that they have a child by any chance. Or another
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visual icon was the framed picture which was hanged on the wall separating the two rooms Sormeh features a naturalistic cinematography. What were some of your aesthetic decisions for this film? My own visual taste is towards the realistic themes. Yet taking the concepts of the script into account, discussing the visual matters with the cinematographer, we came to this conclusion of picturing the space between the couple with mild cold and low saturated colors, and using wide lenses and divergent mise-enscene, putting the man and the woman in two rooms separated by a wall in between, and lack the look-room in many shots of the woman whenever she looks at his man. In contradiction to this theme, in the storage room
sequence and to picture the current between the woman and the rebel character, we came up with tele lenses in order to give the shots a compressed sort of look and high contrast lighting in favor of highlight the facial expressions of the characters. For the sake of the naturalistic look, we added a small window to the storage room setup to make sense of the lighting in the logical way. We did our best to use the cinematic visual tools yet avoiding the cliches. Morteza Gheidi did an excellent work in Sormeh, can you tell us something about your collaboration? Being classmates at the university, getting married and living together afterwards, we got to know each others visual taste and aesthetics
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layer by layer, resulting in a matching harmonious set of visual decisions on Sormeh. In addition to that the patience that he has on the set makes the workflow really easy and progressive. The staging of Sormeh is elegantly simple, as if the play were a Greek tragedy, favouring a cinematic style that honors spontaneity and improvisation, reminding us of Lynne Ramsay's early work. How did you develop your filmmaking style? The individuality and the independence of the filmmaking style and the cinematic view of every individual director is the main priority to me. We all sure watch and study many different themes and sorts of filmmaking, grasping a various assemble of lessons to learn and visual expe-
riences, and at the same time keeping up with the individuality of the point of view of a directer who can be titled as an author. It is a pleasure to see that my cinematic view reminds you of a great director like Lynn Ramsay's It is to mention that my filmmaking style is dependent to my own Iranian culture. Getting into the work that we put in favor of making a personal and individual filmmaking style, we tried to build up the stage in harmony to the cultural specifications of Iran. Finding a suitable location for the movie, we came across to an old building, which had many of the aspects needed, yet it didn’t have the perfect place for the storage room, in which the climax of the plot happens, so we had to build a decorative stage in a studio with the specific cultural elements and then attach the scenes from the location to the scenes from
the studio. Sormeh is no doubt an urgent and intense piece of cinema, directed with clarity and conscience. What do you hope viewers will take away from your work? The major concept for me to deliver was the sensation that was felt by a married woman. Even if having commitments those feelings may happen. It is to say that my character is a woman only because I'm a woman myself and I do know more about a femi nine world and point of view, but the truth is that this situation may occur to anyone with any gender, living in any time or region, this sort of potential inner turning point which may happen while having commitments and dedications to some other thing or person.
Since my main idea was just to picture this moment, this inner sensation and it's happening, we won't see the rest of this woman's life or the days after this point so there is no judgement or anything. The point is that all human being are much closer to the most foul or not admissible concepts than they think they are. Your visual style immediately reminded us of Lynne Ramsay's early work. Who were your chief influences? Well I have loved many great directors' cinemas but to be precise and name some of the most influential ones "Krysztof Kieslowski" and "Nuri Bilge Ceylan" are the most bold ones. in addition to that I have been affected by my academic studies with Dr. Ahmad Alasti, and also
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reading the works of Susan Hayward. For more than half a century women have been discouraged from getting behind the camera, however in the last decades there are signs that something is changing. What's your view on the future of women in cinema? I do see a range of differences between men and women which makes each of them specific in their own way yet does not bring any superiority to any side. These minor and major differences among different genders are the reason of the people's world being worthy to explore. Based on this point of view, I believe that a woman's cinema has unique characteristics that is rooted from the feminine point of view which has it's particular qualities.
As a result I believe that woman directors are able to attract the range of woman viewers in a different way, so there would be more and more interest in cinema for women and I think they would take action in cinema more than the past. Thanks for your time and thought, Azadeh. We wish you all the best with your career. What's next for Azadeh Ghochagh? I have been living with the idea for a feature film, so I hope I make it. There are numerous concerns and interests in my mind so hope I would be able to share them with others.
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katelyn wilkerson Titolo che Piece inizia per Untitled 22 (USA, 2015)
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independent cinema
With a radical take on narrative, is a visionary and emotionally captivating surreal film. Katelyn Wilkerson pushes the surreal genre to virtuosic aesthetic heights, exploring the blurry boundary between life and death. We are pleased to present Katelyn Wilkerson for this year's CinéWomen Edition. Katelyn, tell us about your trajectory as a filmmaker and video artist. What inspired you to express yourself in this medium? I have always been an enthusiastic artist. I especially love encaustic painting and mixed media pieces. I went to film school almost on a whim where I was taught story structures, character archetypes, and how to manipulate audiences. I was sure that I wanted to be an animator, yet something wasn’t clicking. I wasn’t “good” the way that other people were. Yes I understood motion fairly well but for some reason that wasn’t enough. Years later, trying to direct a strictly fiction film, without any experi-
mental tendencies or story devices, proved to be a struggle. There were expectations, even the title of my piece was disputed because it was too grim and distant from the storyline. I didn’t follow the strong recommendations for my film in that class and took a horrid mark for it. That’s when I realized that filmmaking didn’t have to be narrative; people I didn’t even know liked the piece just the way I made it; they liked it because it was so weird. It didn’t have to follow the code. It didn’t have to be anything that I was taught. I discovered films to be simply an extension of my artistic style. A moving painting could add new dimension to my passion. More emotion, colors, and compositions than I could express on a flat surface were waiting to be set free from my mind. I began taking classes outside of my college and learned that the installations and moving exhibits that I had always been so interested in weren’t out of the realm of my possibilities. I found that for me, filmmaking could be whatever I wanted. It could be just for me
and no one else. We want to take a closer look at the genesis of your film: how did you come up with the idea for For starters, I have always been called indecisive - though realistically I just like a little bit of everything. I really wanted this piece to display that and to prove that I can mix any styles I wanted. I almost saw it as a challenge to do what other people couldn’t. Thematically I wanted to do something that showed my southern roots. Growing up hunting and fishing, blood and guts were not anything but mundane. I wanted to bring to the forefront these instances that I find so ordinary. Lastly, I wanted to share the inner workings of my mind. The original concept was to “channel surf” my thoughts, which soon grew to be a moving collage piece, and then finally just a sliver of video art that defined itself. The real goal was to show things I found visually stunning or interesting. Things that are so entrancing eyes don’t want to look away -
the activity of dermestid beetles or squirming worms for example. features a stunning mix of mythology, pop culture and surrealism. How did you develop your filmmaking style? Truthfully my style is something that is always evolving. Finding the aspect of my style I like most for a piece takes a lot of trial and error. I do a lot of little experiments, making 10 or 15 second films that I don’t publish or put online. I just do them for enjoyment or to test out new techniques. Sometimes I find artists that inspire me and try to mimic their styles for practice. Usually that ends with pieces that look nothing like theirs due to all the tweaking I do. My artistic being is a constant exercise in trust…trust in myself. I am learning to listen to my instincts. There’s no theory or logic behind them, but it feels wrong to not listen. I find art to be a very personal experience the majority of the
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time. What is the point of not being true to the only person that matters during that time? I don’t add things to my film just to help an audience understand better or because something particular is expected from me. An audience will always have their own experience with your piece so why not keep is as raw as can be? In your Director's statement you said "no one can escape the circle of life". Can you introduce our readers to this fundamental idea behind your film? I wanted to expose things that get ignored on a day to day basis. Seeing roadkill on the side of the road is one of those things. Most don’t see the beauty in a coyote’s death. It may be unpleasant to look at or smell, but thousands of insects and small creatures depend upon his death for food. We all live and die, yet we never think about the life that even our own death gives to other organisms.
we When we watched immediately thought of Gyorgy Palfi's cinematic vision of a post-apocalyptic world. Who are your favorite directors? Can you tell us your biggest influences in art and how they have affected your work? For starters, I am a huge Jan Svankmajer fan. I rented Alice from Blockbuster as a kid and fell in love with the decay and staccato movement of the characters almost instantly. His work encouraged me to try animating with meat, which sparked a whole movement in my style. More recently I have taken interest in Bill Viola. His imagery is very strong and has a distinct style. Everything from his color pallets to composition to time remapping strikes a chord with me. In his earlier works, through experimentation with the medium, he showcases interesting camera movements and angles that have urged me to rethink my camera particulars. From this, I have be-
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come less rigid in my photography. Lastly, for Untitled Piece 22 in particular, I found inspiration in Derek Jarman’s 1993 piece Blue. The combination of varying subject materials and the seamless transitions that blended them together was beyond impressive. It was a technique that I had aspired to in the early stages of my work. Although these three artists are filmmakers, I find inspiration in many styles of art. Anything from painting to video installations to occasionally sculptures is fair game.
needed to be blended smoothly. I spent months working closely with my sound designer just on transitioning cues. There was a lot of experimentation; luckily he was very patient with me. The secondary challenge with this film was keeping myself from myself. I could watch worms and beetles crawl over each other for days, but I didn’t think this particular piece was the appropriate place for that. I had to really pay attention to my own desires and what would fit this piece best.
From a technical point of view, is a layered and complex work. What was the most challenging thing about making this film?
What do you hope viewers will take away from ?
The main challenge of Untitled Piece 22 was tying so many styles together. It really is just a hodgepodge visually and thematically so finding ways to string segments together was difficult. Transitions in particular required a perfect sound and visual mix. Sometimes they needed to be jarring and others simply
Reflection on death is all I’m after. I want people to get in touch with their viewpoints. How does one treat death? Should a dead being be showcased and preserved in a museum like state? Perhaps they should be revered and immortalized in memories and photographs forever. Is death just another mundane aspect of life? I want people to question the sanctity of a body after death. Is eat-
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ing the meat disrespectful or is it really having meat leftover that’s wrong? We want to catch this occasion to ask you to express your view on the future of women in cinema. For more than half a century women have been discouraged from getting behind the camera, however in the last decades there are signs that something is changing. What's your view on the future of women in cinema? With things the way they are today in the film industry, women will have to fight to prove ourselves. That’s just how it is right now. Sometimes I find myself wishing that I had a more unisex name for resume purposes. It shouldn’t be harder to find a job. Shouldn’t is the key word here. I know that there is a place waiting specifically for women in cinema. We have things to say and to share that are unique to each of us. These things deserve to be seen. I know that all good things take time and in the end this will be worth the fight.
Here’s an easy starting point: personal art. I believe the most important thing for young filmmakers is to start with a piece of art that means something just to them. Even if there’s no prospect of being paid, taking full responsibility for your own project allows you to find strengths, weaknesses, and passions. Once you are in tune with them, you can perform better when collaborating or you can choose where to focus your efforts in future work. Thanks for your time and thought, Katelyn. We wish you all the best with your filmmaker career. What's next for Katelyn Wilkerson? Currently I’m in between projects, but I know where I’d like to start next. I usually don’t deal with a lot of humans in my work so that’s something that I’d like to strengthen. Raw emotions are my new holy grail. I want to create more video art in the search for my connection to certain feelings.
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boyana topchiyska Mama (Bulgary, 2015)
e
independent cinema
Resisting any easy interpretations, Boyana Topchiyska's cinema dissolves the distinction between memory and fiction. Her poetic approach to stream of consciousness reaches a kind of apogee in Mama, a short experimental film shot in gorgeous black and white. A moody work that questions the notion of individuality itself, Mama offers a haunting portrait of what it means to be human. We are pleased to present Betty Xie for this year's CinĂŠWomen Edition. Boyana, tell us about your trajectory as a filmmaker. How did you get into experimental cinema?
wanted to be and it gave me freedom. This kind of freedom I felt most strongly, was in experimental genre, comparing the way I had made my other films.
Hello! Thank you for the good review for "MAMA". My creative journey in cinema began four years ago. Then I was studiyng acting. My teacher, bulgarian actor Nikolay Hadziminev was the reason I love cinema and wanted to become film director. Also then I have made my first short movie with the help from friends. After that, I applied for New Bulgarian University, I was accepted and is my last year there. I have always said, that all the movies I am making can't be classed as work from same director. I wanted to make the idea of "Mama" into experimental film, because it was new and interesting for me. Also, I think this genre is suitabble with the idea for this kind short movie. The work on this film was exactly how I
Your film a peculiar sense of time and rhythm, reminescent of Guy Maddin's early work. From the first time we watched your film we were fascinated by your elliptical, episodic narrative charting the interstices between imagination and reality. How did you develop the structure of this short film?
We want to take a closer look at the genesis of your film: how did you come up with the idea for Mama? The idea of "Mama"born at moment I did not felt emotionaly stable and my head was mess.Started questioning myself about human existence, fears in every human being, the death, which is a part of life. Few months later, the film was ready in my mind and I shoot it.
In fact this construction was the spine of the film and main director's solution , that made it experiment. All the work of the crew was in this direction. I didn’t thought long, one night I woke up with this idea and shortly after words, we worked on making of "Mama ". Your sophisticated time structure no
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doubt owes something to Arofnosky, can you tell us something about this distinctive aspect of your cinema?
We have previously mentioned Guy Maddin and Darren Arofnosky, who among international artists and directors influenced your work?
I love Aronofsky's work. Similarity between him and the work on "Mama "is a compliment, but I can call it pure coincidence. I believe, that my next films will not find resemblence with my previous work. But maybe it will. I don't know.
I never have answers for this type of questions. I think that, every director's work I love to watch, gave me some kind of influence. Not only film directors, also writers, actors, musicians... The first short movie I made was under the influece of a poem from bulgarian writer, poet and dramaturge - George Gospodinov.
What was the most challenging thing about making Mama? The big callenge was actually scense with the childer, particular the little boy, who can't leave his mum, being only one year old. We even had suggestions to swap the real mum with the actress, but it went well without big difficulty. The crew knew the idea of each sequence and liked what we was doing. I think it is the most important thing to work without pressure.
What do you hope viewers will take away from the film? The idea ot "Mama " is to motivate people who watching to ask themselves is directed to inner world of everyone, who is watching it. The mother and the death are main objects in the film. I wanted to provoke viewers to think in this wa, to recognise their fears and realise, that we
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have only limitted time here on Earth, like motivation for more meaningful life. Mama reveals a cinematic style that honors spontaneity and improvisation. How did you develop your filmmaking style? Like I said earlier, my film are very different from one an another. Think my style is still in progression. Like a child I search and experiment in cinema, everything is new and interesting for me and I don't have any worries to let my imaginations and desires freedom to form. We want to catch this occasion to ask you to express your view on the future of women in cinema. For more than half a century women have been discouraged from getting behind the camera, however in the last decades there are signs that something is
changing. What's your view on the future of women in cinema? Yes, the number of women in recent years are growing an it sign for development of this art. I think the sex does not matter, most important is that, what you telling people. Here in Bulgaria, plenty women are start in this professional area, which make me happy. I am pretty sure, that we shall witness more and more women making quality cinema. I am sure and wish them luck. Thanks for your time, Boyana. We wish you all the best with your filmmaker career. What's next for Boyana Topchiyska? Thank you. Now I have to tackle graduation project. Soon will start the work. It has to be a black comedy. I hope all together with the crew, we shall achieve what we wanted and the viewers will like it.
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Nevada McEniry-Hatajlo Head Over Heels (Canada, 2015) e
independent cinema
With its eye-popping cinematography, Head Over Heels is a psy chologically penetrating journey into the wrestling culture. Nevada McEniry-Hatajlo's documentary takes as its subject the desire to investigate a culture which could seem intimidating to a woman, and expands to something richly philosophical and funny. We are pleased to present Nevada McEniry-Hatajlo for this year's CinéWomen Edition. Nevada, tell us about your trajectory as a filmmaker. What inspired you to express yourself in this medium? In College I discovered that I love editing films. Films are elaborate puzzles; every section of a film is essential to the whole in some way. It’s important how you place certain parts of a film together and I love how it’s always been a creative challenge for
me. I went into Communication studies for my bachelor’s degree as a way to pursue filmmaking. At the same time I learned that film is not just a creative medium, but an extremely communicative medium. I love that with film you can illustrate so many things that can often be hard to put into words. How did you become involved with Head Over Heels and what attracted you to this film? I have a friend involved in the wrestling culture in Montreal. In addition, wrestling is something I recently took a liking to, first out of irony, and then because I genuinely enjoyed watching it. It’s something that you wouldn’t expect a woman like myself to enjoy, and I appreciate how that’s something of my identity that throws people off. I chose this subject because I wanted to push myself out of
my comfort zone and produce a film that would be entertaining, creative, challenging, as well as shed light on a culture that not many are aware of. Head Over Heels features an excellent cinematography, can you talk about your creative relationship with Eli Michaud and how it has evolved through your work together? Eli has produced some fantastic work and when I thought of this film, I pictured him working with me. I’m happy that when I presented the idea to the class, he was readily interested in collaborating with me. I have a very good understanding of what I want to see in one of my movies, however I find I often lack the initiative to get the shots that I want. I’m thankful for Eli because there were moments
throughout this process that he captured what I wanted even without having to consult me. He definitely taught me to be more forceful and solid with my ideas and to hesitate less. I learned quickly that in making a documentary, especially one on hardcore wrestling, you don’t really have time to hesitate, you just have to do it. I didn’t know him all that well when we first started, but he’s turned out to be someone whose opinion I value greatly and someone who I would turn to for advice in this realm. We have been deeply impressed by your "live interviews": in your hands the camera moves beyond notions of theatricality and into the realm of real experience. Head Over Heels stands as a brave and uncompromising documentary. Can
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you comment this peculiar aspect of your filmmaking style? This style was ironically developed by accident. Our live interviews were the first ‘interviews’ we shot, and at the time, we were thinking that would be the only chance we would have. Also, they aren’t actually interviews, but more like spontaneous moment in which the wreslters are trying to throw us off with their antics. There is very little verbal interaction between the wrestlers and myself, and that’s due to perhaps my lack of organization. I didn’t have any solid questions prepared and I was overwhelmed when I was presented with characters that really wanted to utilize their time in front of the camera. Initially we thought we wouldn’t be able to use this footage and we instinctively organized a series
of sit down formal interviews to replace these live ones. During the events and live interviews, Eli was filming handheld, which I think was the right decision as it reflects the physical movement of the wrestlers. During the sit down interviews, our cameras were stationary to reflect the pensive subjects and provide the formality of a documentary interview that we initially wanted in our film. What ended up happening though was that we created a significant contrast in the footage we gathered, live interview vs formal interview, action vs stationary, and this ended up producing the humour and entertainment we wanted the film to maintain. The filmmaking style Eli and I developed was half skill, and half instinct. Can you describe the shooting of Head Over Heels? What was the
most challenging thing about making this documentary? Eli has a very motivated attitude and I’m happy he was willing to get so upclose-and-personal with the wrestlers, especially ringside. Thinking about how crowded and rowdy the ringside got, the film wouldn’t be the same if I had been getting those shots instead. To put it plainly, I would have been trampled and I really needed someone who wouldn’t hesitate to get the right shot. That was a significant challenge that I was initially worried about. In terms of the interviews, everyone we approached was extremely cooperative and jumped at the chance of getting in front of the camera. The only real challenge we faced through that was piecing together our film. We had so much event and interview footage to go through and process, that it was overwhelming to us at points. We struggled at first with
determining the flow of the film; we really didn’t want it to come off as a promotional video for IWS and we wanted it to be unique against all other comparable wrestling movies. From the first time we watched your film it reminded us of Werner Herzog's audacious documentaries. Can you tell us your biggest influences in cinema and how they have affected your work? Eli will probably have a different take on this question, however for this film, I didn’t intentionally develop the idea using the influence of a particular documentary filmmaker. I, of course kept in mind certain cinematic devices that documentary filmmakers would use. An example of this was during the live interviews, I would allow awkward silent gaps between interactions as a
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way of prompting the wrestlers to fill in the space themselves. This resulted in more genuine, exaggerated and hilarious reactions. Some of my biggest influences though are my peers. My film production class held some fantastically talented people and they were constant inspirations to me and pushed me to create more than just another student film. My professor as well, Rick Hancox, gave some fantastic advice, some pieces of which I incorporated into the film, and others that I stubbornly dismissed. I’m thankful for all of them. Your documentary is marked by an elegant use of close-up shots. How did you develop the visual style of Head Over Heels? Did you give specific direction to Eli? The subject we chose is already incredibly sensational and we were
automatically in agreement that it was important to get certain close-up shots, especially if it involved blood or striking visuals. As director, I brought organization to the film. I didn’t have to give much direction to Eli because as I had mentioned before, he already knew what shots we wanted and solidified the aesthetic I imagined this movie to be. That also goes for the rest of my creative team. I’m happy with the people that were working with me. We all had a general understanding of what the film was going to look and sound like, and we pieced it together very communally. There were also moments where we surprised ourselves and found shots that we didn’t initially think were nice, however we ended up using them and they became identifying elements to this project. What do you hope viewers will take away from the film?
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That it is important to be open-minded to cultures you would normally dismiss, as you might loose the opportunity to learn about something new, challenge yourself, make unsuspecting friends and consequently incorporate it into your own identity and evolve further. We want to catch this occasion to ask you to express your view on the future of women in cinema. For more than half a century women have been discouraged from getting behind the camera, however in the last decades there are signs that something is changing. What's your view on the future of women in cinema? I think it’s important to know how to get what you want, and persist until you get it. There were moments
during this project that I could have felt incompetent, threatened or even degraded, but I didn’t allow that to be apart of my attitude. I just did it. There were moments that I hesitated, but I got over myself quickly. It was empowering to complete a film like this, considering the fact that I was purposely pushing myself out of my comfort zone, into a realm that is dominated by men. I sometimes felt like I was the only woman in the room, and sure that was intimidating at first, but I learned to enjoy and in fact appreciate what can come out of it. I found some kind of power being the only woman in the room, it attracted a certain form of attention that aided our film. A lot of the humour derives from the tension caused on screen between me and the wrestlers and I love that. There are nothing but blank slates available, and what I would say to a woman who is experiencing some kind of anxiety about filmmaking, is to
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use that anxiety to your advantage. Discover how it can be translated into other things and go with it. Recognize your hesitations and push past it with the utmost determination. I would even advise to be a little ignorant of the nuances fluttering around you; don’t allow yourself to be blockaded by stigmas and stereotypes. Thanks for your time and thought, Nevada. We wish you all the best with your filmmaker career. What's next for Nevada McEniryHatajlo and Eli Michaud? Have you a particular film in mind? Thanks for interviewing me, it’s quite the honour and I’m glad Head Over Heels is getting this recognition because it’s a project that me and my team worked extremely hard on. While filmmaking is always something I feel comfortable to fall back on, I am
actually applying to law school within the next couple of months. I currently have an interest in copyright and intellectual property law and ideally I would love to work with artists and protect their work as well as contribute to the debate around copyright; how necessary (or not) it is for artists nowadays in an everevolving technological world. In terms of films, I currently got back from a long trip in the Mediterranean and Balkans and I can’t wait to compile my footage. Eli has told me that he is leaving on a yearlong trip around the world to work on several short films as well as continue to gather footage for a personal documentary he is making about his Father. We both are delighted to have Head Over Heels featured in a few film festivals where more people can enjoy the film, and again we are incredibly honoured that you have chosen to feature Head Over Heels in CinéWomen.
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sybille fezer & daniel burkholz Women for Justice Germany, 2015
e
independent cinema
With the intimate feel of a documentary and the audacious storytelling of a Herzog's film, Women for Justice delivers a complex and nuanced take on an issue of international importance, violence against women. We are pleased to present Sybille Fezer and Daniel Burkholz for this year's CinéWomen Edition. Sybille and Daniel, first of all, can you talk about your creative relationship and how it has evolved through your work together? Sybille: Working on “Women for Justice” was like creating a colorful mosaic where we could bring our different life experiences together: Daniel who has also been a lawyer concerned with issues of justice and how people can get their rights, even in a political environment where the state isn´t functioning or doesn´t care for the people. I, who have been working in Favelas in Sao Paulo, where I could clearly see how justice was often unreachable for the poor. That were some stones for the mosaic.
Daniel: And of course, we are both very much interested in politics and human rights issues from our adolescence on. Sybille: I am a journalist from my first profession, so creating a storyboard and interviewing people was part of my former job at a newspaper in South of Germany; it was great fun to take this up again, as I haven’t worked in that for many years. Daniel: And for me, India wasn’t unknown; I have travelled several times there and made already two films about India, so when Sybille suggested to do a film about the “Women for Justice” I could immediately imagine what a powerful film that could become. Sybille: Working together with Daniel was great, but we had quite some hot discussions about what to show and where not to expose the women so much to the camera. After all, when working with violence against women, there is a lot of shame and taboo around the issues.
Interestingly, the women were really eager to share also their bad experiences and how they thrived afterwards. And then, Daniel is very quick with the camera and courageous in doing the takes, even when some of the men for example where looking disapproving…. And what I really appreciate: he is very much attentive to small things on the roadside – never thought about it, but was this the idea for the name of your company, Daniel? - a dog laying in the sun, a bicycle driver, people working in front of their small shops - such takes are so precious when editing the film later on. Daniel: Yes, to create Roadside had to do with this; I chose that name for my company because I like to be on the road, to travel, but not blindly and quickly to the final destination. What happens at the roadside, how people at the roadside live who are not in the center of the world’s attention, is very important to me as a political filmmaker. I can make their voices heard and
can bring their issues to the attention of many people. If I manage to catch and reflect this, I can take the audience with me on that journey and make them known to these people’s stories. As for our working relationship: Sybille is really good at interviewing people. Even working through a translator, she gets very close to the people and I think the women felt that her interest in their lives was genius. Of course, as Sybille said, we sometimes really fought over issues, also during the editing. Our cutter Jan-Malte Enning at times sneaked away to catch another cup of coffee and smoke a cigarette while we discussed - but at the end, this proofed to be highly constructive and was the bases for a dynamic and touching film, we believe. Sybille: In a nutshell, I guess we learned a lot from each other and exactly the combination of different skills and views and ex-
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periences made the film a success. What attracted you to this topic and how did you research it? Daniel: Actually, we were about to shoot another film but unfortunately that didn’t work out. Then Sybille said: look, I have another idea – and soon, we bought a ticket to New Delhi. Sybille: As I am working since many years for the women’s and human rights organization medica mondiale, of course I come across a lot of terrible atrocities that happen against women worldwide – but equally I meet women who fight against violence and for peace and who are incredibly courageous and very creative in their daily struggle. I had met a woman who told me about the “Women for Justice” and “Nari Adalat” in India and who had shown me some photos: The pictures of the women sitting beneath a tree and creating their
own courts were stuck in my head since then. I wanted to learn more about these initiatives and was sure: This could be the staff to make a good film out of it. Daniel: We researched in the literature, at universities and also in the Internet; we talked to several people from human rights initiatives about it, but there is not much known yet about these initiatives outside India, so we just said: We go there and will see what will happen. Having also experience in the field of law, I was immediately convinced that there is a story behind. I was interested how justice can be reached when the state, justice, police don’t protect the people’s rights or protects them. Can you introduce our readers to the story of "Women for Justice" and the "Nari Adalat" and describe your first approach with these organizations?
Daniel: India is said to be one of the countries with the most violence against women worldwide. Forced marriages, domestic violence, over 100000 wives killed by fire in so called "household accidents" every year – in India, violence against women is omnipresent and nearly all women, independent of class, caste and religion are affected. Police and the justice system in India are functioning very badly and officials are often corrupt. Especially the poor, and above all if those are women, hardly get any protection or support by these state authorities. So, many women got tired of this and very outraged and started to organize and fight against this violence and injustice. Sybille: They decided that they are going to create their own courts, the "Women for Justice" and the "Nari Adalat" women´s courts. Every week they gather on the roof terrace of the local government or on a
dusty place under a tree and dispense justice themselves. But they can also act quite tough if this is necessary: Our first contact with them took place right on the second day of our stay in India: We were accompanying a “gang” of women on their way to protect a poor widow. Her in-laws had forced her and her little daughter to leave the house after the death of her husband. Moreover they kept all her dowry, her belongings for themselves. In India, without any money or shelter, the widow and her daughter would hardly have survived. So the women formed a kind of a "riot squad” stormed into the house and ensured she gets her dowry back – which is according to the law but mostly not enforced by state authorities. In your film you employ a mix of dramatic and documentary techniques. Women for Justice is not a classic documentary: its secret resides in the per-
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fect balance between its absolute sincerity and its clear story-telling. How did you develop the script and the structure of the film? Daniel: Actually, we portrayed the women’s lives and their work during several weeks, went to their homes, accompanied them to the court settings, held interviews with them – we gathered more than 50 hours of film. We soon saw that Nimisha Desai, founder of the women’s organization Olakh and one important supporter of the women’s courts, could also be a good protagonist for the narration of the story, as she is an Indian woman and very close to these initiatives but at the same time highly educated and able to explain people from abroad what this is all about. She became our door-opener, so to say. Sybille: At the end, as often, the story was created in the editing room. We selected
from the lots of material, made the stories denser, approved and disapproved again, weaved the various narratives together. We chose those images that we thought would best highlight the women’s power and those stories that we believed would reach right to the heart of the audience. What challenges did you face while making your film? Daniel: It is not so easy to make a film like Women for Justice if you don´t have much money available for your project. So the main challenge was to be successful in spite of this problem. Therefore we were happy about the cooperation with the women´s organization Olakh. We could use their infrastructure, could stay at their guesthouse while being in Gujarat. Moreover they supported us by driving us around, by translating the interviews, etc.
Sybille: Translation! In the hot scenes during court trials all women shouted and spoke at the same time, it looked very chaotic. To later on match the English translations with the Gujarati words was the hardest job, above all Daniel spend ages with it. What do you want people to remember after seeing your movie? Daniel: The solidarity, courage and creativity of the women we are portraying in Women for Justice. That it is necessary to fight for your rights as well as for the rights of others. And that it is possible to be successful by doing so. Sybille: I have nothing to add here – it is possible to change the world around you, if you really care. Your cinema is rich of references. We have previously mentioned Werner Herzog, yet your visual imagery seems
to be closer to Straub and Huillet's imagery. Can you tell us your biggest influences in art and how they have affected your work? Daniel: Of course I was influenced and inspired by other filmmakers: The courageous storytelling of Agnes Varda, the enthusiasm and straightness of Ken Loach, the richness in life experience, knowledge and style of Peter Lilienthal. But to be honest, the strongest influences on my work are not great filmmakers, like the ones I mentioned, and the art they created. I would describe myself as a political person. So the biggest influences for my work results from the observation of the world around me and from my motivation to take a standpoint. Sybille: Agnes Varda. The way how she narrates her stories is extraordinary: First of all, the documentarian character in some of her fiction movies. How she cap-
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tures the impact that a life has on others and her courage to leave some unexplored spots, which in fact every life has. And above all: She puts often people in the center of her films, like in Sans toit ni loi who are normally at the margin of our society: She shows that everybody has an influence in this world. I would also like to mention Mo Asumang -she is so courageous and at the same time she has such a great sense of humour. Then, from my own experience, I learned a lot from Malika Chalabi, a filmmaker who lives and works in Berlin. I was assistant to a film she made in Brazil, and admired the way how she conducted interviews. The interviewees felt her genuine interest in their narratives and shared even very intimate issues with her. Jasmina Spahic is another female filmmaker who inspired me. With her film “Grbovica” – which got her the Golden Bear at the Berlinale - she showed in a highly sensitive way the dilemma of a woman who has a daughter born out of war rape. It is
not a documentary, but I know that she based her film on real life stories of Bosnian women. She researched very carefully and took a lot of time for the interviews about that highly sensitive topic. It is no black-and-white story: she was able to create her figures in a way, that they were shown in all their dilemmata, their good and bad moments, their doubts and their happiness – at the end, they were shown just so human. Sybille, since 2001 you are working in leading position for women’s and human rights organization medica mondiale. Can you describe this amazing experience? Yes, this is a work that deeply enriches me. medica mondiale works for women and girls in war and crises regions around the world. It is disastrous what is happening around the world and how rape against women is often strategically used as a war
tactic to destroy the enemy. But as I said before, it is encouraging how women – and male supporters – fight against it. As a program manager, I visited and worked in Kosovo, Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Liberia – to meet women human rights defenders there, to see the resistance grow, to be able to contribute a bit to their struggle, is a real gift. For my filmmaker identity, this is enriching. Daniel, can you introduce our readers to the story of Roadside Dokumentarfilm? In my, so to say, first life, I studied law, sociology and environmental protection sciences. Then I worked in the fields of environmental protection, education, administration, in different professions for about 12 years. Besides this, I photographed and travelled whenever I found the time. I guess this widened my horizon a bit, so at
a certain point of my life, I took the decision to change things. I quit my last job, started to shoot documentaries and founded Roadside Dokumentarfilm. Do you have any advice for filmmakers who have their own stories they’re burning to tell although they lack the funding or infrastructure to do so? Maybe this sounds a bit oversimplifying but we would say: Just do it. Tell your story. Start your project. Of course it is important to have a funding, but don’t waste months or even years of your life waiting for the decision of a TV editorial board or a film foundation. If you do so, you’re like a captain without a ship, sitting around in the harbour hoping for a ship to come maybe in vain. It’s not “all about money”, if you cooperate with others, colleagues and friends, who share your values and ideas, you can also manage a lack of funding and infrastructure.
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For more than half a century women have been discouraged from getting behind the camera. What's your view on the future of women in cinema? Sybille: The process is too slow, like in everything when it comes to gender justice. Most of the decision making power still lays in the hand of men or male networks -this is not different from the politics in big companies. Why not asking for a quota in filmmaking? I know, by saying this there will be heavy reactions also by women -nobody likes to be a quota woman. But honestly, if it was just about the work itself, and not about who is whose buddy or who owes who a favor, there would be more female films screened in TV or cinema. Anyway, beside this a bit provocative thought, the change already started -female filmmakers will not be stopped anymore. There are more and more women in decision making positions at TV stations and in cultural insti-
tutions, too. But it is important to keep watchful and also support each other. Often, there is the danger of a backlash if one thinks ones gender is not relevant anymore, as one can observe in other areas of gender justice. Thanks for your time and thought, Sybille and Daniel. We wish you all the best with your filmmaker career. What's next for you? Daniel: We have to say thanks a lot for your interest in our work and for your good wishes. Well, currently we have lots of work with the promotion of our newest film NO PASARAN which tells the story of the resistance against Fascism. But we hope to have time for new projects by the end of this year. We are planning to make a film about the refugees coming to Germany and which impact this already has and will have in future on the society in Germany.
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zornitsa stoyanova Chrysalis (USA, 2015)
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dance cinema
Zornitsa Stoyanova’s work convey a purely subjective, yet modernist, sensibility where the form conveys its meaning directly, heightening individuals’experiences of time and space. In Chrysalis figures appear and disappear in a gentle flow, sometimes moving the story forward, sometimes backward: throughout the film the physical properties of the images seem to convey Zornitsa’s feelings, mood, and impressions with extraordinary precision. Zornitsa, tell us about your trajectory as a performer and filmmaker. What inspired you to express yourself in this medium? Primarily a performance artist, in the last two years I’ve become interested in creating more visual and installation art. Dance on film though has always kept my attention. While in college, I took a few animation and digital art classes and touched on the use of the moving image. I moved to Philadelphia in 2006 and started producing Dance Camera Projects’ public screenings of short dance on film that I thought were worth seeing. Shortly thereafter, I started creating my
own films. It was a first experiment for me, so I did nothing with them. I put them on YouTube and left them alone. The more recent aesthetic comes from a yearlong exploration I did in 2011 called “Why Does My Choreography Look Nothing Like My Dancing?” This was a project where I would film myself dancing in different locations with the idea of interrogating the movement being generated. What was surprising during this investigation was that I was more interested in the position of the camera than in the content of the movement. I started experimenting with mounting the camera (at that point it was an HD pocket camera) in different locations, on the ceiling, in a shoe, under a grand piano. Most striking for me was the distortion of the space in the digital frame. I started playing with going in and out of the frame and making one body part appear larger than another. This project allowed me to develop an intimate understanding of how the body changes inside the frame and I applied that knowledge to the moving camera. I feel that the “dance on film” art form needs to expand its awareness of the
moving frame and integrate the camera as they would a dancer. These are how the tools developed. As for the driving force behind it, as a choreographer/performer it is very important for me to have an active relationship with the audience. I look to create immersive experiences that resonate with the viewers. When I teach, I often talk about the ability of a performer to illuminate their inner emotional landscape. I recognize that some things are simply impossible to convey in performance and others are impossible to convey in film. So why not use both together or separately to create a permeability of understanding between the viewer and the performer? Film is exciting for me because it constricts and expands time much more dramatically than does performance. In 10 minutes of film you can show just as much material
as in a 40 minute performance. That ability to transform, to move through space and completely leave the physical world, is something I really love. You can’t do that with a no budget solo performance, but can do that with a no budget short film. We want to take a closer look at the genesis of your experimental dance film: how did you come up with the idea for Chrysalis? In 2013, I created an evening length dance installation event “shatter:::dawn”, where I used Mylar in the set and at the end of the performance. I was interested in the material and its potential, but as performance often works, I ran out of time and couldn’t develop that aspect of the performance. Later the same year, I gave birth to my son, so for a while I was busy with motherhood. The filming improvisational process actually came out
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of the time limit of motherhood. I would steal minutes and hours when my baby was asleep and film short 2-6 minute improvisations with the Mylar. I started taking photos, just so that I could see what Mylar looks like on the body, to see how the body integrates and abstracts from it. The idea of Chrysalis came organically. One of the many times I was practicing my short improvisations for video, I decided I will shoot a short film. Based on my previous explorations, I automatically knew how to move the camera and what would be an interesting and dynamic image. Within the first 10 minutes I decided on the scenes and shot the raw footage of Chrysalis in less than one hour. The mirroring and editing of the film also arose organically. Since creating the evening length piece in 2013, I’ve been obsessed with optical illusions and wondering how an
experience like that could be presented in live performance. I still don’t have an answer to that, but I know I could do it in film very easily. It was important for me to move the horizon and to keep changing it. I was looking to instill a sense of “otherworldness” and displacement of the body. I wanted to create images that would evoke meaning and also keep shifting, so that there is disorientation and a constant question of evaluating the meaning of the image. So, I edited for 2 days and Chrysalis is the result. I’m presently working with other footage from small improvisations developing that mirroring/psychedelic technique. We find fascinating the way you explore the boundary between multiplicity and sameness, can you introduce our readers to this idea behind your work?
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Multiplicity is a theme that comes up in my work both in performance and visual/digital art. I’ve had the fortune of working a bit with Deborah Hay. Her approach is very much about noticing all the multiplicity of your experience in and outside of your body throughout time (or at least this is my interpretation of her teachings!). In my movement practice I work on splitting and juggling my full attention to all my senses, my memories, and my emotional landscape. It’s a practice of constant scanning and ability to pinpoint arising impulses, feelings and movement. It’s an impossible task. On a spectrum outside the body, I very much look for multiplicity of meaning. I purposefully chose working with Mylar because this material has so much potential for different meaning. It is used to grow plants, as an emergency blanket, as insulation for space stations and
satellites, yet as you see it for the first time… there is almost no clear functionality for it. It is malleable and could become a clear cultural reference one second and an abstract object the next. As for sameness, I am fascinated with unison in a very formal compositional way. I grew up in Bulgaria with stories of communist marches and ideas of complete unison among the masses. This idea of complete sameness/unison is very human constructed. I can’t think of a single organic/biological process that is in complete sameness with another. So when you see it manifested, it is extremely attention grabbing and satisfying. In past films, I have superimposed myself onto myself to create that idea of many of the same in unison. However, to me what’s present in “Chrysalis” is not so much sameness, but
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rather an “opositeness”. Or an “alternative” to self in time and space. I often think that when we create a piece of art, we actually create a 1000 pieces simultaneously. Just one of those multitude of possibilities ends up manifesting in the physical world. The rest of them live with us in our mind and imagination adding to our experience. Your art reveals a remarkable effort to go beyond realism or the limits of imagination. How did you develop your film-making style? It’s been a very long improvisation process, one that I cannot determine a starting point for. I am inspired by visual art and usually would see an image and would pick one or two of the tools I perceive the artist used to create the work. Then, I’ll just use these tools and keep playing. That play might take years
before an understanding of something a method or process crystallizes. After that, I look for what it does, what are the images evoking, meaning, referencing and does all this resonate with my aesthetic. I do look for surrealism, to me that is important. Chrysalis contains a clear homage to the Sci-fi imagery. Can you tell us your biggest influences in art and how they have affected your work? Yes, Sci-fi is a huge influence on me. I love sci-fi fiction and read/listen to an average of two books a week. Outside of that I am highly inspired by artists like James Turrell and Anish Kapoor. I’m fascinated with reflectivity and emotional impact. I remember the first time I saw a light sculpture by James Turrel. It was at the Mattress Factory, an installation museum in Pittsburgh. I was alone when
I walked into the dark gallery to see his red cube “Catso, Red” and was floored. My knees buckled and I was on the ground. It was so powerful in its simplicity and also created an optical illusion of a three dimensional object suspended through space. Being a choreographer, I wanted to create an environment that moves the audience, both literally and emotionally. Another large influence is light sculptor Andy McCall and choreographer Naoko Tanaka. I saw both of their work in Berlin. Andy McCall’s work moves very slowly and that makes the viewer either watch it very closely, or go inside it and experience it. Naoko Tanaka works with different kinds of flashlights in creating shadow images. Her images transform and open the imagination to meaning depending on how she moves the flashlight. Experiencing these works, I
started the long practice of improvising with light and Mylar and filming it. In addition, one of my daily activities is looking for reflective light art and installation on Pinterest. That led me into a practice of taking long exposure photography. By definition cinema is rhythm and movement, gesture and continuity, however rarely in mainstream cinema we assist to such a spectacular dance like in your films. How do you conceive the rhythm of your works? Rhythm is pocketing different amounts of time and allocating them to certain events. In its essence it is time stretched and shortened. Continuous recognizable rhythm, like in music, is how we humans perceive the passing of time. That particular perception automatically creates a desire for a story and an
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expected development of narrative towards a climax. I try to craft my work so that there is no passing sense of time. I shy away from “storytelling” or “moral” and thus look for rhythms that are more unrecognizable. I’m very interested in abstraction and potential for narrative. I don’t want to create clear narratives, but rather offer images that have the potential of making your own. Of course I am very careful on what those images are and aware of their potential meanings, but still I don’t try to develop a clear simple trajectory. I think that’s really where the rhythm of the piece comes from. Chrysalis is part of Mylar Storms: can you introduce our readers to this ongoing project? Mylar Storms “started” a few months after my son was born. It started with me
shining flashlights into Mylar in my basement and taking pictures of it. Initially I was just experimenting and having fun. The project got shape when a friend of mine saw the pictures on facebook and asked to exhibit them at the European Month of Experimental Photography in my home town Sofia, Bulgaria (October 2014). I had four photographs from the series there and all of a sudden I realized that I was creating visual art. I still continue to create photography with the Mylar, but now there are two main series with it. There are long exposure selfies involving fiber optic light and edited refracted photographs with Mylar that I call the “propagating” series. Shortly after that exhibit, I started filming myself. Chrysalis is the result of those solo improvisations. I am presently working on 2 other short films within the same realm from footage taken with other dancers. Also, in March
2015 I started rehearsing with dancers in Philadelphia. When we gather, we do long form improvisations and have done two showings. Mylar Storms encompasses all this activity. In its performance iteration it is still a huge question. I see a potential for solo stage work and also an immersive installation dance event. In October 2015, I’m starting a yearlong residency and I plan on focusing on the performance aspect of the project. I hope to present it sometime in 2016, but as of now I don’t know in what capacity and if it will be the solo stage version or the group immersive event.
excited for the possibility of an immersive theater event.
As a self producing artist, all I know is that it will happen. During the year long residency there will be showings of it and I’m presently looking for presenting partners and potential spaces. I would really love to do performance/installation event in a gallery, but would also be
Throughout my travels in Europe, every performance maker/ dancer I talk to complains about the lack of support and money. But I think support is there, money is not. I think in the performance world primarily made by women, we support each other by donating our time,
Do you think it is harder for women directors to have their projects green lit today? I think its hard to be a woman in any art form. I’ve been really fascinated with the idea of making art with no budget and what that really means. When there is no money, what is the budget for time, commitment, missing family time, materials? Why are we so pressed to create art in a few months or weeks? Can a project span years and why not?
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creating platforms for each other, giving feedback. I’m not sure if there is a community like that for women directors. What I know though is that in the performance world women choreographers are neglected by the large presenting organizations. Take any major dance festival and notice that half if not more of the choreographers are male. In an industry that is 90% female, its pretty strange to see this discrepancy.The one thing I would say though is that us women are working with or without money and sharing and talking and writing. We are furthering culture, even if we are not in the limelight. Thanks for sharing your time, Zornitsa , we wish you all the best with your filmmaker and performer career. What’s next for Zornitsa Stoyanova? Have you a particular collaboration in mind?
Next in September 2015, I’m teaching improvisation in Budapest, Hungary. I’m also dancing with a site specific improvisation company in Philadelphia, called Graffito Works. I’m looking forward to teaching more dance on camera in Philadelphia and abroad. I also co-curate and produce a small festival called Move Dance Think Fest, so the next iteration is on the front and center for me. Artistically, I’m very excited about Mylar Storms. I’m making a new film in that universe, as well as doing more photography. I’m presently looking for local places to exhibit my photographs. In October, when I return back to the U.S., I will be starting to work on the performance aspect of it. I’ll be working with a long time collaborator of mine, composer Michael McDermott, for at least a portion of the year. Hopefully by the end of 2016, there will be a live performance.
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monique blom shayne metcalfe Personality (Canada, 2015) Titolo che inizia per
Photo by Tekoa Predika
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experimental cinema
Assembled with visionary editing, Personality is a visually striking, psychologically penetrating work from Shayne Metcalfe and Monique Blom. With its low budget and elegantly structured storytelling, this short film is littered with moments of surreal humour and memorable images, resulting in a work at once raw and deeply visionary. We are honored to present Shayne Metcalfe and Monique Blom for this year's CinéWomen Edition. Shayne and Monique, we want to take a closer look at the genesis of your film project: how did you come up with the idea for Personality? Shayne - We were invited by the Mann Art Gallery to be part of their “Relative Connections” exhibition where Canadian artist couples combine their practices into piece. I have been interested in film noir work for a long time and Monique was doing surrealist paintings on food security and the women's in role in home. We had fooled around really with these ideas of the past concerning roles and the new movements surrounding sustainability. We wanted to create a manual of sorts.
Monique- We were drawn to each other’s visions of what reality can be, is and could be. Our creative relationship has been developing over the past 15 years of waking up beside each other every morning and listening to the wonderings of our four children. Often starting our days with one project in mind, we complete our day trying to finish ten. We continue to build our empire on two different dreams that have symbiotically come together to create one. The evolution of our creative endeavors had to come together at some point in the midst of growing up, raising children, goats, chickens, roosters, horses, a cow, beehives, guinea fowl, peasants, peafowl, alpaca, gardening, garlic, permaculture, homeschooling, fermenting, teaching, parental sickness and death in order for us to continue to drive our creative practices forward. Really, we are just two punk rock kids that bought a piece of land in the middle of the Saskatchewan prairie and started a new life....only to realize that we are creating one hell of an installation that needs to be documented and film is certainly the best medium to tell that story! In your experimental film drama is
stripped down to its essential elements to introduce gaps. How did you develop the script and structure of Personality? Monique- By being brutally honest with each other and using only the elements that were absolutely necessary. Shayne - We found these old films from the 50’s that I thought were ridiculous in the sense that they gave instructions on how to improve your personality. That was the seed. Personality features a remarkable editing process, each shot is carefully orchestrated to work within the overall structure. How did you develop your filmmaking style? Shayne - Close ups have always been intuitive to me. We live in a world where we tend to glance, more than we gaze. We don’t look at things closely for very long in the digital world, so I wanted to pay attention to reflection. I want to get the audience to be present in the moment, but
also acknowledge the blips of imagery we ingest and quickly forget in our everyday. Monique- Our style boiled down to fighting ruthlessly about what fits where...in the end trusting each others strengths and talents. Combining the 15 year efforts of two headstrong opinionated decision makers, we had to learn where to step back and let the other lead. Toes got stepped on, but the dance continues to unfolding in a phenomenally inspiring way! Personality was a no-budget project. Do you have any advice for filmmakers who have their own stories they’re burning to tell although they lack the funding or infrastructure to do so? Monique- Make the work, more possibilities will emerge. Shayne - Just go for it. I mean don’t get caught up on technology. Use your phone. Use a pencil. Tell the story. What challenges did you face while
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making Personality? Shayne - Money of course, but limits demand creative solutions so when faced with lack of resources I subscribe to the philosophy of look at what you do have at your disposal and work within those means. Monique- Our biggest challenge was/is often our own personal vision getting in the way of the collaborative vision. Once we both feel as though we each have voice in what we deem to be the right way, a new way emerges that surprises us both and we find a common voice that we both can listen to and follow. We have been deeply impressed by your imaginary and minimalist language, what were some of your aesthetic decisions? Shayne- Blending the past with the present. Noir era industrial films mixed with the digital world like a time machine ENG crew traveling to the 40’s or 50’s North American prairie.
Monique- Brutal Truth....Shayne and I have very different aesthetic creative palettes. We have found a way to combine those palettes to create a life and body of work that is rich with adventure and wonder. Many of our personal decisions have to be disagreed upon first, in order for us to move forward and find the place we both can agree on. I think because my palette favors old ways of being and Shayne’s is rooted in more modern sensibilities, we often find a really unique way of combining our stories. Our lives and work are never separate, “Personality” is a mirror of our lives and the aesthetic decisions are made based on our own versions of that lived experience. Your cinematography reminds us of Bruno Dumont's imagery. How did you conceive the visual style of Personality? Monique- Hmmmmmmmm.....by living it and following what feels right. The tension in imagery comes from the tensions of urbanites learning to live rurally and in becoming rural, finding a way to be urban.
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Shayne - It was fairly intuitive to me. I’m drawn to close-ups when telling stories so I based the style on that and then just followed my instincts. We didn’t over think things we just went with what seemed natural and found what worked. What do you want people to remember after seeing Personality? Shayne - Only you can improve your personality (laughs) you don’t need a manual just follow your instincts. Monique-Interdependence and transformation. For more than half a century women have been discouraged from getting behind the camera, however in the last decades there are signs that something is changing. What's your view on the future of women in cinema? Monique- Cinema needs women. Fully and completely. Women bring a voice both visually and orally to story that
continues to be steeped in human tradition. Traditions of unspoken past histories that have shaped us all. From conception to death, women’s experience in the world is so profoundly tactile, visceral, intuitive and that sensitivity can birth a juicy palette of both wonder and violence on equal planes. Women’s attention to detail, multitasking capabilities and connection to humanity all find voice perfectly through cinema! Shayne -Monique should really answer this, but as a man I think it’s in part what our film is about. Everyone should tell stories. Lack of women behind the camera is indicative of a male dominant society, but it’s changing. All three of our daughters (12,9,7) and our youngest son (5) have been behind the camera. They are growing up knowing their stories, voices can be created, heard and shared. Things are changing and I will do whatever I can to make sure their voices are heard- whether through cinema or whatever medium they might choose. We have previously mentioned Bruno
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Dumont's cinema, yet your filmmaking style is far from what is generally considered academic. Who among international artists influenced your work? Shayne - That’s tough to answer. I watch everything from notable to terrible filmmakers. Everyone I meet or watch has an influence to one degree or another. I think how I see the world in general influences my work. I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about influences in particular but if I have to I would say Herzog in terms of his sensibility, Godard for his approach in particular the story behind Breathless and Aronofsky’s look at the human condition. In the end I like to just like to make films with my own flavour. Monique- Most of my visual influence is inspired by Surrealism....artists such as Jean-Pierre Jeunet, David Bowie, Lee Bonetcou, Floria Sigismondi, Adam Jones, ChrisCunnigham, Tom Waits, Larry Pittman, Anna Mendieta,
Christopher Nolan to name a few! Thanks for your time and thought, Shayne and Monique. We wish you all the best with your career. What's next for you? Have you a particular film in mind? Monique- We are working on three films currently that fit this series.I am also working on a short multimedia installation series “The Ethics of the Dust”starring the “Bliss Point Girls: Salt, Fat and Sugar”. This installation explores the history of women’s connection to the food industry, pesticide usage, women’s liberation and a battle with the “Monsanto Boys and their Dirty Dozen”. See the link posted: www.moniqueblom.ca Shayne - We have a few films like this in the works. We’ve shot the footage for three more shorts and are in post along the same lines, as well I’m doing a larger project aFilm Noir feature called Hunting Season that you can find our about at www.huntingseasonfilm.com
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natasha de betak 2183 Days (France, 2015)
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independent cinema
Filmed over the period of five years; a rare and unique cinematic observation by artist and award winning filmmaker Natasha De Betak who has been filming this true story and deeply moving portrait of a Holy man Nagnath Baba. Since five years, Baba has been on hunger strike in the holy city of Varanasi to save the India's most sacred river Ganga. Year after year, his body crumbles. He is haunted by both dreams and nightmares. Life continues to flow around his body and his temple; prayers and rituals are only food for that starvation. His sacred existence takes surreal shape. Then on the 2183rd day Baba’s hunger strike takes his life. The river Ganga continues to flow unchanged. Expressionism and poetry meet to create a sublime journey of an unusual soul. From the first time we watched Natasha De Betak's 2183 Days we were deeply fascinated by the figure of Nagnath Baba. 2183 Days is a vivid, deeply humane portrait of a
holy man and his incredible effort to save India's most sacred river Ganga. With beautiful cinematography and a radical take on narrative, Natasha De Betak turns Nagnath's unique story of courage into a cinematic marvel. We are proud to present Natasha De Betak for this CinéWomen Edition. Natasha, can you tell us what attracted you to this particular story? I was in Varanasi India completing my photo book NIGHTSHADE on people asleep. I asked a friend of mine that I was very keen to shoot people from ‘beyond’… He gave me three addresses; the last address on the list was on the other side of Ganges. I decided to go there; under the burning ghat, in the dark, I entered a Kali temple. There he was Nagnath Baba. A flash! A thought! A connection! He asked me to return at the midnight with a boat. I did as he said. We sailed over the river. Baba took my camera and started shooting the space above him, he said “he was
photographing spirits in the sky” and he described to me who they were and to which soul they belonged. Later he told me that his body was his temple. That he has been on a hunger strike since about two years to save the Ganges. Till then I had not noticed his body. There then, we became friends. And for me, this is not a story but it’s a pact. I decided to visit him and observe him over a period of time. And I never knew what to expect each time I visited him, I planned nothing, and I never knew that he was going to die so soon. But I felt energy and aura that I have to make this film, and that too not in obvious ways of a documentary but in my own way. Can you describe the shooting of 2183 Days? The shooting of 2183 DAYS took over the period of five years, each time I would stay for about a week or two. Each time, I visited Nagnath Baba; I felt I was leaving
the world of the living and entering the world of dead. I would be crossing crowded street only to reach the ghat where dead bodies were scattered waiting for the holy cremation. I used to feel that there are many spirits inhabiting the place –you can feel them. Once I reach the temple, I would just wait for moments to be captured. Baba would often receive devotees from all over India; on some days he would be all alone. Sometime, he would make offerings to the sacred fire or chant mantras. Sometime he would just sit there and watch the water flowing in the river. During each of those moments I had to be ready, day and night, to shoot, to capture every gesture, every mood, every shaft of light, every patch of darkness… constantly searching for an uplifting experience. 2183 Days features an impressive mix of dramatic and documentary
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techniques reminding us of Werner Herzog’s cinema. How did you develop your filmmaking style? 2183 Days was literally created while editing, consciously I had no style in my mind but I was inspired by the images and sound. Things came to me naturally. And the film was created organically. I like to work very closely to my subject, at macro level. Almost glued to the person. I like to film the veins, body pulsing, heart beating, Light, textures… In our modern time, it’s not only what you share is important but how you share it. I believe that each subject has its own filmmaking style embodied in it. As an artist and filmmaker it’s always my first challenge to discover that first and redefine it. One of my short fiction KAAL was rooted and inspired by neo-realism, meanwhile when I made a documentary SPEAKING TREE, I discovered all together another style to narrate an amazing but real life story of
an insane man tied to a tree for ten years. So often, stories, subjects and moments are born with cinematic style. There is no way I could have used KAAL’s filmmaking style to make SPEAKING TREE. Similarly 2183 DAYS is again a stand-alone style. Your films often use specific locations as inspiration for larger emotional inquires. Can you introduce our readers to this peculiar aspect of your cinema? Each one of us inhabits a space and that space often carries our aura and emotional vibes. In my previous film SPEAKING TREE, it’s a tree. In 2183 Days it is Temple by the river. These individuals cannot exist without their immediate surroundings. I wanted that people should feel the force of kali, smell of burning bodies, dogs barking through the night, prayer drums and bells… all
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that I was feeling, I wanted to share it with the viewers. In 2183 DAYS the river and Baba share a bond, as a filmmaker I share a pact with Baba. So when I saw that one day he was so much in pain and agony that just one single teardrop rolling down from his eyes had moved me deeply. I had to capture that emotion, but that moment was also unique because the place where it was occurring was also unique. Flowing river for which this man has renounced the food now has tears flowing down his cheek. Tell us about your trajectory as a filmmaker and cinematographer. What inspired you to express yourself in this medium? From an early age I was fascinated by images and sound. I loved exploring light, textures, patterns… and experimented with Bolex camera and 16mm movies. I did pixilation and live action. I do lots of
photography work too. Then there was a period where I helped French Cinematheque in curating films from all over the world including India. In short, I became a self-taught filmmaker. Later I proposed a documentary to French TV where I worked with directors including Almodovar, and asked them to choose one shot form their movies and talk about it. A year later ex-USSR was going through turmoil; big changes were taking place under Garbatchev; so I decide to make a film VAUDEVILLE DU DIABLE about that state of transformation seen through the Russian films and filmmakers. As cinema deals with time, I was dreaming about India and making movie there because India has very peculiar relationship with time. India has only word ‘Kaal’ to describe both yesterday and tomorrow. So I roamed India, met with many new-wave Indian filmmakers and ultimately started
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working there. I made KAAL in Mumbai. Soon after I also ended up designing costumes for Pan Nalin’s SAMSARA and VALLEY OF FLOWERS. I also co-directed AYURVEDA: ART OF BEING. However the life changing experience was to discover region of Kutch in Gujarat and fall upon and a man tied to a solitary tree. He had gone insane du to loneliness he experienced in the desert of Kutch. I observed him and his insanity over several years and made SPEAKING TREE. As the fate would have it, the region of Kutch was struck by massive earthquake, villages were erased from the surface of the earth, thousands perished but like a miracle that earthquake cured the insane made tied to his tree. So in your life, when you witness such emotions, you cannot remain rational. All your notions logic goes out of the window and you start believing in something that is beyond. Thus I am constantly fascinated by that beyond…
2183 Days is a work of tough beauty, what do you hope viewers will take away from your film? Feel the pain of baba and suffering. Feel hunger. Feel another world that exists to our modern world. I wanted to share his faith in saving the river. He believed in it. He believed he could do it. It’s one man against the entire universe –maybe misunderstood by many, but someone who has courage to live life on his own terms. Then there is also that beauty, in earlier part of the film, he is handsome young man, and then you watch what hunger does to his body. But how his soul remains intact and still. So for me viewers should come with open heart and mind, be ready to receive –then most certainly they’re bound to be transported beyond their known world. Realizing a 2183 days long cinematic
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observation film was no doubt an impressive feat. What was the most challenging thing about making this film? To be witness of decay of Baba’s body was the most painful until his death. Watching Baba’s body slowly paralyzing, one day he will loose his hand, next day it's a foot, and then he will lose speech… Each time I visited him was painful. Add to his agony, he lost his mother. He will be suffering but he will never stop blessing people, sharing love… As you can see in the beginning of the film he is a handsome man, with long hair and beautiful body… he will tell me that he was a prince in his last life, but in this life he is ready to die. We both knew that Ganges will never change, he cannot save that river –thus it was a clear suicide. Because, if not the river, he could have saved himself. Your work as director and cinema-
tographer has been internationally awarded at major festival like Sundance and galleries like the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Can you tell us your biggest influences in cinema and how they have affected your work? I have been great admirer of early cinema Milieus and Phalke. I have enjoyed early Japanese and Russian cinema. Then there was a period where Bunuel and Chris Marker amazed me. I have watched and admired filmmakers that inspire me like Tarkovsky, Sukorov or Teshigahara. There are movies, which stay with you forever like Shindo’s “Onibaba” or Teshigahara’s “Woman in the Dunes” or Tarkovsky’s “Stalker.” For more than half a century women have been discouraged from getting behind the camera, however in the last decades there are signs that something is changing. What's your
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view on the future of women in cinema? In the beginning when cinema was being invented, women have to become a man to make movies. Women had no chance, as it was man’s era. However there were so many women “muse” to their men and they heavily influenced cinema and arts. But today there are more women behind camera than ever before, doing amazing work. They all are here to fill the gap and present another world-view in maledominated world of filmmaking. On all my earlier films the crew was often made up of men, and sometime that was very tough. Women today are equally accepted. But we should not forget one of the pioneers of visual cinema was a woman, Maya Deren. She alone has influenced many generations of filmmaker and continues to do so even today. In France, there was also Alice Blache who directed a film as early as in 1896. And one of the most successful film directors
of the silent era was a woman named Lois Weber. So women were around, it’s just that no justice was done to their work because of their gender. Thanks for your time and thought, Natasha. We wish you all the best with your career. What's next for you? I would love to make a film about TRANCE in Mexico, working with shaman, day of the dead, Mexican culture… Those beliefs are so alive in Mexico of 21st Century that penetrating them to find the force behind the faith should be an exciting adventure. That's what I am working on and I will be travelling to Mexico where 2183 DAYS has been invited Oaxaca Film Festival. Besides that I would like to take my photo show IMPULSE to other countries as it was highly appreciated in Kolkata where it opened. I love Ex-votos, that's a fascinating universe, and I love making them. Similarly a project using Magic Lanterns is also in making.