Monday 13/11/2000

Three years after the tribute and presentation of his complete work by the Film Festival, Arturo Ripstein, one of the most important filmmakers of international cinematography, is the featured guest of the Film Festival Special Screenings. His two films "Such is life" and "The ruin of men" will be screened.

During a press conference he gave today along with his colleague scriptwriter and wife Paz Alicia Garciadiego and the producer of his films Jorge Sanchez, he talked about the creative procedure that precedes the production of his films.

In particular, and in reference to the story of "Such is life", he mentioned how influenced he was by the legend of Medea. "I wanted to shoot a low budget film in video with only a few actors. I came across the story of Medea because, as a "insane" woman she belongs to the field of my film characters. I was obsessed with this idea and I kept some notes on it, which I gave to Paz Alicia. After a while, she delivered a screenplay, which is the best I have ever read".

Referring to his choice to shoot in digital video rather than in film, Mr. Ripstein said the he chose it not on financial grounds, since the cost is significantly lower, but for reasons of cinematic aesthetics and functionality and because communication with the people involved in the production was better. He added that "the digital camera is small and lets me move freely and easily".

Mr. Ripstein also highlighted that the digital format of the film had no distribution problem and everyone who saw it agreed that the result was much more direct.

Mrs. Garciadiego, who according to Mr. Ripstein is "his real voice", talked about the claustrophobic universe of Mexican director's films and compared the director's "world" with the operating table where the director, such as the operator, "cuts" the characters and enters their soul. She also underlined the importance of the cyclic structure of the stories.

Mr. Ripstein, admitted that he is very persistent, and aims to produce films that are as cheap and quick as possible in order to be punctual to his schedule. He added "of course I am lucky because creative and industrious co-workers surround me".

Finally Mr. Ripstein clarified that his films do not reflect society but are based on characters who are proven victorious in life.