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Movie-goers
at a Cross-roads |
The festival's Balkan character comes to the surface this week as everyone from Harvey Keitel to the heads of 11 Balkan countries' film-related organizations contemplate the region's cinematic storytellers.
Homecoming
In Sunday's screening of "Ulysses' Gaze" and yesterday's press conference, Harvey Keitel skirted Hollywoodisms. Working on Angelopoulos' film was one of the most important experiences of his life, he explained. Arriving in Thessaloniki was like "coming home." Keitel urged young Greek filmmakers to ignore Hollywood and think about their own stories, drawing from their country's important dramatic tradition. He also talked about: growing up the child of immigrants, the unimportance of Oscars, and Jane Campion helping his teen daughter make her first film. At yesterday's press conference, Angelopoulos recalled a foggy moment during "Ulysses' Gaze" where Keitel uttered an unscripted cry containing all the tragedy of the Balkans.
Life on the Border
One challenge that Bahman Ghobadi ("A Time for Drunken Horses") faced in making his film was snow-on-demand. His project took two years to make, due to re-shoots. During one of these, the white fluffy stuff refused to come…until the last three days. He explained that the child stars of the very human film had never seen TV or gone to the movies; when the first camera started to roll, the film's small protagonist ran for cover. Ghobadi calls himself "the first Kurdish director." When he won the Camera D'Or award at Cannes, 300 to 400 Kurds drove to the airport to greet him.
Meeting of Cultures
Greek director Stavrou Ioannou also focused his lens on the landless Kurdish population with his international competition film "Dead End Streets". The filmmaker (with a documentary background) explained that he required a lot of time to gain entry to the people, places and feelings of a Kurdish ghetto in a central Athens square. Instead of working against him, his handheld camera and minimal lighting helped in this. Though distribution has yet to be secured, he hopes for Greek and international screenings. As for the film's protagonists, they are now in other parts of Europe, as Kurds tend to consider Greece a place to pass through - but not stay.
Film Institutions Unite!
Yesterday, the Film Institutions of South Eastern Europe (an 11 country project) united to discuss common obstacles and opportunities for improving their national cinemas at the Macedonia Palace Hotel. Representatives from organizations ranging from the Albanian Film Center, Turkey's Ministry of Culture and Belgrade's Institute of Film met to strengthen their network of cinematic collaboration. Meanwhile Romania's Hanno Hoffer will tell us about his tale of a postman ringing more than twice for a prostitute at a 10.30 press conference.
Culinary Connections
Greek director Stelios Haralambopoulos of the documentary "Mediterranean Feasts" explained yesterday that Turkey, Greece and Italy have been united by their three staple crops - wheat, olives and grapes. Composer Nikos Kypourgos was on hand to discuss the unique challenges and inspirations in composing for nonfiction film.
Latin American-Style Conference
Mexican director Arturo Ripstein, his screenwriter Paz Alicia Garciadiego and producer Jorge Sanchez shared their thoughts on new technology and the dark side of human nature. Three years after Ripstein's big festival tribute, he spoke to an audience familiar with his work about his work. He discussed the role of the myth of Medea in his "Such is Life", which was shot on video. After working with different novelists for his films' scripts, Ripstein found that Paz Alicia Garciadiego was his true voice; after this discovery, they've been working together for over a decade. When someone asked why blood is a dominant theme in his films, he replied that only 1.5 liters of blood have been used ever, in all his films. It's always been more the dark recesses of people's personalities that he's been interested in exploring. There are three types of directors, he pointed out: 1) Those who are in Hollywood 2) Those who want to go to Hollywood 3) Those who don't want to go to Hollywood. Ripstein falls under the last category. His cinema is one of survivors, he explained, because of Mexican history's colonial past.
Circular Motion
Iranian director Jafar Panahi's "The Circle" has generated a big buzz around itself at this year's festival. Curiosity-seekers can ask the director any questions they like about his work at his 2pm Q & A meeting. His film's about a woman and her newborn baby, three female prisoners on leave, and an unmarried woman in search of an abortion
Generational Rendez-Vous
Another film from Iran about women is Marziyeh Meshkini's international competition film "The Day I Became a Woman." She'll speak to the press/audience about her elegant film exploring the state of three generations of women in Iran at 1.30pm.
Calculated Encounters
Dimitris Athanitis and Mimi Kougioumtzis will discuss two very different Greek films with mathematical titles. Athanitis' "2000+1 Moments" is about eight people facing the millennial countdown - from a man having an affair to a small street child. The number of main characters is sliced in half and the mood changed to comedy…and you have Kougioumtzis' "17 of 18". This time we see four boys living off the fat of the Greek land …who sometimes need their mommies, too. Check out these directors' discussion of their works at 11am and 2.30 respectively.
A Critical Appointment
Jerzy Skolimowski, who's been busy presiding over not only the festival's international jury, but also a major festival tribute, will speak about both roles, with the presentation of the International Jury at noon and a 12.45 press conference about his films.
Quote/unquote: "I would urge you all - and especially the young people - to look to your stories and your tradition and not worry about me and Robert de Niro." - Harvey Keitel, actor
Angelike Contis
First shot, #78, 14/11/2000
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