I interviewed filmmakers Sam Freeman and Ng Ping for a Chat Cinema podcast last year. The BAFTA nominees had completed their short film noir FEMME. Fast forward to this week, the duo unrolled their feature debut FEMME at the Berlinale. A continuation on the sexual repression theme from the duo’s first work, the longer version stars Charles MacKay and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett in a cat a mouse game of revenge. The reviews have ranged from mixed to positive.
Short listed for the 2023 Oscar, ALMOST HOME is a the present day topical sci-fi short film from Nils Keller explores decisions and relationships in the future on spaceship.
A interview with director Nils Keller.
A very today reference set in the future, how did you develop this storyline?
The idea for ALMOST HOME was inspired by a newspaper article I read in March 2020 about a cruise ship’s odyssey due to the mounting fear of Covid 19. What really shook me was the mention of people who, after being trapped aboard their floating steel prison for weeks and despite the prospect of finally being able to leave it, wondered if it was safer to stay. Absurd at first glance, I immediately wondered what this might say about our lifelong struggle to draw a line between safety and freedom. The idea of using certain aspects of this article and turning it into a more universal short film story that departs from Covid’s reality and takes the form of a character-driven coming-of-age drama set in space evolved over the next few days.
Almost Home, the choices and conflicts in the story, you stayed away from the good guy, bad guy, can you explain this?
In creating the film, which at its core was meant to be a metaphor for our lifelong struggle to determine the right balance between freedom and security, two things were very important to us: we wanted to ask questions, not provide answers – and in order to achieve that, we wanted to create multidimensional characters with very good but very contrary intentions. Let’s face it: life would be so much easier if it consisted mostly of circumstances where there was a clearly good and a clearly bad option. But in fact, that is rarely the case. Most of the things we must decide on are tremendously complex and become even more complicated as more people are involved in the calculation and emotions as well as individual perceptions start playing their parts. The pandemic has given us a very global and painful example of this. And in some ways ALMOST HOME draws from this confusion while intentionally moving away from Covid itself and asking more general questions about growing up, handling social conflict, sharing and taking responsibility and navigating life-changing situations where it’s hard to know what long-term consequences will arise.
Why did you decide on a sci-fi film with CGI as a project, not exactly an easy choice.
As a director, my passion goes towards these grounded yet cinematic genre films that focus on the characters and highlight their drama. I think it’s one of the most magical powers of cinema that narrative distance can pave the way to talk about essential issues in our lives that would otherwise be buried under too many strange or personal circumstances, or too hurtful to address. I also like the entertaining and world-building part of genre narratives, where you’re a little freer to tell your story. In the specific case of ALMOST HOME, the main reason for setting the story in a futuristic and isolated environment was to distance it as much as possible from Covid 19. The spaceship is meant to provide a confined cinematic stage to reflect on what it means to be dependent – on our parents or other people who try to have a saying in our life choices – and how hard it can be to break away from that while not destroying the relationship. It’s that very physical yet metaphorical expression of not being able to run or hide. I wanted to focus on our characters and their dramatic conflict and see the larger implications of life in that.
Of course, we knew from the beginning that it would be very difficult, some even said impossible, to create a no-budget sci-fi film with so many challenging elements. There was an ongoing pandemic, little money, the need to build a full-scale walkable spaceship and tons of visual effects. On the other hand, the fact that we were students offered us a unique chance for support, funding and trying things out. People tend to love these passion projects and there were so many great filmmakers and supporters helping us with almost no payment involved. Among them companies like ARRI giving us their cameras and lights for free, our film school (the University of Television and Film Munich) etc. Since DoP Georg Nikolaus and I had done some commissioned CGI projects before, we were also confident, that this could be a manageable thing. Of course, everything turned out to be much more difficult. But thanks to the great team and the hard work of everyone involved, our dream didn’t crash but started flying. And it’s an amazing honour for all of us involved to receive such great feedback now on such a high level. It really is beyond our wildest dreams.
Obviously you worked closed with a veteran cinematographer, what was the relationship?
I wouldn’t necessarily say that Georg Nikolaus is a veteran cinematographer, even if he has the calm and many impressive skills of one. I think it was very important for this project that he and I know each other since the beginning of film school. We did almost all our short films together and worked on some commissioned productions for commercials and television together. There has always been a shared understanding that story and characters must come first when we think about visual language. In the case of ALMOST HOME, we discussed the possible layout of the spaceship early on to make sure we had the right mix of a narrative stage for our story and enough opportunity to visually approach the characters and their environment in an intimate way. Further down the road, we used the 3D model of the spaceship, created by our incredible production designer Pan Patellis, to work out literally every shot, the blocking and camera movements. The spaceship was so cramped, the shooting time so short and the technical demands so advanced, that we had to exactly know where to put the camera and determine what walls and ceilings had to be disassembled for certain scenes. Yet we also often took a step back from planning and considered how to visually help express Jakob’s emotionality and his longing for Earth as it felt important to convey a human and poetic note in a cold environment like ours. Through highlighting Jakob’s personal items with their used surfaces, the presence of the earth through moving sunlight glimpses through the windows with the blue marble in sight etc. As a result, there was a lot of planning together with the art department as well. We also stayed true to the idea of letting the camera playfully float at the beginning of the film where Jakob feels free and optimistic in zero gravity. Advertently, when gravity sets in, the visual language becomes as stiff as his body. In order to emphasise the relationship between Jakob and his mother and their shifting understanding of each other, we discussed every angle, inch and trick possible inside a confined set like ours. It was of incredible help here, that ARRI Rental supported our work with their amazing equipment like the ALEXA Mini LF, lights and much more. Later in post-production, Georg continued to be an integral part of our naturally understaffed project, having ongoing conversations about the right perspectives for visual effects, dispelling, preparing the colour grading, creating screen inserts, artworks etc.
ALMOST HOME has been shortlisted for the Oscar 2023.
This Award Season reflects life, uncertainty. Trying to decipher a front runner in the race has confounded critics and filmgoers.
Tar and Everything Everywhere All at Once seem sure bets as does Braden Fraser and Ke Huy Quan are nods bets.
Cate Blanchette, Michelle Yeoh and Danielle Deadwyler for the little seen Till are front runners for actress.
Will Tom Cruise get the gold this year? Top Gun was the feel good flick of the year. The veteran blockbuster draw deserves a trophy for his $1 billion achievement.
The Best Picture field is wide open. Tar, The Fabelmans, Banshees of Inisherin and Babylon top the list. Wakanda and Babylon could sneak in the pack. Avatar:The Way of Water, the $350 million production will certainly get a number of technical nominations leading to a spot on the Best Picture list.
Todd Field for Best Director, Tar has the momentum, but I would not rule out James Cameron.
Award Season runs until March 12th 2023, the final ceremony is the Academy Awards in Hollywood.
“Family Is Family”. A family can be a source of inspiration for artists. Morgane Dziurla-Petit’s family inspired work Excess Will Save Us is an examination of close relationship and manipulations. From a small French Village Petit points a lens at inhabitants whipped up by paranoia by far off event. However, in this story, who are the true nemeses?
An interview with Morgane Dziurla-Petit from the International Film Festival Rotterdam
Congratulations! You shattered illusions about French Sophistication. How has your view changed now as compared to when you started this film?
“Well I never had an illusion that French people were particularly sophisticated, growing up in a working class family. But I had the belief that sophistication was needed to change social class which felt important to me when I was younger. This is the kind of things that transforms your heritage into shame.
Making Excess Will Save Us was definitely a work on stopping the shame and creating a dialogue. I do not idealise countryside or working class because I find that there can be a lot of violence – afflicted and inflicted – but making the film made me grow so much more love and understanding for where I come from.”
These types of feelings, manipulations and reactions to events one would expect from perhaps Middle or Rural America, not a few hours drive from Paris. Are you saying emotions are universal?
“I think that anyone who makes films has the belief that emotions are universal. And with globalisation, the systems that influence us – even if you are a 93 year old man – are becoming more and more similar. But I am also in a particular situation as a French filmmaker because I live in Sweden – a country that is very much influenced by the US, much more so than France. I can see that it has sometimes influenced my choices.
Even though I work with a multiplication of small stories happening in the village of my family, I wanted them to be understood by an international audience. For example, there is that story about my grandfather believing that the tombstone of my grandmother has a strange smell. One of the versions of the edit went to the point where he shared that it maybe had something to do with Xavier Dupont de Ligonnès, a French man famous because he has killed his family and has never been found by the police. Though hilarious for a French person, I could see that this would not land on an international audience so it was removed.”
The dysfunctional relationships were central. As a director was it hard to get the talent to be exposed in this manner on camera?
“Comedy is the love language in my family so it was hard with the people I am the closest to – especially my dad – to sometimes go out of that. I wanted the film to operate movements between comedy and drama and my father could be anxious about that. He likes to have a direct answer about what people think of him and there is nothing more direct than a laugh. It is part of his character though and I love that look he has in the film where he is always trying to be seen by the audience. That’s what makes me laugh but that’s also what makes me love his character despite the terrible things he does. All in all each of the non professionals have an opinion on how they want to be seen in the family and it is extremely similar to the way they want the camera to see them.”
You drew inspiration from your family and community, how did they react to the film?
“Amazingly, I really could not have hoped for better. They see the film as something very true to who they are even in the more fictional parts. And I was surprised to see a difference from showing the short film I had made about them where most of their comments back then were on details like the clothes they wore or the cleaning they should have done better. This time they did not speak about that and enjoyed the story… and also understood my job much better going through the emotional journey that they know is a construction of a whole team of people.”
As a filmmaker, are you drawn to more farcical situations?
“My next project is a drama so it could be weird to answer yes even though it is something I obviously love. I think that in general I am drawn towards quidproquo, cringe and meta. And these are things that can be worked on in both the context of comedy and drama. They have the power to make you feel intimately close to characters and again… work on our own shames.”
Excess Will Save Us All was screened at International Film Festival Rotterdam in January.
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For this episode of Chat Cinema, a conversation with Director Alejandro Loayza Grisi about his highly acclaimed film UTAMA. The Bolivian film has been selected for entry for Best International Film Oscar.
French Avant Gard filmmaker Jean Luc Godard passes away today. The influential filmmaker inspired generations. As a director he broke all the rules becoming a major a reference point in cinema world.
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For its eighth annual edition, the Bentonville Film Festival once again purported to be all-inclusive. Its tagline reads: ‘Championing Women and Diverse Voices’. Academy Award winner Geena Davis chairs this festival in Arkansas State. Physical events took place from June 22nd-26th, with virtual events running to July 3rd.
The Competition Narrative entry The Unknown Country was directed by Morrisa Maltz. This road movie’s documentary-style premise seamlessly morphs into its fictional narrative. A grieving young woman called Tana (Lily Gladstone) is invited to reconnect with her estranged family. Sparse dialogue and compelling atmosphere exemplify this surreal journey from the Midwest to the Texas-Mexico border. The radio sound collages in the car serve as alternative episodic sequences. The overall effect sums up the contemporary psychological state of America.
Also in competition, Straighten Up and Fly Right directed by Kristen Abate and Steven Tanenbaum. The directors were also the co-writers, producers and lead characters. Kristen is a 20-something New Yorker suffering from a severe case of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). This inflammatory disease of the spine causes Kristen chronic pain and reduced mobility. A very personal film, co-director Steven Tanenbaum also suffers from ankylosing spondylitis. Despite its bleak scenario, the film is courageous and avoids sentiment.
Some well-chosen shorts entries featured in the Competition Documentary section. The Weight of It concerns Maria, a breast-cancer survivor. Readjusting to her new life after a mastectomy and breast implant, we witness her strength and resolve. The US entry Seasick is a coming-of-age LGBTQ story set on a ferry. Sadie is an adolescent who is not yet ready to come out. She also has a crush on her shift captain, Jess. Director Lindsey Ryan handles the sensitive subject matter with charm and humor.
The Competition Episodic section blurs the lines between short documentary and essay film. Tiffani Alexander’s The Tale of 2 Music Cities shows us Nashville’s overlooked musical heritage. The Tennessee town is more famous for its Country and Western music scene. However, the roots of the city’s musical lineage underlines the contribution of Black music. Otherwise, Shadow Work is the film debut of Kary Collier Jr. An intense caustic analysis, it focuses on a PhD graduate who confronts his alter ego.
Two of the Animated Shorts were the work of Canadian production company ACE Film. Pivot analyses the rites of passage and identity through a mother and daughter relationship. The Butterfly Affect is social commentary, looking at the self-worth of a young cashier.
At the awards, actor Fin Argus won Rising Star for the feature Every Day in Kaimuki. His producer Effie Brown took the Rising to the Challenge Award. Gretchen Stoeltje’s Shouting Down Midnight won the jury award for Best Documentary Feature. Georgia, by Jayil Pak, was selected for Best Short Film and Carlos Cardona’s Chiqui won for Best Episodic.
By Steven Yates
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An extraordinary film released in 1981, Jean-Jacques Beineix‘s DIVA is a classic example of Cinema Du Look. Expressive, colorful, romantic. The French thriller is the story of an Opera Singer and a secret tape. Released by Rialto Pictures in the US.
The biggest New York based film festival starts tomorrow. Tribeca unspools for ten days of filmmakers showcasing long and short works.
The 2022 Cannes Film Festival went with heavyweights this year unveiling a star studded line up. Competition for the Golden Palm include features from directors David Cronenberg and Claire Denis along with sixteen other works.
Big Hollywood titles unspooling on the French Riviera include TOP GUN sequel MAVERICK and Baz Luhrmann’s ELVIS.
Cannes Film Festival starts May 17th.