Mira Shaib’s Arze has been chosen as Lebanon’s entry for the Academy Award for Best International Film. The story of a single mother keeping her family above water with a home pastry business. Ambition can be a bad counselor. After buying a scooter for business expansion, Arze finds herself on a quest through Beirut trying to recover the stolen minibike.
Screened at the 2024Tribeca Film Festival, Arze delves into a dysfunctional world where tribalism rules. Mira tackles the subject with an underdone urgency.
I screened THE ISLAND for the International Film Festival Rotterdam. The description of the animated feature read “Non traditional storytelling”. I have to agree. Romanian filmmaker Anca Damian made a film with some outlandish scenes combined modern commentary.
A Black and Paper interview with Director Anca Damian.
What is the human condition of the story?
The film aims to go into depth of humanity: we are all on an island, even if it is a planet- is an island in the Universe – we are all reflecting into each other, we are searching for Paradise, we are all alone… So obviously we are somehow facing a kind of dead end to our civilization, so we have to search our human values, our connections to nature, in order to continue to be.
The Island
How did you you come up with the animation style?
I wanted the reality of the film to be immersive, so the space was developed in 3D, with added fluid elements developed in Houdini – the sea, the clouds. The concept was that everything that is man-made doesn’t integrate in the nature, so we have real textures for plastic, metal, fabric. The same texturing we applied also for the cloth of the characters that are in 2D.
In my concept, only what is made by nature remains painted.
Color wise everything is beautiful, like in a Hawaii holiday, but there is also some malaise, a sick feeling behind the chemical pink of the clouds and the green-blue of the sea.
Were you a fan of Robinson Crusoe?
I can’t say I am a fan of Robinson Crusoe; I am a fan of humankind; Exploring Robinson and Friday connection in a setup of nowadays, allowed me to explore a version of Robinson who has the best of intentions, but who is saving who, that’s another story.
The language of the film was playful, then dashing, did I get this right?
Yes, you got it right: the child in us is paying and telling the truth, I always listen to the child me, and keep him close. I wanted the audience will do the same, go in playful way straight forward to the so much needed truth.
The Island screens in The Big Screen Competition of the International Film Festival Rotterdam 2022.
An interview with artist and film director Rita Hui on her film Decameron. A
Your film is about resilience, how would define this?
I think after 2019, we (the Hong Kong people) have ben mental prepared about the action from the government. During the time in 2019, one of the slogan which become the most important mind set of HK people “攪炒” “ Laam Chow”, what’s the meaning is “I want mutual destruction”/ “I want damage on all sides”/ “If we burn, you burn with us”. We have prepare the worst scenario, so we won’t surprise of what the government will do to the people. Also. The resisted become the daily activity, that is the normal life we have during the time in 2020, after the social movement in 2019.
Everyday life in Hong Kong seemed routined, what were you saying to the audience with these settings?
One of the question we asked mostly in the early 2020: “How can we go back to the normal life?” and the further question is “ What’s normal life?” That’s the question we asked when we start to brainstorming the production, and also we want to capture the change of our daily life routine. Authority can easily change the daily routine, and the people can’t do anything to responded. When I go back to the history, hong kong history, and I found the pattern of history was make. The history is repeated. This is not the first time, to give a chance of the authority to control the people freedom. How we re-created the narrative of the daily routine, which is important.
The Decameron, tales set during a plague, your title “Decameron” please explain the reference.
After finishing the film, we concerned that how can we explain, or situate the theme of film for overseas audience by creating an English name. Decameron came across in my mind, it is a 14th-century Italian novel by Boccaccio. This novel set its plot during a pandemic society, several people escaped from that pandemic and start telling story each other to kill time. Those stories revealed how the society was corrupted. The link between Decameron and nowadays Hong Kong is the downward spiral like initiating National Security Law (which means Reform in the point of view of government) happening in every single day, under the shadow of Covid-19 pandemic. And through the film, you can read different pieces of ours daily life, especially before NSL, it is a hybrid situation (we fight against the Virus and fight for freedom).
Hong Kong is a city with a complicated past, forced separation, now, what looks an unwilling reunification, with parts in different worlds, as a person and a city, how do you process these positions?
This is a very difficult question. I don’t know how to position myself nowadays. The complicated past of Hong Kong, the colonial city, the immigration people, what we learn about democracy and freedom, human right from the past history, we hope we can be the master of our city. Now, the National Security Law become everything, we don’t have the free speech anymore, we cant have our own emotion and creativity, we cant stand on our position, even I don’t know maybe my film is “allowed” or not “allowed” to show in Hong Kong under the red line. We don’t know where’s the red line. The film, maybe become the evidence of crime, that would make our crew in danger. Are we breaking the laws? I don’t know. What’s Law? What’s the nation security?
Why the nation security much important than people safety? We have lot of question, especial nowadays. In 2020, the daily routine I want to created in Decameron, which is the resisted from daily life. But in 2021, we hear the bad news day by day, and we can’t do anything. The powerless feeling become our collective emotion, and we don’t know what is next. The film, maybe cannot pass the censorship in Hong Kong, and the film for Hong Kong which is not able to be show in Hong Kong.
Decameron was screened at the Rotterdam International Film Festival.
We had spontaneous discussion on the lack of award nominations for women. It turned into a podcast. Sofia gives her opinions. Why the exclusion? What has changed since #Metoo? The film business has long to way go.
This Chat Cinema Podcast came with a lot of thought. We debated on how to cover the topic.
The #MeToo Movement has affected every part of the entertainment industry. In light of the revelations, Hollywood is going through a period self reflection.
I worked in the film business. The “casting couch” was very much a part of the process for women and men. The stories of “midnight meetings” were part of the landscape. The history of Hollywood: Studio moguls, executives, directors, and producers dangled parts for “favors”. Actress Heddy Lamar said, “the most famous women in the world were the biggest sluts”.
Steve, Sofia, and Breck discuss the topic that has up ended the industry.
Use Your Head
Harrvey Weinstein never covered his trail. There was no need because he made money and won awards. Many willingly overlooked his behavior. Guardian Film Reporter Peter Bradshaw referred to him as the “Caligula of Cannes”.
The performers union SAG/AFTRA represents 160.000 performers. Many always looking for work or the big break. When a once in a life time opportunity knocks on the door, many turn off the thinking button. A chance of a chance of landing a role in a film or televsion show.
Victim shaming is a term used in elite centers like Los Angeles and New York City. All hotel rooms have one main piece of furniture, the bed. If a late night meeting takes place in a suite, perhaps questions should be asked. The most obvious is, why this time? In urban culture this is described as a “Booty Call”.
As a gay man who has been involved in a few late night rendezvous, a “meeting” at the Ritz after 9 pm usually does not involve detailed contract negotiations.
Female Control
Rewriting history for the sake of an argument clouds over past female achievements. Women controlled their cinema destinies. Mary Pickford co-founded United Artists studio with Chaplin, Douglas, and Griffith. Gloria Swanson briefly produced her own features after leaving Paramount. Claudette Colbert reached the top of the mountain becoming the highest paid performer in the business in 1938 and 1941 with complete control of script, director and leading man casting decisions. Colbert demanded certain close up camera angles from cinematographers.
While the need for diverse voices is crucial. The heavy doses of sermonizing mixed with A-list victimhood dilutes the message. Madonna going on television complaining about career obstacles as a woman came across as humbled shopping spree at Nieman Marcus. Protesting about fair treatment while walking the Red Carpet wearing $10.000 gowns had an air of day time soap opera self importance. Am I the only person who missed the point?
Yes! The film community needs to do better. There is hope. Less Victimology, more substance would be appreciated.
The writer worked in Hollywood at the bottom of the ladder staring upward.
