1/ how do you find irainian women directiors?
It is difficult to say because I didn’t see enough work from female director so fare.
But all I can say is that female vision are essential for humanity and therefore cinema
from all over the world need woman point of view. This is a question of survival. I notice
that women in general tend to be more emotional and poetic and with simple but strong story
which is a plus really. I guess what I like the most about Iranian women filmmakers is their
immense creativity partly due to the constraint of limitation because of their condition as
women in the Iranian society
2/how is women situation in your country, especially for directors?
In Europe and especially in England were I live, we see more and more female
director in the big screen even though cinema is still a male things. But it is just
a question of a couple of year to see improvement in the balance between
female and male. Now for TV or educational work or advertising For instance in my School ‘The national Film & Television School’
there are a well balance number of female in almost all
the discipline in filmmaking. So really it is just a question of time to
3/ how can festivals help young filmmakers?
It is essential for filmmakers young or not to be part of festival competition
because they promote your film and you as director of course. It also give you
more credit for film investors to believe in your film and it is all good for
your carrier believe me. Moreover, it is again very important to see how your
audience react to your film and a huge advantage to see who is your audience.
Furthermore in most of the case when you are in a festival you are most
probably about to make another film and it is amazing what you can learn from
a screening particularly with your audience around you... Only then will you
understand fully what is your film about and why you make film. Finally,
festival are great for networking. So really, it is very difficult no to
attend festival nowadays.
4/what is the potentials of short films?
The brief duration of short films tends to encourage a experimental and energetic
approach to filmmaking. This creative freedom naturally compares favourably to the
stricter conventions that surround the full-length feature. With few notable exceptions,
feature film production has moulded itself around the monumental influence of its literary
and theatrical antecedents. This has given rise to the prevailing orthodoxy that a feature
film is a 90-minute morality tale told in three acts. A feature film, for many of us therefore,
is merely a play with close ups.
Short films, on the other hand, avoid much of this narrative orthodoxy. Perhaps short films
are more comparable to poetry than to plays. In the same way that poetry can bend
language and suggest (rather than declare) meaning, shorts are able to explore the vocabulary
of cinema and emphasise mood over narrative structure. Clearly there are many ways to tell
a story but short films do revolve around the single idea or event. They are ideas that wouldn't
make the finishing line in a feature film but work well enough for the duration of a short film.
5 / how we can make people to go and watch shortfilm? 6/where we can show
short films ?in cinema? internet?
The best way to make people to watch short film is by imposing every cinema to
insert a short film with each of their feature film because the public need to
be educated with film. If they were use to short they like to see more simply
because short are great. But in anyway internet is about to change the whole
thing by imposing
7/ why did you chose shortfilm?
There are no others way but making short film to make a long one sometimes. It
is part of the game. You have to exercise yourself and short film is the best
way to minimise risk and colossal flop that will be catastrophic. Filmmaking
is an industry like any other and to start with you have to show short film.
At the end of the day there is no difference between short film or feature film
because you are using the same crews. Let put it that way, short are like sprints
and feature films like marathon. Long film is the very long form, very long indeed,
not just in terms of format but also the process to get to the end result, working
none stop, long hours every day for months. But except that it is the same and why
I do short film until someone give me an opportunity to direct a long one...
8 / what is your opeanian: WHY you WON IN THIS FESTIVAL?
I have no idea why I won. All I know is that I try to be honest about what I wanted to
talk about in my film Oxford Circus so maybe people are sensitive to that. I also try to
come out with a fresh view, trying to experiment with fiction combined with latest
animation technique. I know that my film is quite visual and poetic but that is about it really
9/ tell us about your price and your feeling about your win?
I am particularly honour to have win in the TISFF since I am a truly fan of Iranian cinema, one
of the most authentic, fresh and inventive cinema in all time to my taste. The people in Tehran
were more than wonderful with me and I will not forget this amazing experience. I also like to
say that I receive quite a considerable amount of money that will greatly help me for making my
next short film. So really I feel really happy and lucky.
Interview with Niclas Gillberg
the interview ( gillberg) the jury of short film festival in tehran by: baharan baniahmadi
1/ how you find iran festival?
It is a very well organiz ed and a festival of high status in Europe. I was very impressed by theprogramme and by the big audience attending the screenings.
2/in your country how the young people can product short films?
Anyone with a DV-camera can make a no-budget short film. But it is very hard to get grants for making short films. The grants are mainly for professionals or very promising young directors.
3/why you chose shortfilm?
Because short film is very special. It is a form of filmmaking that is experimental and innovative. And short film is not controlled by economical powers. Short film is pure film art.
4/ how we can make people (who used to hollywood films) intrested in short films?
Hard question. I think that many people have prejudices about short films. Once they have seen some shorts they are usually very impressed and wants to see more. I think the big issue is to make people take the first step and see some shorts, than they are hooked.
5/generally what is the potentials of shortfils?
Short films is foremost one of the most artistic form of film. In shorts you see more variety and artistic expression than in for example feature films. But short film is also a way for younger filmmakers to try their skills before making features.
6/what is the most problem for filmmakers ?and what is the solution?
The hardest thing is to have a script or an idea good enough to realise it on screen. Unfortunately there is no solution. You have to try for yourself. Not even the most famous directors in the world always succeed in finding an idea good enough. But it is not only the script of course, you also have to be skillful enough to master the cinematographical tools.
I hope you can use my answers in some way!´