JUST TALKING 10/12
Directors, Geraldine Bajard (La Lisiere), Bogdan George Apetri (Periferic), Olivier Babinet & Fred Kihn (Robert Mitchum is dead) and Christos Nikoleris (Nobody) participated in the final meeting of the “Just Talking” forum for discussion and communication that took place on Thursday, December 10th at the Electra Palace Hotel. The personal style each director adopts, the power of cinema, as well as of art, and the importance of cinematic studies were the main issues brought up in the conversation.
At first, the five directors referred to the themes of their movies, as well as to what inspired them to create these stories. In her film La Lisiere, French director Geraldine Bajard portrays a conflict between a group of teenagers and a 30-year-old, who leaves the capital to move to a smaller city. “I was left speechless when I realized that social discrimination existed in France, too. I wanted to explore the causes of this phenomenon and focus on the ways something so cruel affects young people”, she stressed.
On their part, directors Olivier Babinet & Fred Kihn talked about their film entitled Robert Mitchum is dead and described it as a melancholic comedy. The film revolves around the life of Franky, a young actor who tries to pull through his personal crisis, with the help of his manager. “In a way, the film illustrates the trip we took, starting from France, crossing Poland and Latvia, all the way to Finland. It was a period, during which I had slipped into melancholy. At that point, Fred and I came up with idea of a documentary-type story, with two central characters and that is how we turned up with a movie”, mentioned Olivier Babinet.
On the other hand, Christos Nikoleris made his film Nobody impelled by more romantic instincts. “It is a different version of the story of Romeo and Juliet, involving two different types of families and two gangs of children, an Albanian and a Russian one”, said the director. “In reality, I wanted to place emphasis on the feeling of not belonging anywhere, common to me during my time in Germany”, he added.
A true story was the source of inspiration for Bogdan George Apetri. Before he became a director, Apetri worked as lawyer and lived at hand a story similar to the one of his central character in the film, a woman who is granted a special leave from prison so as to attend her mother’s funeral. This incident is the spark that motivates her to try to build a new life. “I had not written the first version of the script, but I made some changes and finally, what appeared on screen is my own encounter with that woman”
The five directors attempted then to trace the roots of the power of cinema, as well as of art. “Through a film I tell a story, but I believe that the audience creates a different one after seeing my film. That is pure magic”, stressed Geraldine Bajard. “Art is what fills you with intense emotions, what makes you feel good. If it fails in this task, this failure is maybe due to a wall we have built around ourselves”, remarked Christos Nikoleris. “To us evidently, art and cinema in particular, are extremely meaningful and constitute a part of our lives. I don’t believe though that the audience shares this feeling. Maybe the point of view of a spectator changes momentarily, as he sees a movie, but problems and everyday life quickly bounce back”, said Bogdan George Apetri. Fred Kihn responded in a more explicit way, much to the surprise of his colleagues, as he pointed out that art does not possess any real power. “I don’t believe art affects people in their everyday life. Many films are maid without having the slightest impact. It takes a lot of books and a lot of films, so as to arm one’s self adequately and be able to identify art as a source of influence”.
Another issue that was brought up was whether cinematic studies are helpful to a filmmaker. Self-taught, Olivier Babinet confessed that he regrets not having studied cinema. “I envy those who studied cinema and I regret that I had been caught up in other jobs, which left no time to go to a film school”, he stressed. Geraldine Bajard, a graduate of the German Film and Television Academy, gave a different view on the subject. “If you have a strong personality, a great amount of will and an independent perspective, you don’t need cinematic studies. In many cases, they could even distract you from your work”. Bogdan George Apetri agreed by saying that: “Schools are only needed to help you make acquaintances in these circles”. Finally, Fred Kihn expressed yet another radical point of view. “Many may study in film schools, but only the ones with a talent, will move forward. The quality of a filmmaker has nothing to do with his studies”.
