“Documentaries are the direction of reality”
On account of the tribute to her work by the 6th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, Dutch director Heddy Honigmann gave a press conference on Wednesday, March 17th, where she spoke about the art of documentaries, the importance of music in her films, her relationship with her films’ characters, as well as her plans for the future. Honigmann spoke about the differences between fiction films and documentaries, making note of an article she once read where the journalist asked director Andre Tesine (whom she greatly admires) about the meaning of documentaries.
“Tesine said that documentaries are the direction of feelings. I would add that they are also the direction of reality. Reality is so complicated that you must make many choices to comprehend it in your investigation. You have to prepare reality in order to film it in a documentary. In documentaries you must deal with real people and you can’t ask them to do things that are beyond their capabilities. All documentary filmmakers desire and strive to make their characters express themselves in the best possible way. Therefore, despite the differences between fiction films and documentaries, they have many common elements”.
What is the main theme that she has investigated and characterizes her course throughout her career? “I believe that my films’ main themes are memory and the struggle for survival under any circumstances”, she said. Honigmann revealed that there is no secret behind the intimate nature of her films and her talent to penetrate into the souls of her characters. She went on to speak about the importance of music in her films and its connection to the two main themes of her work, memory and survival. “Music is an important part of my personal life. I was born in Peru and I have been living in Holland for the past 27 years. I always carry music with me whenever I travel: Bach pieces, Peruvian music, and others. Music and scent are the most significant forms of memory for me”.
Music was the central theme of three of her most well known films. “In the beginning of ‘Crazy’ I asked some soldiers who were amidst one of the most terrible situations a human can be in, namely war, if they had a personal piece of music that helped them survive on the battlefield” “‘The underground orchestra’ deals with musicians from around the world and their struggle for survival. It is about refugees and immigrants who play music under much worse circumstances than they were used to but manage to survive, nonetheless, because of their music. It is a film about exile and music”. “In ‘Dame La Mano’ music plays a pleasant role. The film is about Cuban exiles living in New Jersey who create their own space to keep the tradition of rumba alive. Music and dance as a means of survival for these Cubans is the theme of the film”.
Ending her interview, Honigmann spoke about her plans for the future. “Presently I’m editing a film about memory and food. I also intend to make a film about photography and marriage. In addition, I’m also preparing a feature documentary about the influence of art in our lives, how theatre, painting, sculpture and music can make us feel happy and comfort us. This film will be shot in Paris in one of the city’s most well-known cemeteries, which is the burial place of many famous -as well as unknown- artists who have made us all feel happy”.
