The AudioVision - European Women`s Audiovisual Network

ISSUE # 6
MAY 2015
The AudioVision
EDITORIAL
3
RESEARCH
EWA ON THE GO
4
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•
•
•
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EWA Presents its Innovative Training
Course at Creative Europe Day
Get Networked Up!
Women Behind the Camera
EWA 2015 CANNES AGENDA
5
TRAINING
6
•
•
•
Online Coaching
Skills-Based Training
Multiple Revenue Stream Training
EWA Pan-European Research
Who Directs German Feature Films?
Gender Report: 2009-2013
INTERVIEW WITH...
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•
•
7
8
Rachel Morrison
Ewa Puszczynska
Paula Ortiz Alvarez
HAPPY GLOSSY NEWS
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JOIN TODAY
18
Credits: Top photo with cinematographer Rachel Morrison behind the scenes of “Fruitvale Station”directed by Ryan Coogler
(2013) © The Weinstein Company with bottom photo featuring Agata Trzebuchowska and Dawid Ogrodnik from “Ida” directed by Pawel Pawlikowski and produced by EWA friend Ewa Puszczynska (2013) © Music Box Films.
EDITORIAL
Elle Fanning and Alice Englert in “Rosa & Ginger” produced by EWA member Paula Alvarez Vaccaro and directed by Sally Potter (2012)
Dear EWA friends,
Well, that was an incredibly eventful
past few months! From Patricia
Arquette’s now famous speech waving
for wage equality ‘once and for all’
during the Oscars to Keira Knightley
asking where the female stories are, it
seems gender equality is becoming one
hell of a hot topic and no longer hidden
under the table! However things are
not as bright as we may want to see
them as we are harshly pulled back
into reality when looking at this year’s
Berlinale statistics, with only three out
of the 23 films competing directed
by women. During the Berlinale’s
“Get Networked Up” event aimed at
women in the film industry and their
networks, Dr Ralf Kleindiek – State
Secretary at the Federal Ministry
for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens,
Women and Youth – was not alone
in emphasizing how outrageously
low that statistic was. It therefore
becomes clearer that tackling gender
disparities in the cinema industry is
unavoidable if we want these numbers
to change. So if you are still sceptical
about taking on such topics for fear
of being considered a bra-burning,
man-hating feminist, yet cannot help
but feel there are some subtle forms
of discrimination behind the veil of
glamour – act upon it!
Thankfully though, EWA is happy
to announce its recent success in
presenting its innovative training
course “Multiple revenue stream
training for future films” (detailed
in the EWA on the Go and Training
Sections) at the Creative Europe
day which was widely attended
by hundreds of beneficiaries and
stakeholders interested in discussing
innovative European film business
models.
What’s more, things have been hotting
up, as we were proud to welcome
you all to the Malaga Film Festival
to enjoy a beautiful selection of
films directed by women during the
evening of Saturday 18 April. Busy
times have been continuing with a
research workshop on 23 April in
Strasbourg, as well as various training
courses which took place all over
Europe, notably one on film funding
in Rome, and another on business
strategies in Istanbul - both at the
end of April. On another exciting
note, EWA is currently preparing
for this year’s Cannes Film Festival,
organizing its usual Networking
Happy Hour Event in collaboration
with the Croatian Audiovisual
Centre for all of you to combine your
streaks of genius and folie! This will
be topped up by coaching sessions
with Alessia Sonaglioni (lawyer
and film finance expert) during the
festival, as well as a presentation by
EWA Director Francine Raveney
during the Producers Network
Breakfast sessions and a Coalition
of Filmmakers Event on 18 May. As
for post-Cannes preparations, EWA
will be delighted to moderate a panel
during the Locarno Film Festival as
well as share the first findings from
its
pan-European research project
“Where are the Women Directors in
European films? Data Mapping with
Best Practice Recommendations” at
a conference during the Venice Film
Festival in early September. And
many more events to come!
Best wishes fom the EWA Team
3
EWA ON THE GO
Juliette Binoche in “Nobody Wants the Night” directed By EWA’s Honorary President Isabel Coixet (2015) © Leodra Betancou
EWA PRESENTS ITS
INNOVATIVE TRAINING
COURSE AT CREATIVE
EUROPE DAY
We were delighted that EWA’s
Director Francine Raveney presented
our selected innovation project which
was supported by the Creative Europe
Programme. Each year during the
Berlinale, the European Commission
and the Education Audiovisual
and Culture Executive Agency
(EACEA) organise a Creative Europe
Information Day on burning issues
concerning the audiovisual sector.
The innovative course Multiple
Revenue Stream Training for Future
Films (MRST4FF), is devised for
producers determined to make the
best use of new technologies to reach
a wide international audience. The
goal of this course is to equip them
with the necessary skills to market and
distribute their films and audiovisual
projects successfully in the context
of digital convergence. Francine
Raveney highlighted that EWA aims
to develop targeted training courses
compatible with busy personal lives
and professional careers. More
information on the status of the
MRST4FF can be found in the
Training Section!
GET NETWORKED UP!
EWA was also pleased to particpate
in the very crowded “Get NetWorked
Up” Symposium about women in the
film industry and their networks at
this year’s Berlinale on 12 February.
About 200 women filmmakers,
producers and networkers attended
the symposium, a joint venture of the
Dortmund | Cologne International
Women’s Film Festival and the New
York Athena Film Festival.
In her welcome speech, Silke J.
Räbiger, Director of the Dortmund
| Cologne Women’s Film Festival,
pointed out that commitment to
gender equality was not new. Initial
approaches had already been made
in the 1980s. Currently, the main
concern of network members was
to learn from one another how to
pull together as well as discuss actual
steps as to how the objectives can
best be achieved. What the networks,
associations and initiatives all have
in common, she added, was a strong
desire not to stand by and simply
watch contracts, money, reputation
and careers leave women behind.
The event was concluded by a call
for a similar event which will take
place on May 18 during the morning
(location tbc). For more news keep
checking EWA’s website.
CELEBRATING WOMEN
BEHIND THE CAMERA
EWA Director Francine Raveney
moderated a panel for Reel Angels
event on “Celebrating Women Behind
the Camera” in the Genesis Cinema
in London on Sunday 8 March.
Founded by experienced live events
camerawoman Lulu Elliot, Reel
Angels is the first and only agency for
female technical crew for TV, Film
and Live Events in the world. To
find out more about Reel Angels click
here! The clip will be available on our
website soon.
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EWA 2015 CANNES AGENDA
THURSDAY 14 MAY 9 - 11 AM
Main Poster of Cannes Film Festival 2015
WEDNESDAY
PLAGE DES PALMES, CANNES
THURSDAY
21
20
MAY
MAY
(ALL
DAY)
(MORNING
&
ONLY)
(LOCATION TO BE CONFIRMED)
Francine Raveney, EWA’s Director, will be
one of the guests of honour at the Producers
Network Breakfast Meetings (closed event). The
subject of discussion will be: “Le networking
au féminin: soutien essentiel pour la diversité
des contenus?”/”Networking for women: an
essential support mechanism for supporting
diversity of content?”
MONDAY 18 MAY, 11AM “SEE HER NOW
EVENT”
(LOCATION
AND
DETAILS
TO
BE
CONFIRMED)
EWA one-to-one coaching sessions (for members
only). Following on from their popularity at the
Berlin Film Festival, Alessia Sonaglioni will
be offering a small number of EWA members
the opportunity to have a one-to-one coaching
session to brainstorm on their projects, careers,
fundraising concerns etc.
Throughout the festival, Kering will also be
organising “women in motion” talks each
morning. We will share more news on these
events as they become available. Looking
forward to meeting you in Cannes!
The Support women filmmakers Coalition
event, of which EWA is part, is organising an
event during the morning of 18 May - more
news to follow soon. Link to their website here !
TUESDAY 19 MAY 6.30PM -8 PM
EWA HAVC NETWORKING DRINKS
SOUTH EAST EUROPEAN PAVILION
Join EWA’s networking drinks co-organised
with our friends from the Croatian Audiovisual
Centre!
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TRAINING
Interview with...
“Kanimanbo” co-written and co-directed by EWA member Carla Subirana with Adán Aliaga and Abdelatif Hwidar (2012)
MULTIPLE REVENUE STREAM TRAINING FOR FUTURE FILMS
The European Women’s Audiovisual Network is pleased to announce that 15 participants have been selected to attend the
first workshop of our three-part course programme on Multiple Revenue Stream Training for Future Films. The course is
aimed at producers and content creators, with a nascent project who have either already successfully crowd-funded for a
feature or documentary or who were able to show demonstrable motivation in learning about new technologies.
Participants were selected from across a wide range of countries including: Serbia, the Netherlands, Germany, Turkey,
Italy, France, the UK, Ireland, and Spain to name but a few. Two lucky scholarship holders have been selected to attend
the course for free, sponsored by EWA!
This first workshop will start in Glasgow on 26-28 June, where Emily Best, Seed & Spark, Kobi Shely and Andy Green,
Distrify Media, will be the tutors for these much anticipated classes. The first of these three-day course workshops will
accompany producers and content creators with their projects and with their desire to exploit new technologies in an
innovative and up-to-date manner, through training in social marketing, strategizing and combining equity and public
funding. The course will also aid participants with crowd-funding for their projects. Classes will happen at the Whisky
Bond Co-Working Space (a renovated factory) and participants will be staying at the trendy Z Hotel in downtown Glasgow.
ONLINE COACHING
SKILLS-BASED TRAINING
If co-productions and film fund finance may seem
a bit of a maze to you, you’ll be thrilled to know
that we are offering all members who decide to
renew their membership with us a free one-to-one
coaching session with one of our co-production
experts, including Alessia Sonaglioni. This session
will be carried out either in person at
Cannes film festival (20/21 May) or
over Skype; in advance a number of
project documents will be requested.
We have just held training courses in Rome (in
Italian) on 29 April on “Writing funding applications
for European support”. Another course was held in
Istanbul on 29 to 30 April in English and Turkish on
Business Strategies for film production, marketing
and distribution, delivered by Isabelle Fauvel, Kobi
Shely and Francine Raveney amongst
others. Watch out for training on coproductions in Tel Aviv on 7 July!
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RESEARCH
Inma Cuesta in “La Novia” directed by EWA’s Vice President Paula Ortiz (2015)
EWA PAN-EUROPEAN
RESEARCH CONTINUES
WHO DIRECTS GERMAN
FEATURE FILMS?
Having started last November 2014, EWA is
continuing to co-ordinate its innovative research
project “Where are the Women Directors in
European films? Data Mapping with Best
Practice”. We are pleased to announce that
the latest partner in the research project is
Creative Skillset UK. Furthermore, whilst the
quantitative research is coming together nicely,
the next phase will be to achieve qualitative
research in collaboration with national partners.
22% of German feature films between 2009 and
2013 have been directed by women. These are
the results of the recently published study “Who
Directs German Feature Films? Gender Report:
2009–2013” by the Institute for Media Research
at the University of Rostock led by Professor
Elizabeth Prommer and Skadi Loist. The
report also collected data on funding, audience
attendance, box office and festival run.
It was found that these few films made by
women tend to impress with their high standards
of artistic quality, receive numerous awards and
have an impressive successful festival run.
Such success is remarkable, considering that on
top of the underrepresentation of women in
film production, women tend to receive a much
smaller budget to fund their film. The report
highlights that women-directed feature films
receive in sum 65 percent of the funding that
films directed by men receive. On average, a film
directed by a woman receives 660,000 Euros
while those directed by men receive around 1
million.
Research Workshop at Birkbeck College, London
University (2015)
Read more on these findings here!
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INTERVIEWS
Interview with...
RACHEL MORRISON
A RISING STAR BEHIND THE CAMERA
COMBINING GRACE AND AUTHENTICITY
Cinematographer Rachel Morrison is not one to shy away from shooting raw and unrefined beauty, unafraid
to defy conventional depictions of truth and love through her unique take on imagery. Since completing her
MFA in Cinematography at the American Film Institute, Morrison has photographed twelve features, ten in
the last four years. With feature credits including “Little Accidents,” directed by Sara Colangelo and starring
Elisabeth Banks which premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, and “Fruitvale Station”, which won both
the Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, Rachel has earned a reputation
for crafting haunting images that tap into the emotional core. In 2014, she shot “Cake” starring Jennifer
Aniston, Anna Kendrick, and Sam Worthington which was directed by Daniel Barnz. Rachel has garnered
numerous awards, including an Outstanding cinematography Emmy Nomination for her work on Showtime’s
Riker’s High. Her work notably features on most major TV networks including HBO, SHOWTIME, ABC,
and CBS and she recently made her directorial debut for John Ridley’s new show “American Crime”. Rachel
finds inspiration through her love for worldwide travels, continuously defying her own limits and pre-conceived
notions of humanity’s many faces. Photo: Rachel behind the scenes of the film “Cake” © Cinelou Releasing.
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“I experienced a
huge amount of
tragedy at a very
young age but try
now to see the
beauty in each waking moment. Humanity is both fragile and magical.”
Behind the Scenes of “Cake” with Jennifer Aniston (2014) © Cinelou Releasing
What inspired you to become a
cinematographer?
I began taking photographs at a
very early age. I saw it as a way to
defy mortality and freeze time. I
started down the road to become a
photojournalist but soon discovered
that with cinematography I had the
chance to visualize a more complete
narrative and could evoke intense
emotion through lighting and
composition.
You lensed director Daniel Barnz’s
“Cake” starring Jennifer Aniston,
which premiered at the 2014 Toronto
International Film Festival. Which
memory do you cherish most from
working on this project?
take on unglamorous roles and are
shot in very different ways than what
we are used to seeing. Is this a way to
make their characters more real and
attainable for the audience?
Very much so. Ideally every character
in a feature film has a major story
arc. The characters experience highs
and lows, moments of despair and
others of hope. When you have to
light and shoot for beauty or glamour,
you flat line those peaks and valleys.
With “Cake” and “Little Accidents”
it wasn’t about making Jen and
Elizabeth look unglamorous just
for the sake of it, it was lighting and
lensing for their characters and the
drama of the narrative. And yes, I do
also think that the goal was to make
them feel real and identifiable. Any
time you are watching a film and can’t
see past the actors themselves, then
you don’t get to be fully immersed in
the experience itself.
How do you feel about the transformative
power of film to help individuals
transcend their everyday realities?
I find it awe-inspiring and humbling.
It’s mind-boggling that we can
suspend our disbelief long enough
to fly through space, revisit historical
conquests, or simply find ourselves in
I was given a rare opportunity to
photograph a very recognizable face
[Aniston] in a whole new light. She
was incredibly brave to allow me to
light for drama, not for beauty. It was
both a challenge and a true pleasure.
You also worked on “Little Accidents”
directed by Sara Colangelo, starring
Elizabeth Banks, which came out in
January 2015. For both “Cake” and
“Little Accidents” the leading actresses
Elizabeth Banks and Boyd Holbrook in “Little Accidents” (2014) © Amplify
9
someone else’s shoes for a few hours!
You say that truth can be deceptive. Can
you explain what you are referring to?
Things aren’t always as they appear.
Love has many layers and can
manifest in pain and betrayal -- but is
it not still love?
Your work is known to be particularly
haunting, with beautiful elegance.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
Life. I experienced a huge amount
of tragedy at a very young age but try
now to see the beauty in each waking
moment. Humanity is both fragile
and magical.
At the 2013 Women in Film Crystal
+ Lucy Awards, you won the Kodak
Vision Award for your work in
cinematography and collaboration
with other women filmmakers. Do you
consider this recognition a career high or
is there another moment in your career
that you consider the most fulfilling?
It’s definitely one of the highs (so far).
The other is when “Fruitvale Station”
premiered at Sundance and Oscar
Grant’s family was in the audience.
We were met with a standing ovation
and not a dry eye in the house, but the
most meaningful moment happened
Behind the Scenes of “Cake” (2014) © Cinelou Releasing
when Oscar’s uncle thanked Ryan
[Coogler] for making the film.
I guess so. In a subtle behind-thescenes kind of way.
Gender parity both on and off screen
is an EWA Network concern – and one
that increasingly preoccupies the media.
Does this subject impact the choice of
films you produce or on the way you
work creatively - e.g. with other cast and
crew members?
You directed an episode of John
Ridley’s new show “American Crime”
which will play in May. What was that
like? Is this something you hope to do
more in the future?
Not overtly. I definitely try to select
projects that speak to me and to avoid
making films that are misogynistic in
any way. But I don’t think my gender
affects my working methods.
Do you consider yourself a feminist?
It was a unique and amazing
opportunity. My first time directing
for television and my episode had 300
extras and a riot scene! It went really
well so I do think it will lead to more
directing work but I have no plans to
give up cinematography, as I am and
always have been very comfortable
and passionate about being behind
the lens.
You recently gave birth to a little boy.
Congratulations!! Do you think this will
have a big impact on your career?
Behind the Scenes of “Fruitvale Station” (2013) © The Weinstein Company
It has already to some degree ... I had
a very easy pregnancy and managed
to work right to the end but I did
miss a few big shooting opportunities
in order to have the baby and spend
time bonding with him in the first
few months. But it circles back to
your earlier question. Life inspires
me and informs the art. So overall,
if anything, I think parenting will add
a new dimension to my perspective
on the world and will only make the
work stronger. - By Sarah Hurtes.
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INTERVIEWS
Interview with...
EWA PUSZCZYNSKA
BRINGING CINEMA TO A WHOLE
NEW LEVEL
“And the Oscar award for best foreign language movie goes to... Ida!” Indeed, “Ida” is none other than the
extremely well praised and rewarded Polish drama directed by Pawel Pawlikowski and produced by the ultra
cool and chic Ewa Puszczynska. Set in 1960s Poland, “Ida” tells the story of a woman on the verge of taking
her vows as a nun when she discovers from her communist prosecutor aunt that she in fact has Jewish ancestry.
Together they set out to find out what happened to their family during World War II.
Ewa graduated from the English Literature Department of University of Lodz. While studying she worked as a
literature researcher, playwright, editor and advisor connected to Polish puppet theatre. After university Ewa’s
first contact with the film business came through translating and editing movie subtitles for TV and cinema.
In Opus film company, Ewa is also the head of an international department supervising co-productions and
foreign sales and distribution of the produced movies. Recently she was a co-producer of a movie THE KING
OF DEVIL’S ISLAND (dir. by Marius Holst) which is a Poland, Norway and Estonia coproduction.
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To be a good producer you need
excellent social skills, so that you
can really speak to people. That’s
fundamental when you’re working
with directors and different crews.
Also, you need to be open to
other people as well as capable of
carrying out risk management. To
obtain financing, it’s important to
be able to talk to people easily and
explain your requirements.
How do you feel about the
transformative power of film to help
individuals transcend their everyday
realities?
English main movie poster for “Ida”
(2013)
When did you decide you wanted to
be a producer? What inspired you to
make that choice?
Directing this commercial movie
Well, it’s a strange and funny story…
Rather than graduating from film
school, I actually studied English
and then went into translating,
at a time – twenty years ago –
when few people spoke English in
Poland. By chance I was brought
into a company, Opus, which was
producing commercials and doing
line producing at that time and
was asked to interpret during a
contentious meeting. They liked my
work and from there I was invited on
set to work with an Italian director,
where I interpreted 24/7. A month
later I was brought onto the staff
and then had my production break
producing a car commercial for a
North American company. Via a
Finnish producer we managed to
meet the requirements of the ad
and it carried on from there.
What qualities do you think being a
producer requires?
I believe that film has a very strong
role in this. It serves as a form of
dialogue with people, namely the
audience and it enables important
topics for humanity to be discussed.
For example, “Ida” allow us to face
the dark history of Poland. Films
can touch on what makes you who
you are as an individual, your faith,
migrations, searches for a promised
land etc. These are important
subjects and I want to continue
making films on these topics. Films
Language Film (2015), EFA Best
Film award (2014) and many others
at the EFAs - do you consider this
recognition a career high or is there
another moment in your career that
you consider the most fulfilling?
It would be dishonest to say that
this isn’t a career high. After all of
these years and working so hard,
playing the game of film making it’s
super nice to hear Nicole Kidman
saying : “and the Oscar goes to:
Ida!” And overnight you become
a media person. Everybody wants
to discuss Oscars with you! Even
if we should absolutely value even
more highly our own European
Film Awards, which went so well
in Riga and our battle against
conveyor-belt movies. (Note – “Ida”
scooped 4 awards including “Best
Film” at the 2014 EFAs.) Now I
will be working for a Palme d’Or!
It’s also magical because a lot of the
times the emotions you live through
movies are impossible to experience
in your daily life – at home or at
work. A small miracle is produced
when watching a new movie! What
Agata Trzebuchowska and Agata Kulesza in “Ida” (2013)
that make people think, make them
talk about friends with or talk to
strangers to.
“Ida” has won many awards,
including the Oscar for Best Foreign
I particularly enjoy is to portray
female experiences especially in
love, pain or death – how women
break and rebuild themselves.
How did you come to the project
12
It can be an emotional experience,
but usually we fight, cry and then
make up. I also like working with
young Polish directors; like Kasia
Klimkiewicz. I very much believe
in the magnetic forces which bring
people and projects together. If we
look at the recent EFA board we
can see that there all the new board
members are women.
What is your next project?
Ewa Puszczynska posing with her numerous awards © Marcin Stepien
“Ida”? and how does a good producer
balance creatively producing and
leaving the director space?
The project actually came to me.
Pawel Pawlikowski had been
developing the project with a UK
company for six years and when I
saw the initial script for “The Sister
of Mercy” it was a significantly
different version, but I knew straight
away that I wanted to work with
him on it. I then became involved
with the writing process and a
new writer came on board… At a
certain point we needed to close the
script to raise the financing, but the
director actually kept on changing
it right until the last day. For the
music, for example, the Bach piano
piece was proposed by the director
right at the very end, meaning I
had to have the rights cleared in a
two-hour turn-around time! Also,
the director preferred to shoot
chronologically, which we could not
afford, but we found a compromise.
On each location we were shooting
chronologically which was not
easy to convince a crew to do, but
in the end it was certainly worth it
and the crew were also pleased.A
good producer needs to understand
the director they’re working with.
Directors can vary greatly and in
the case of Pawel he needs time,
trust and space. He agreed to a 35day shoot, which was all we could
finance at first, even though he
wanted a 40-day shoot. However,
the contract also stipulated that the
number of shooting days is divided.
After the first part there is a break
for editing and later we continue
shooting. In the end we needed
to break shooting even earlier
because of heavy snowfall – God’s
intervention? – and it was during this
longer than planned editing period
that the director finally identified
the film he wanted to make. Further
discussions over days for the shoot
ensued but in the end a shooting
board was prepared and the shoot
was very successful and everyone
was extremely happy.
Women both on and off the screen is
an EWA Network preoccupation - how
does this subject impact on the choice
of films you produce and the way you
work creatively - e.g. with other cast
and crew members?
I like working with women and
indeed in “Ida” most of the cast and
production crew were women…
I have an upcoming project with
Pawel. I would also like to work
with a female director on a film for
which I have the script, about “20
years of life of a woman”… The
story is an adaptation based on a
tale about a woman who is looking
for her own identity… and trying to
understand who she really is.
Would you say Poland is an easier
country for women producers and
directors to work in as opposed to
some other European countries like
Germany?
In my generation I was pretty much
the only producer, but now there
are more women producers coming
through in the new generations.
They are brave. There are also new
women directors coming through,
women cinematographers… I
wouldn’t say it’s more difficult than
in any other country.
What do you consider the value of a
network like EWA?
It’s about knowing there are other
talented women out there that
really matters and for women to be
recognised as excellent professionals
more than their gender identity.
What’s your advice for being a
successful producer?
You must do what you believe in
and stay true to yourself. Otherwise
what you are doing will be a lie. - By
Francine Raveney
13
Interview with...
PAULA ORTIZ
THE ART OF MAKING SMALL MIRACLES
Paula Ortiz is growing as one of Spain’s leading film directors, screenwriters and
producers, known for “De Tu Ventana A La Mía” (2011), “El Rostro de Ido” (2003)
and “Fotos de Familia” (2005). “De Tu Ventana A La Mía”, her first feature film, was
nominated for a Goya Award 2011 for Best New Director and won the 2011 Prize in the
Seminci Valladolid. Currently finalizing the editing of her much anticipated next feature
film “La Novia”, an adaptation of a play by Federico García Lorca, Paula also recently
made her fashion film debut with Spanish lingerie brand Women’Secret, directing the
international star Elsa Pataky. However Paula does not stop at being one of this year’s
most exciting directors, she is also a university researcher and professor, having been
in the academic world since more then 15 years. Paula tells EWA all about the many
contradictions of the film-making world with passion and liberation.
You recently directed Women’Secret’s
fashion film “Dark Seduction”. What
was that like?
Directing this commercial movie has
been such an enriching experience
in so many ways. I had never done
a fashion film before – a format that
combines marketing, advertising
but also film-narrative skills. The
fashion film format is a rather new
advertising medium increasingly
popular amongst fashion brands
to present their limited editions.
In “Dark Seduction”, the story
creates an exciting world that
blurs the line between what is real
and unreal. I loved how because it
was a lingerie shoot it brought up
themes related to female sensuality
and sexuality. Usually sexiness in
films is directed towards men and
therefore often portrays women as
these erotic flawless objects. The
“What I would
like to say to all
the producers out
there is: can you
imagine what I
could do with a big
budget!”
actress in the short film is Spanish
actress and model Elsa Pataky who
is an international sensation and
plays in the “Fast and Furious”
movies. We both discussed at
length how we wanted the video
to be fresh, fun and unique. It was
important to portray a woman who
is comfortable in her own skin and
shows her sense of playfulness and
sexuality. That’s very important
because usually we never show this
in films. It’s not that easy to find
female sexuality on screen from a
women’s perspective.
As a filmmaker, what do you do?
I tell stories. That’s for me the best
way to summarize my everyday
activity, my jobs consist of telling
stories to those that surround
me both directly and indirectly. I
really believe that films have these
immensely powerful abilities to
submerge an audience into these
emotional trips. This then enables
anyone to live unique psychological
experiences and fantastic moments
– raising our awareness on many of
the world’s issues. It is vital to create
stories which somehow question
the world we live in, searching for a
new identity both as individuals and
as a society. Movies are one of the
most complex and representative
media to do so. I really believe in
the power of making films to raise
consciousness on varying topics.
What particular feelings would you
like the audience to feel when they
watch your movies?
As a spectator I like to feel all kinds
of different feelings. I like horror,
drama, comedy, science fiction –
therefore I’d like my audience to
feel differently according to each
film scene. Most importantly, each
emotion should be felt intensely
and in multifaceted ways. I don’t
want my films to lead to one
interpretation; I want to leave a
certain flexibility to the mind, for
everyone in the room to feel these
powerful emotions in their own
14
movie I am currently working on
“La Novia” (The Bride), it’s more
abstract. It portrays patriarchal norms
in rural Spain during a very wide 20th
century thereby creating a timeless
abstract universe– captured in very
symbolic as well as poetic scenes and
characters.
La Novia is your next coming movie
which will be released around October
2015. How did this project come to
mind?
English movie poster for “De Tu Ventana A La Mia” (2011)
ways. That’s key. It’s also magical
because a lot of the times the
emotions you live through movies are
impossible to experience in your daily
life – at home or at work. A small
miracle is produced when watching
a new movie! What I particularly
enjoy is to portray female experiences
especially in love, pain or death – how
women break and rebuild themselves.
“La Novia” is a very special movie
as it is an interpretation of “Bodas
de Sangre” (Blood Wedding), by
Federico Garcia Lorca, the amazing
Spanish poet, playwright, and theatre
director. It tells the story of a love
triangle between two men and a
woman. Two lovers carried away by
their passion defying all moral and
social rules, even challenging their
own judgment. The same day of her
wedding, the bride escapes with her
lover which will have devastating
consequences. This is a well known
scenario but it is one which most
of us never tire of. It questions
and death. I’ve read so many times
“Bodas De Sangre” since I was 14,
and it’s such an amazing experience
to be able to adapt it into a film. I
want it to be delicate and powerful.
Every word, every image will grow
on you and transport you.
Is Spain still generally marked by a
sexist society?
Absolutely. We’ve made much
progress over the last 30-40 years –
women and men have voiced their
frustrations towards the various
inequities that exist. However this
is all still rather recent and much
work in that area remains. The
dictatorship in Spain only ended in
1975 after Franco’s 36 years of reign
which means that before women did
not have legal permission to have
a job, own a house, or even travel
abroad without the permission of
her husband or her father. Naturally
things have really evolved in the last
30 years. I feel I could choose my
studies, go to the universities I hoped
for, and do my own projects having
equal opportunities to my male
What do you mean by women who
break?
For example in my first feature
film “De Tu Ventana A La Mia”
(Chrysalis), it’s about the interwoven
emotions and struggles of three
women of different generations
aiming to build the lives they desire
- taking into hands their own future.
All of them lose the love of their lives
and they will have to pursue their
happiness and fight for their dignity
in a rather hostile Spain taking place
in the early 40s and mid 70s. Not
only do these women feel broken
because of very intimate struggles
but also due to society’s patriarchal
norms as a result of a series of social
and historical events. Women were
subject to extremely restrictive rules
during that time in Spain. In the
Spanish Actress Inma Cuesta in “La Novia” (2015)
women’s roles which was that of
marrying and giving birth resulting
in them ‘breaking’ and having to
find ways to escape their reality and
rebuild themselves. It also deals
with universal themes of love, pain
partners. Yet you feel the sexism in
the deep culture, in the small details.
Can you give an example?
It’s no surprise that the cinema
15
industry is generally dominated
by men. As I said, I didn’t feel this
when I studied or trained but as soon
as I began to work in the market it
suddenly hit me. There’s definitely
not a very equal playing field. And
the market is very wild and very
cruel towards women – especially
with those who want to establish
themselves as leading directors,
producers or other professions
instead of serving as assistants. It’s
clear that the industry doesn’t trust
women. It’s very funny how many
believe that women are not able
to manage a huge project when
in fact all the information that we
have tells us how women write,
produce and direct projects that are
very successful with extremely tight
budgets. So what I would like to say
to all the producers out there is: can
you imagine what I could do with a
big budget!
How does it feel to have a rising
international career as a filmmaker?
I think it’s very important to
collaborate with other countries.
On one hand it’s a great step for
your career but it’s also because
it’s very hard to produce in Spain
due to the heavily felt economic
crisis. It pushes you to collaborate
with other countries, which in any
case is always great for obvious
creative and social reasons.
Regardless, I always think step by
step. I am definitely happy with
how things are going and I would
like to keep portraying honest and
interesting characters with all their
contradictions. I want a sense of
passion and liberation to transpire
through my films – go into fantastic
worlds with a complex universe
both in ethical and aesthetic terms.
By collaborating with countries that
have money – which I imagine in the
movie-making world is largely the US
– doesn’t it scare you that you might
give into the more Hollywood type of
movies?
Yes of course I think many of us
have this internal conflict at some
point during our career. Though
Hollywood is still not at my door
and I truly think step by step – which
story I can tell and relate to the
most right now and produce with
the resources I have. Hollywood is
full of contradictions yet has huge
capacities – it’s a personal conflict
of mine as for so many others.
You seem very down to earth. Is this
also due to the fact that you teach?
I’ve always taught. I did my studies
in Spanish Language and Literature,
then undertook my PhD in History
of Arts finishing in Narrative
Theory with Scriptwriting. I then
followed on with teaching and have
been in a university environment
for more than 15 years! It is there
that I grow the most as a story teller
– more so then in the film industry. I
love teaching everyday as every day
I have this amazing opportunity
to learn from my students. They
ground me to the various new
realities that exist in the movement
of filmmaking, bring to me new
sensibilities and dynamics – leading
me to be updated with so many
things. I feel I am collaborating
with new filmmakers, which creates
in me new ways of thinking. The
reason I enjoy it so much is because
I believe in the power of education.
That doesn’t take away the fact
that I love making movies and will
continue to do so. Simply, I feel I
am a better filmmaker because I
teach, and a better teacher because
I make movies. I wouldn’t like to
Check out our website for more interviews with other directors/producers/sales agents
and EWA members:
INTERVIEW WITH
ERIKA LUST
INTERVIEW WITH
VICTORIA KEON COHEN
INTERVIEW WITH SIGNE
ZEILICH-JENSEN
16
HAPPY GLOSSY NEWS
CONGRATULATIONS
ISABEL COIXET!
JANE CAMPION NEWS!
CELEBRATING ISABEL!
KEIRA SPEAKING OUT!
This April and May, the Swedish
Cinematheque will screen films
directed by women only, and will
have Jane Campion as its guest of
honour, for a live interview on stage.
Jane, who is currently writing the
next season of Top of the Lake, was
interviewed on stage on 26 April.
The 18h edition of the Malaga Film
Festival (17 to 26 April) will grant
the Retrospective Award, given in
collaboration with the Málaga Hoy
newspaper, to EWA’s honorary
president, Spanish director Isabel
Coixet. © Target Presse Agentur
Gmbh/Getty Images
In a recent interview promoting “The
Imitation Game”, Keira Knightley
said about her character: “Joan’s
real struggles were to get her rightful
‘place at the table,’ and then once she
was there, equal pay, which she never
came close to.” © Charley Gallay/
Getty Image
NEWS FROM OUR MEMBERS!
WHEN REALITY HITS FANTASY
“When facing reality, boys become men. Djalal was obsessed with
war toys even before he could walk. He was the only child of a middle
class Spanish family, raised and admired by his parents. He was given
all kind of toy guns, pretending to be a soldier in dangerous missions.
One day he fulfills his fantasies and goes to the Afghan War, but
discovers that reality doesn’t match his boyish dreams. Djalal returns
to his parents home to realize that nothing is the same. The economic
crisis struck his family and he is forced to take action. The game is
over and he needs to find his own place in the real world. Who is to
blame for his own failures?”
Documentary “Game Over” directed by Alba Sotorra and coproduced by EWA member Marta Figueras was screened in Malaga
Official Competition. Alba Sotorra is a director and producer based
in Berlin. Her work focuses on real life stories that reflect controversial
issues, aiming to open spaces for reflection and discussion to facilitate
understanding of the world in constant change in which we live.
17
JOIN
TODAY
Interview with...
“Sumercé” directed by Victoria Solano and produced by EWA member Paula Vaccaro (2015)​
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