Things they don't teach you at film school

I was partying quite intense the last days. just finished a series of exams and papers, so I took a week for pure fun. In between I went to the cinematheque to watch Edward Yang's "Yi Yi" (aka "A One and a Two"). I had this film on DVD for 2 years and never watched it, probably the length scared me a little (almost 3 hours). I'm happy to watch it on the big screen, it's a brilliant film. Great shots, great stories, great actors. I will try to see other films by him. I love Taiwanese films.

It seems like next year will be quite easy at the film school. 3 days a week, 5 courses each semester. I will focus on my final film, cos I dont want to stay in school for another year (many do that, and even stay for 2, 3 years more). No, my plan is to finish fast and register for my MA in Comparative Media Studies (MIT or NYU I think).

I just said No to another party now. Just because they are all in the club already and I dont feel like taking a taxi there. I should at least try to live cheaper, as I'm shooting my no budget film soon. Am I? Even the script is not done yet. I'm so confused. At least I booked a soundman today.

I try to build a small and fast media player on Flash now. ActionScript 3 is so different. Why do I always feel bad saying No to parties?

They play outside, and I think of the Best Poker Films

Almost two years ago they screened at the University "The Coupier". You had to stay late for those screenings, usually of rare and unknown films. "The Coupier" was different, it seemed to be a film that could easily become a blockbuster. Well maybe not "Pulp Fiction", but not too far also.

Now there are 7 men on my terrace playing poker. I lost on the first fun-round so decided to stay out for the next, more expensive, rounds. A filmmaker is a no poker player. Our minds are filled with memories of lives we never lived, of hopes we have no reason for.

The last Bond movie I saw in Berlin, in the Sony CineStar cinema. They took the first 45 minutes (!!!) for advertisements. After that a men asked who wants ice cream. After that we started the journey with Daniel Craig and his woman in red. Was brilliant.

I try to think of other Poker films I know. My head is blocked. Any ideas?

Film studies abd the art of boredom

Just finished writing a short paper about Chantal Akerman's "I'm hungry, I'm cold". I started yesterday and today I'm done, so I'm very happy about it. Usually I'm happy to write, but this work was very boring (to prove the film is a work of art). Besides, the teacher didn't want it to be too deep - he told us himself it was just instead of an exam so we should take it easy. What a turn off.

But this film (in french it's called "J'ai faim, J'ai froid") is brilliant, and the way this film talks about art and life made it after all quite interesting to write about.

Now this film student can move to the next project: an essay about german cinema and fatih Akin. I also must write it quickly if i want to shoot my film in October (though I think I'll postpond it anyway).

I also took the TOEFL today (just for practice, here at my desk). I got 85%, which is not bad for a surprise test (I didn't know i'm going to do it until it started). So actually, sitting on my student chair, this was a pretty cool day.

A busy film student

What can I do, I really don't have time to post myself something today.
During my reasearch online on Chantal Akerman, I found a wonderful pst about Robert Bresson on girish: http://www.girishshambu.com/blog/2006/06/robert-bresson.html

Make sure you read the comments too.
What a wonderful net of film thinkers we got here!

A film student's program for new German cinema

Can't believe it's Sunday allready. I started during the weekend to work on my paper for the German Cinema class. I'll write about violence and music in Fatih Akin's work. I'm very interested in both areas and they seem to connect: usually they are "out of narrative" elements. I will try to make a connection between the developments in post unification Germany and the cinema of Akin, and I will use the violence and music in his films to make my point. But my point is unknown yet, and I still haven't watched all the films. Still need to find "Kurz und Schmerzloss", I hope my tutor can get it for me. Too bad, I was two months ago in Germany. Well, I guess we cannot plan our lives in reverse!

So yesterday I watched 3 films: "Gegen die Wand" (aka "Head On"), "Im Juli" (aka "In July"), both of Akin, and a third one, "Berlin is in Germany". All films are highly recommended and very interesting in regard to pust unification Germany.

>>Sorry, cannot write more, must leave....t o b e c o n t i n u e d...>>

Film revirew: Lars Von Trier's The Boss of it all

I was trying to look for a different picture to put here, one that will reflect the film: a completely "wrong" composition, something that Vadim Yusov (Tarkovski's cinematographer, and whom I met during an excellent workshop he gave at Tel Aviv University's Film department) would never even consider as a take. You know, very extreme Dogma95.

But i guess no one put those "horrible" frames online so there you go, some tits from the film that made me like Lars Von Trier again. Here comes another list, because after watching a movie I'm a bit slow with building readable sentences:

1. It's a good film.
2. They say it's a comedy, and many times I laughed, but it's not the kind of comedy that you test its quality by the number of laughs in the theatre. It's a comedy beyond laughter.
3. The only thing you (and Von Trier) laugh about is people. And humanity.
4. And that's OK.
5. The extreme Dogma95 shooting style is funny and works well.
6. The wrapping of the story with the voice over is excessive.
7. The acting is great.
8. I'm happy that the editing was not jumpy. In "Dogville" I almost left the theatre cos I felt sick.

That's it. Now I will start my weekend. Lots of Fatih Akin and some good food as well.

A drunk filmmaker quotes:

I won't write much now, cos I'm drunk and quite tired. At least I got the OK from my lecturer for my paper. I will prove him that "I'm hungry, I'm cold", the brilliant short film of Chantal Akerman, is a work of art. And a good one. Even though he told me on the phone he couldn't stand her films. That they are boring him. He should thank me for choosing a short one then!

I just remembered a couple of things I wanted to say: first, if yesterday I made myself chinese after watching "Reign over me", then watching "The Mother and the Whore" made me drink red wine for almost a week (well, it is a long film).
And second was this quote from "Reign over me": "I saw it and I felt it at the same time". That was about Sandler watching the TV reports from the 9/11 towers collapse. Isn't that the nature of movies themselves? This movie should be further analyzed. It has some interesting points, also some regarding the nature of comedy and laughter in our lives. I think.

But right now I got 2 papers to write - the second one is about Fatih Akin and the violence in his films. I'm fascinated by violence, and it seems that I know what I'm saying. At least my grades are excellent and I am quite pleased with the things I write.

Fuck I'm drunk.

Reign Over Me & Krrish (A filmmaker relaxes befor and after an exam)

"The cinematheque best program", that's what i'd call the last week and (hopefully) the next. Last night I went to see "Krrish", the new Bollywood film which deliver us the first bollywood superhero, aka Krrish. I'm not a Bollywood fan, or better to say - I don't watch Bollywood films. I think I was superstitious about them. But now it's all ended. I'm hooked. I know they overact, and they do that for almost 3 hours, but that's part of the charm. The landscapes of Krrish are awsome, and I really don't care they use cheap-looking special effects to get it - as a city gal I felt I had my India tour. I was refreshed after leaving the theatre (and to say that after three hours in a closed room is indeed a chalange). I understand "Krrish" is about to become (if not already) a blockbuster, and I am very happy to be part of the people and simply agree.

Tonight I went again to the cinematheque, this time for a one-time-screening of the new Adam Sandler movie, "Reign Over Me". I love Sandler with serious face. "Punch drunk Love" is one of my favourites. A friend told me it's going to be a sad 9/11 movie, and a man in the theatre said we are going to watch "an Adam Sandler 9/11 comedy".

Only it wasn't at all about 9/11, and the real hero here was not Sandler (and no, it wasn't NYC either).

Maybe I shouldn't talk about the film so soon after watching it. So again I'll go with the list method, which helps me simplify my feelings and thoughts:

1. It's a great movie.

2. During the film I thought I wouldn't mind watch it again (I actually thought of writing my paper work about it - what is a work of art).

3. Adam Sandler is wonderful, but his voice is sometimes really annoying.

4. The soundtrack is not so good. Sometimes the score is too obvious.

5. Don Cheadle, who plays Alan Johnson, is simply great. Without words and with delicate action he makes you understand his situation precisely. This is also the place to say that this is a great director film, and even though I haven't seen none of Mike Binder other films, I would definately wait for his next one (something about knitting group in New York).

6. Some things in the scripts dont "sit" right. The characters of the parents-in-law. Their behaviour changes without marks. I say, character can change, but changes always leave marks.

7. I am so happy to see an American studio film I like. I thought those days were gone.

Is it just me, or do you also feel like eating what the characters are eating after the movie? I just made chinese after watching "Reign Over Me", and I'm thinking of buying a scooter. like this one Sandler had:

Filmmaker on Filmmaker

Just saw "The Dreamers" again. The first time was when it came out. I hated it then, it seemed tedious and pretentious. I hated Bertolucci for making such a shallow simple film, a film that was so immediate to figure out, and so predictable.

My second time with the film tonight (on TV, while studying) was surprising. I think it's the same with "Last Tango in Paris". I only enjoy Bertolucci if I don't expect art-cinema feel. I still think he must include more male nudes, to make the picture even. But besides that, it's not such a bad film.

Filmmaker out of the water

Today I woke up relatively early and continued reading the essays for the Israeli Cinema exam. Yesterday most of them were fascinating, but today much less. I was tired, first of all, and the printer had problems so i had to read from the screen, which I hate. After 5 hours I was exhausted, so I talked to a friend and we said to meet for a movie.

"Meduzot" (in Hebrew: Jellyfish) is an israeli film that won an award at the last Cannes film Festival. It was a great pride for Shira Geffen and Etgar Keret, the directors couple, which is for them the first film.

I have a few things to say about this film and i will make a list out of it, cause i'm in no state to write very well now. Too much screen time I guess. So here are my impressions from "Meduzot" (Jellyfish):

1. It's great to see an Israeli film that is not about or around war, heroism, terror, and is not a family drama.
2. It's great that an Israeli film has interesting visuals.
3. The way the tel aviv flats/hotel/street are presented in a way that is both realistic and cinematic. Accurate and rough at the same time.
4. Some stories were more interesting than others. The main story is not the most interesting. The story of the newly married couple and the other woman was more interesting.
5. The way the camera focuses on the faces of the lead actress (Batya) and the married woman was not flattering. They both have very strong expressions that almost never change, and this creates kind of a boredom for the viewer, or worse - uneasiness. One lady next to me said 60 minutes into the film: "She's so ugly!". Later I talked to my friend about it and we both felt the same, but it's not ugliness exactly, it's just the way the camera tried to be too poetic on those faces that meant to be common.
6. I enjoyed the film and I'm happy it was created.
7. The kid is sweet. But when she screamed I thought it was dumb.
8. some things were not reliable. And unnecessary.
9. It feels now (3 hours after I watched the film) that this film will not stay in my head for long.
10. The film is shallow.
11. Being abstract sometimes, and too metaphoric at times, AND tell the stories of many characters don't work well here. the result is .

Back to film studies and Israeli cinema in the eighties...

A Filmmaker blogger hooked up on the net

Since this is my third post today, I will not add any photo here. I didn't leave the house today, just learned for the exam. Reading books and essays, thinking about Israeli Cinema and about myself in the context I read about.

I had to ease my mind befor my evening yoga, and I found this interview with Tsai Ming Liang by Michael Guillen on The evening Class.

Now I can do the daily asanas.

A filmmaker as an alegory to the topography of his state

It's not that I enjoy taking a break from reading essays for my next exam, it's just that everything I read ispire me to write. I have now a new idea for a film, which of coursae will have to wait at least until November. It's about a girl who lives with her family in the 8th floor of a working-class building. The neighbours are in a long war with her family, over a part of the flat that they believe should be theirs and not the family's. A story of a solitude in the middle of chaos and war. I thought about it after reading an essay about the characters in the israeli cinema as an allegory to the social and political background they came from. the story of the neighbours war was my life story as a kid, and i think this situation (which lasted for 11 years) made me the weird little person I am today..

In the same context, I remembered Uri Zohar's films. "Hole in the Moon" is a good one, but the picture above is from "3 days and a child", which I actually haven't seen. I only saw one scene from it and thought it was great. I think the picture above tells a lot.

back to the essays. I'm about to finish Ella Shochat's book. It's written beautifully and really tells me a lot about Israeli cinema, and Israel and Israelies at all. You never understand who you are until someone else tells you. Shochat must have such patience watching some hard films, from the begining of the cinema in palestine, films that for me are simply too boring to even try and watch them. I must thank her for that, cause she sure has some interesting things to say about them.

Choosing a cameraman

Today she called me. My camerawoman. She said she starts teaching next semester, and because my shooting days are too close to the first day in university it will not be ideal. She's right. She gave me names of other good cameraman with some film experience.

Last year I took part in a cinematography workshop with Vadim Yusov (the cinematographer of Tarkovsky). It was brilliant and I did get to meet some talanteded cameramen there. So I hope this will work good, and fast. Time is running..The camerawoman also told me on the phone she thought the shooting style will be like the one in the shorts of Ozon. I had more asian films in mind (especially in the scenes where my actress ride a motorbike and the scenes that are in the stairway), but I also like Ozon's camera, at least in his shorts. Especially I love "A Summer Dress" (in the picture above), but that is not really because of the camera work, more the story and the location. And the song...bang bang...

Still study to the Israeli cinema exam. I already read about the zionistic cinema etc, now it's the Israeli new Wave. Interesting. But more about it later, still got loads to read..

Family matters and a filmmaker with no camera

Ooooo....that's been awsome. Nature, rivers, family, swimming pool. Like the Soprano's life just without the killings. Too bad this filmmaker has no camera... I really needed this vacation and now I'm back in the city, fully refreshed. I missed a screening of a friend in the cinematheque, and that was the last screening so i guess i'll have to watch his movie on dvd. It's about Stefan braun, a happy gay and furr shop owner, that lived in Tel aviv in the 50s.

Anyway, I didn't take any essays with me to the north, so I really MUST start study now. What a downhill...But that's alright. I already think about my second degree. I want to combine film studies with some technology and theory, and a friend who just came here for a visit told me the NYU has a new department she thinks I'd like. Also the MIT has something interesting, comparative media studies it's called, and I hope to pay a visit there this spring.

While in the north of Israel (the golan), I had this idea for a short i want to make. Inspired by the war-like look of many parts in the north (felt like silence before bombs really) I want now to make a film about two country leaders moments before signing on an agreement. Kind of a black comedy. I had kubrick in mind when I was mind-writing my script.

But next scripts must wait I guess. Still got 2 papers to give and 2 exams to sweat on. Brr. lets start N O W.

Neverending film studies (and a trip to the north)

Film studies can really be a pain. Here I am, packing a small bag and going to the north for a long weekend, and instead of just enjoy myself, I also must read tons of material for my exam in Israeli Cinema. I'm sure (or at least hope) the material is quite interesting, but I just want to swim the rivers of pleasure without the next exam in my head.

But, that is really a small problem. The big problem is I haven't heard yet from the camerawoman I want. I hope there is a reason for that...I will call her again today. In between waterfalls.

So I'm off now, gotta pack my things, print out some essays...no posts till Sunday...

Btw, had a terrific birthday yesterday, all included (all but cinema, that is).

Film student at 30

Was trying to think of great birthday scenes in films. I remember a sweet scene, from this film I forgot its name. A little boy that wants to be a girl. He had a sweet name, too, this boy. So he changes clothes with one girl. I liked that a lot.

But I think the strongest scene I can remember now is from "Secrets & Lies" of Mike Leigh. He has such a talent for creating characters that are so alive. The little things they do, their fazes - that is cinema, that is the real thrill.

Tomorrow I'm 30....my eye is much better and I removed the pad. What have I done for 30 years? Not enough films, that's for sure. I will never be a young filmmaker...but I really don't care much about it, as long as I will make the films I want to make.

Must call the camerawoman now, hear what she says...yes or no...yes or no???

A filmmaker in the search for the perfect actress

I sent my script today to the camerawoman I really want. She hasn't respond yet and I'm a bit nervous. I know I have plenty of other options, there are other talented cameramen in the film school. I still want her, I like her, I can talk to her, and she has that feminine sensitivity most men really lack.

The picture above...how perfect is this girl in the picture? My script is really about her, only I never met her before. She's a blogger on blogspot, I'm afraid I forgot which blog..But she would be a great actress for my film. Of course it's in Hebrew so chances are very low. But the good thing is that once I saw her face, I knew what I wanted. If anybody recognizes this lady, let me know!!

Must work on my script now. Also my next exam is near..Israeli cinema, an interesting class but not so much the exam itself. Loads to read, and especially now, that I need to focus on my script, it's a pain in the ass.

Also I got myself today 2 vibrating eggs. It's not related to cinema, unless it will appear in my next script...:)

Indie filmmaker, student filmmaker, but too old!

No worries, this is only me after a long night. Phh..Nothing special, just an allergy attack. No one knows really, but at least now I can view the world as flat, 2d experience. It should be OK in 3 days, so I'm really almost enjoying it.

What I don't enjoy lately is my age. I mean, I don't have a problem being 30 (in 3 days!), but I do have a problem with not being able to participate in the Berlinale, for example. If they haven't heard yet, 40 is the new 30, so they really should adjust themselves.

Anyway, I go on working on my script. I left a message to the camera woman I want today. She makes films herself and she is really busy, but I hope she could be my camera woman anyway. She is very talented and also easy to talk to, which is a good starting point in a director-camerawoman relationships!

The university published today the courses for next year. I'm really excited about it, there seems to be so many interesting courses for the 3rd year of film school....But I know that many lectures have the gift of giving great titles for their courses, but then the course itself is totally shit.

Pfff...should get my script done by now. It's hard. Especially with one eye only.

Independant Filmmaker, Independant Actors

Grrr. I love actors. I have shooting dates for my film: 16-21 October. Hmm. Gotta start find my actors: One woman, two men and one old white shirt. This is really the best part of the life of a film director (besides the parties).

The picture above is of an actor who worked with me on a film, one year ago.

Also I've heard about this film festival in Iceland. It's next month, I hope to go there.

A filmmaker's job in the industry

Sometimes I think it's such a shame, all those brilliant people trying so hard to get a job that is so below their level. Many students, for example, are searching jobs in the post production industry. They think they want to be editors, or compositors, or whatever. So they send 100 cvs, to all post production studios, and get zero response. Then two years after they find out a friend of the son of their mother's friend is an assistant editor in a studio. They wait a few months and a position becomes available: a runner! They get the dreamy job. A year after, they still deliver tapes to angry assistants, coffee to angry customers or drugs to angry editors.

Some of them will maybe proceed and become assistant editors, and even editors, someday. But so many others are just wasting their time, energy and qualities on those stupid jobs, that anyway were created just for the sake of "classes" within the industry. And what's even more bothering is, most of those roles pay shit, or sometimes even not pay at all.

I used to work for a post production company that specialized in commercials. The atmosphere was shit, but I didn't have much contact with the people since my job was backing-up those systems (Flame machines), and that was usually early morning, before anybody arrived. Some of the Flame people got no money for half a year, and also then they got very little. They of course worked just as anybody else.

I feel bad asking for people to work on my film without paying them anything, but I don't have any budget yet. But when companies that make millions still don't pay their employees - nobody should take part in this. We all worth piece of this cake we help baking.

Films, not masterpieces, please!

Finally I've passed that exam, for which I had to watch 30 films in a very short time (hard life for a film student, we don't always have the time to watch all those movies we want to when we want to, so it adds up). After watching films such as: "Disorderly orderly", "Lady Eve", "All about Eve", "Bride of Frankenstein", for days, I felt like watching a film, don't care which, as long as it was NEW.

It's funny, I came to study film and I can hardly find the time of watching normal movies. You know, just go to the dvd library and take what LOOKS good, not necessarily a well known masterpiece. I must say that for now I'm quite fed up with masterpieces, or at least the well-known masterpieces of cinema. I WANT TO DISCOVER THEM MYSELF. That's it.

So, since I just renew my registration at the dvd library, I felt free to take whatever seemed interesting, without recommendations. I took 3 films: "Rabbit Fever", "Hard Pill" and "The Beautiful Washing Machine".

First I watched "Rabbit Fever". I liked the idea: all women get hooked on a the rabbit, which is a magnificent vibrator. It's a mocumentary, and I thought that this genre is probably the one I watch least, so why not give it a try. After watching the movie I can say that the idea is nice, but the film is less. It happens many times, but i get that feeling more often in documentaries. Somehow filmmakers find great stories, but don't make them into great films. In "Rabbit Fever" I felt the format of documentary-like film was misused. The story was still just its title, nothing developed. Yes, there was a character with a conflict, but we came here for the rabbit, and all we got is a bunch of women on the verge of --masturbation? It's not enough. "The rabbit" is for me its title and poster. All the rest is only potentially there.

Second was "Hard Pill". This one's about a sad gay taking a pill hoping it will make him straight and happy. I felt like I was watching "Queer as folk - the movie". Gay stereotypes with problems which are...too easy to understand. Shallow, maybe?

I think the problem of both "Hard Pill" and "Rabbit Fever" is that they were not even trying to use cinematic language. They are not films - they are dvds. I watched them while my friend was next to me with his laptop, surfing gaydar for some action. Is this the future movies? Those that are OK, watchable also without full attention? When you have nothing to miss but a line of dialog?

My third film for that evening was "The Beautiful Washing Machine". It's a Malaysian film from 2004, and I think this director also loves Tsai Ming Liang, like me. But more of this after I watch it again, without gaydar on the side, today.

A filmmaker in an ocean of films

"All about Eve" is a movie that I enjoy watching. It keeps surprising me, and I still enjoy finding so many references to this film in other films. Intertextuality is fun! As a film student I get to watch sometimes 5 and more films a day. So this week I've watched "All about Eve", "All about my mother" and "Opening night". What a beautiful coincidence!
I haven't thought of it thoroughly, but I think it would be interesting to compare those films in the way they present the relationship between the sexes.

In the original "All about Eve" things seems more free, liquid, it is clear that love is the real bond between two people. This love is so pure and satisfying, that it does not need anything but itself. Young Eve can't seduce Bill, simply because he loves his diva. They don't need to have a kid together as a sign for their love.

In "All about my mother" things get trickier. It's not so trivial to talk about gender, and also love is not so clear anymore. Only a child is a sign for a long-lost love. Life gets harder, much more complex. The purity of love finds no place.
I should give it more thought. I have this paper to write (film studies!!) so perhaps I could choose one of those films, I'd guess it would be "Opening Night". Why is this film is a work of art?
But before that, I must go now to the video library and take 4 other films, including the funny (so I've heard) "Disorderly Orderly". My eyes can't rest...

A happy link for a filmmaker

A new website was launched, and it offers movie reviews from Roger Ebert, Gene Siskel and Richard Roeper. I tried to search for some rare films but of course that is not what this is about. But if you look for some mainstream movie review, it's not a bad place to start. Load time was shorter than I'd expected, it is indeed a comfortable site.

So, agree with their review or not, this is a great spot for movie buffs.
Click here to check it out.

I watched "I was born, but" of Ozu earlier today. He always makes me laugh, even with no sound (the film is from 1932, quite extreme for a silent film, but those Japanese took their time).
I remembered "Good Morning", a later film by Ozu, also featuring two kid-brothers. Many similarities. Love them both. Ozu was such a great actors' director.

A scriptwriting workout

I opened the weekend's paper today, Haaretz (www.haaretz.co.il), on the literature section, and there was a short story in the corner of the first page. It was very short, I'd say 100 words, and it described the moments in life of a man shutting his life down and going to bed. Very simple, but it made me think. This actually could be the exercise I've been looking for, to start thinking about my characters better.

I will write this scene for each of my characters. How they switch their life off and go to sleep. How they lay in bed, what do they see just before they fall asleep. I am very excited about this exercise, and I feel that after writing this I will meet my true characters.

Saw this great Werner Herzog film on TV yesterday, "Where the green ants dream", it's a fantastic piece that has it all: interesting and unsolved characters, truth, enigma, reality, fiction, surrealism, landscapes, time.

I will maybe write my next paper for uni about this film. I should argue why a specific film is a work of art. Shouldn't be hard with this one, but gotta be interesting.

Slow cinema, slow life

It's just hot. The white sun makes it all looks the same. We live nowhere, we see nothing.

I am very slow in the summer. I walk out of the house to buy my goat-milk, I go up my street, slowly, every step is another lifetime under the white sun. I turn my head at times, a kid goes with his father, laughs. His voice stays in my head for another eternity. Everything looks the same, everything's yellow-gray. There's no air. I think I will make my film in the autumn.

I read this interesting discussion (http://unspokencinema.blogspot.com/2007/07/slow-film-festival.html) about slow cinema. I remembered a short film by Polanski, I forgot the name, maybe it was Murder? Anyway, i think that's what i'd call slow cinema.

Saw Nashville yesterday. I didn't like it so much, but I'm not sure why. It has of course interesting moments, but they are quite trivial now. Maybe it was different when the movie came out. The music, suprisingly, wasn't all that bad.

Another thought of alienation

I was thinking about Tsai Ming Liang again. I really enjoy his films. I dont try hard, I simply enjoy them. I know they are slow and have few dialogues, but it almost never bores me. It's a journey I enjoy taking, and this is why I go to the cinema.

I read this post on Paul's blog (Melbourne Film Blog: MIFF Day 8) and it made me think maybe most of the people, and I mean most of film-festival people, see it different. And that's a real phase of alienation, that I feel. Right now.

But the good part is, Tsai still makes films, and they are still screened. Yey, we won!

I will go see Ratatouille this afternoon.

Alienation is a filmmakers' utopia

After watching Stromboli in the cinematheque yesterday (my review can be found on www.gilyotina.com) I thought about how different things are now.

It was a hot day, as every summer day in Tel Aviv is, very humid and unbearable. The cinema was the great escape. We were all watching Ingrid Bergman suffers on the island, suffers when she not understood or accepted, suffered from the lack of civilization. But what we, the spectators, experienced, was very different. A rare piece of heaven, untouched, full of beautiful black rocks and surrounded by crystal clear water. So much nature, how can she not appreciate it?

Of course the world of the movie is different. But suddenly I realized the connection between Rossellini, Antonioni and Tsai Ming Liang. We changed as human beings, and the alienation we experience now is more connected to urban civilization than to nature and god.

And what is the connection between the god that Ingrid Bergman searches for and the "children of the neon god" of Tsai Ming Liang?

I'm rewriting my script now. It should be shot in October but I'm not sure about it. Maybe it will be a winter film.