Interview with filmmaker Júlio Godinho

Found Hema Trema will be screening at the Straight-Jacket Guerrilla Film Festival

*How did you get into making films?

I began very young, about six years old, to write on a old classic typewriter, stories, visual stories, Than i had a local newspaper, sold door to door in my neighbour, “The Shout” was the name of the newspaper, Than at the age of fourteen i started to shoot my daily life, even today i use the footage of that time for my films, It was always about passion of Cinema, It was always what I wanted to do, Movies.

*What inspired you to make your movie?

My life as a time hole, searching and finding, on a timeline, for life to pain, from victory to death. 

*How has your style evolved?

It had changes from mainstream documentaries mixed with some experimental work, to Auto-Fiction movies.

*Tell us any strange or funny stories while making the film?

The movie caused a kind of riot between the art scene in the country of my mother, Portugal, First i showed part of the movie, the first part, in a format of twenty minute's short-film, Than i had the courage of showing the whole movie, It cause a lot of feelings even between my close friends, because the movie tells “myself" stories of near-death experience, and the last days of a truly friend,  

Interview with filmmaker Pedro Tavares

Dark Horizon will be screening at the Straight-Jacket Guerrilla Film Festival

*How did you get into making films?

I've been working on festivals since 2009 and writing about films since 2007. When i bought a decent cell phone i decided to make my first short film. It was screened on 40 festivals around the globe. 

*What inspired you to make your movie?

First the moment we are living in. There's no horizon for anyone. Regarding the artistic matters, i think Jem Cohen and Chantal Akerman. 

*How has your style evolved?

Definitely watching films from Chantal Akerman and James Benning. 

*Tell us any strange or funny stories while making the film?

Not a strange one but i decided to film it while i was in NY and and some of shoots are in the film. when i get back to Rio i decided to film it again. so we can divide the film in two. which is good to rethink that's no horizon for anyone. 

*The Misrule Film Movement & Pink8 manifesto bring what to mind?

Freedom and passion for filmmaking and films.

*What can we expect from your next film?

A totally different thing from Dark Horizon. It will be a film about Catarina de aragão, a narrative feature length.

Interview with filmmaker Spiros Michalopoulos

Luna Bar will be screening at the Straight-Jacket Guerrilla Film Festival

*How did you get into making films?
I wanted to be a chemical engineer, but I mixed natrium with potassium and before the explosion I decided to give up... Making movies was more lazy. Ha, ha! To answer seriously to that question, making films is the way of making life bearable.



*What inspired you to make your movie?
I was out of work at the time and I had nothing to do. As I was walking on the beach with my partner at the time, she suggested, “why don’t we make a movie, with no money at all? Just for the fun of making a film.” That’s how it started.


*How has your style evolved?
Style? Is there style? It's like learning a language. Each time you have to find a way to talk and communicate.


*Tell us any strange or funny stories while making the film?
I had to persuade everyone who got involved to the project to participate in it. It wasn’t easy. There were many times that I lost faith. So, there we got at the first day of shooting. I was very anxious. Everything seemed to be fine. We finished on time. Everyone seemed happy. Until I realised at the end of the day, that, the whole time, the camera wasn’t recording…!!!


*The Misrule Film Movement & Pink8 manifesto bring what to mind?
Come again???


*What can we expect from your next film?
The Absolute Nothing. The Essence of the Void

Interview with filmmaker Micah Atkinson

Here To Mars will be screening at the Straight-Jacket Guerrilla Film Festival

*How did you get into making films?

I used to make music videos and skits with my sister and friends on a tape cassette camera. I'd have to start and stop the camera for every cut and scene change! Digital has definitely made the process easier haha. 

*What inspired you to make your movie?

Always known I had to make a feature or I would forever regret it. It just had to be the right story and involve the right people. These people and this story were huge blessings from God and I'm still shocked the movie is actually made. 

*How has your style evolved?

My style has honestly been pretty consistent since the beginning. Always an art-altered reality. During film school (which I don't recommend) I lost all of my artistic drive. But this movie was, in a sense, a return to my post- "education" style roots. 

*Tell us any strange or funny stories while making the film?

The truck and the RV in the film actually belong to Jesse, my star actor. Halfway through filming he and I took a month off to be summer camp counsellors, then came back and finished the movie. 

*The Misrule Film Movement & Pink8 manifesto bring what to mind?

Only in micro-budget filmmaking can people with a real eye and talent showcase their ability. I wish there were more outlets for creators like this to show their work and demonstrate their skills. I would love to head a TRULY independent film festival at some point. 

*What can we expect from your next film?

Who knows if there will be a next film! Possibly. I wouldn't want to do something as dramatic again. Something more fun, more wacky. I'd like to bring back the zany dark comedies of the late 80s-90s.

Interview with filmmaker Верёвкина Наталья

Who Is The Next, Dreamers? will be screening at the Straight-Jacket Guerrilla Film Festival

*How did you get into making films?
Once upon a time, in early adolescence, I wanted to become an actress. I had a talent, I was preparing a lot, but it did not work out. And I went to study directing. I was going through. I burned the master that I'm not the director. I'm an actress. She said then: wait, the director is an age profession. You will come to this. And by the time I was 40, I came to understand that I needed it. This is my calling.
*What inspired you to make your movie?
When I was 39 years old, my father passed away. Suddenly. He did not have much time to dream about. And I decided to make a movie about what you need to go to your dream now, and not later. Whatever it takes.
*How has your style evolved?
Since 2011, I was engaged in video shooting of commercials and corporate clips. I graduated from a literary institute. First, my friend and I shot a short film based on her story. Funny. Then I shot another short film for another director. And I decided to withdraw my story. We worked on the script for a long time with Tatyana Kalinnikova, copied, complicated and turned out to be a full meter. Filmed on their own without a budget. A lot of people helped us. Thank them for that. We worked on the film for 2.5 years.



*Tell us any strange or funny stories while making the film?
There were many stories on each stage. For example, when we were shooting a scene of leaving the hall, it was overcast. I said I need the sun. Igor Petrov - the main character - asked how long the sun is needed? I said after 20 minutes. He said the sun will come. And after 20 minutes the sky cleared and the sun came out. We took off the general plan and it started to rain. It was already impossible to remove the asphalt - it was wet. And we shot only close-ups. Everything turned out as conceived. And on the expedition to the city of Volsk, they also promised heavy rains and we hurried to shoot all the scenes on location. The rain has been dragging for another day, and more. And as soon as we shot the last scene, it started to rain. That's how it all happened all the time. Everything worked out. It seemed to me that God wanted me to make my film.
*The Misrule Film Movement & Pink8 manifesto bring what to mind?
I think these are new opportunities for beginning authors. Thanks to the festival, the authors will be able to meet with their audience.
*What can we expect from your next film?
I am writing a script about a modern guy who has no values. And who, having heard the story of his grandfather about a war hero - a pilot who saved his life, changes and becomes a hero.

Interview with filmmaker Olga Korotko

Bad Bad Winter will be screening at the Straight-Jacket Guerrilla Film Festival

*How did you get into making films?

It's a question which very difficult to answer without being predictable and typical like "I had passion for cinema since I was a child etc.". We all heard these stories a million times but simply because... it is true. Nobody starts making movies because bricks fall on their heads or because owls brought them letters inviting to secret CINEMA train platform. No matter what we tell people, we all get into making films for one simple reason - we have a passion for it.


*What inspired you to make your movie?

In Kazakhstan there is an enormous gap between the wealthy and the poor - practically a gulf, there is almost no middle class. And of course, the youth start responding to this situation. Young people start to ask themselves – Why somebody has everything and another one has nothing. They start to look for an answer and sometimes while looking they can arrive to the wrong point. A high gap between classes in society always generates misunderstanding - and the outcome can be terrible. That’s how the idea of the film came to me - a small group of people from different social strata is in a closed space, and between them, there is a conflict based on differences of view, worldviews and way of life.


*How has your style evolved?

I believe that style reflects the artist. Your style has your personality, and when you change, evolve, grow - your style change, evolve, grow with you. That's why it is impossible to copy a style of another artist - even if you'll copy every single detail it still won't be the same simply because you're not the same person. So, I don't evolve my style. I evolve myself. This is my philosophy.



*Tell us any strange or funny stories while making the film?

For us was very difficult to find a house we like for the Bad Bad Winter main location. There always was something missing in the houses we saw. Finally, we found the house we all fall in love with, it was perfect for our movie, but the house didn't have central heating system and basically the house was not fully completed. The whole crew agreed to make extra efforts and shoot the film in that cold location, because the house was perfect for the story. Thus, all the actors on the set wore several sweaters, and between the takes they had hot tea, otherwise during the dialogues they had steam coming from their mouths. Despite all the difficulties, we all remember these moments with a smile.



*The Misrule Film Movement & Pink8 manifesto bring what to mind?
I think that any new film movements are good. It means cinema is developing, looking for new forms, new tools. Our world is changing very fast and filmmakers have more and more ways to express themselves. Now, in order to make a movie and find your audience it is enough to have a smartphone and an account on YouTube, and this is great, this is cinematic freedom. The most important thing in following any movement is not to lose yourself, your uniqueness. Any good idea (and a good film movement) can be spoiled if you bring it to the point of absurdity.



*What can we expect from your next film?

Now I'm working on my 2nd feature script and the same as with Bad Bad Winter, the idea of this movie came to me while I was reading news about Kazakhstan. The exhibition Expo took place in Astana two years ago, so our government made a lot of efforts to impress foreign visitors. To demonstrate prosperous Kazakhstan, the authorities cleaned the streets of homeless people and beggars. As a solution, they decided to bring a lot of homeless people outside of the city and leave them in the middle of nowhere.

This situation is so outrageous, so cruel, and it angered me so much that I began to write a script about it. Even if my first film Bad Bad Winter was very tragic and my new script is partly an absurd comedy - I think they both speak about the same problems, just in different ways. I believe that some comedy scenes will make the story even more dramatic because comedy styl

Interview with filmmaker Marc De Vott

Good Sign will be screening at the Straight-Jacket Guerrilla Film Festival

* How did you get into making movies? 
Because I enjoy making movies ... I feel the need to tell something, stories, images 

* What inspired you to make your movie? 
They have inspired places, people, personal stories ... all that mixed 

* How has your style evolved? 
I think it is getting worse ... luckily;) Sincerely ... more personal

* Tell us a strange or funny story while doing the movie? 
That I wear a wig ... and it's hot;) Or that it is interesting to shoot "guerrilla" in minutes without permits and running 

* Does the manifesto of Misrule Film Movement & Pink8  manifesto bring us to mind? 
It's very interesting ... a basic and sincere technique 

* What can we expect from your next movie? 
What more can be expected ... is to make it other feature film