Sunday 21 July 2019

Interview with filmmaker Julian Reboratti

Montecastro will be screening at the Straight-Jacket Guerrilla Film Festival

*How did you get into making films?
I am a multidisciplinary artist who investigates, produces and works for more than three decades in different aspects of the world of art (mainly in the plastic arts and in cinema) in constant collaboration with different professionals, artists, intellectuals and students in an exchange and enrichment mutual to carry out collaborative projects that otherwise could not be possible outside the system, such as the production of independent fiction films, documentaries, music video clips, theater plays and other artistic-social experiments.
After several years of frustrated truncated film projects, which were mostly abandoned in the bureaucratic and eternal cobwebs of INCAA, other state institutions and private producers, I decided in 2009, to start making my film projects completely independent and with the resources available, both at a human level and at a technical level, with the primary objective of being able to do them and also to be able to learn something in the process.
That same year I was able to make my first medium length film: "Novo Citizen", then in 2010 I made a short film called "Moondust" and in the year 2011 he made another medium length film "Debut and Farewell", which were small projects but of a great personal learning and that had their independent and non-commercial premiere in the country and that also participated in some international festivals.

*What inspired you to make your movie and how has your style evolved?
After a while, in 2017, I was finally and always with my own resources to shoot my first experimental film called "Montecastro" a dramatic comedy that explores new social, cultural, family and racial relationships in this great Latin city of the 21st century, which is the city of Buenos Aires and which describes the lives of several dissimilar inhabitants of a neighborhood on the periphery of the city. city during two hot and hellish Christmas days and the spiral of violence that, irrepressibly and inevitably, will be generated among them all. His Sound Band included the participation of Las
Pelotas, Kevin Johansen, Miss Bolivia and Los Heladeros del Tiempo, (among others), reflecting the spirit of this era and which the film tries to present in a sincere and direct manner.
"Montecastro", filmed in three days and with a total budget of 3 thousand dollars, had its premiere in the Argentina National Library and a very good recognition in many independent international film festivals, which allows it to be seen in more from 25 countries!


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

The pure truth is that everything was very fun during the filming of this film and that is exactly what I think one of them primary objectives to do this type of projects: have fun, have fun and re-believe in one's profession and what one does . Recover the joy of working in what one likes.
Such is the case that during the shoot I laughed so much that I was afraid that something would happen to me and we joked with that: the first director not to die of stress but of laughter! ... I think that is the main message here.

-During the three days of filming we spent 9 thousand pesos on beer of a total of 150 thousand pesos as total budget!

-The people of the neighborhood where we filmed the scenes of Don Carlos really believed that there was someone famous and dangerous that day in the neighborhood that day!

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

''Film school is poison'' Which I totally agree with. When they ask me what to study to work in the cinema or television business, I always tell them to study anything less than cinema or tv, because the important thing is the inside their heads and the culture education. That will make the difference then. I tell them to study philosophy, history or anything else but to form them intellectually and critically as contemporary individuals.
This does not apply to people who want to develop technically within the medium of cinema for which it is essential to study and to be contemporary to the changes of the industry and technological advances.

*Look for street superstars to be your cast.
In my projects I always use common people and not actors because I believe that the realism they bring, is impossible to achieve with a pre-written script. I always maintain that a dialogue between ordinary people is much more credible than a dialogue between actors with hours and hours of rehearsal and plastic inside. I must confess that in my last projects I had the pleasure of working with some professional actors who managed to make their art a profession and in the scenes where they are showing their talent so in the immediate future I am already mixing both styles. I think the most important thing is always the human credibility.

*Your film must be 96.5% improvised. *Filming must be done without any preparation or a traditional script.
I think that improvisation has an important place in a film, a song or a painting, but I also think that a pre production about a project it’s very important to later be able to be free.

*The director must raise "get-by" money by finding a job that challenges their ethics.
I think that if you can do it you should never have an ethically questionable job

*No HD Cameras
I do not agree; I think that just today high complexity technology is within our reach and we must take advantage of it to be able to compete with the biggest fish

*The director must have a main character role in the film.
Not necessarily but I do like it when it naturally happens

*Short films are NOT acceptable, it MUST be a feature you lazy bastards!!
Every project its different and had several ways and own times to develop and grow!

*No 3D
Except for my kids and me in ours “Tuesday´s night cinema family day”!!

*The cast must NOT know what your film is about.
Completely agree! We must surprise everyone at all times so that naturalism is impregnated in the film.

*No Green Screen
Why not? if you need it or the project need it you should have whatever you need for making your dream came true!

*Special lighting is not acceptable.
Unless you have a huge budget and a lot of time!!

*The director must edit the film alone.
In my case I edit the first versions of the film and then I finish them with someone who knows more than me about it. But if I could make a good job I would love to edit myself!

*Mistakes are beautiful.
100% agree…my paintings taught me that!

*Continuity is wrong.
I think the subject is deeper: what is continuity? What is wrong?

*Bewildering, vague, self-indulgent, plot-less, risky, egotistical, limpid, raw, ugly, and imperfect are perfect.
Off course!!!...Real life is bewildering, vague, self-indulgent, plot-less, risky, egotistical, limpid, raw, ugly, and imperfect


*Technical film experience is inessential.
Not for your own personal journey but technical issues are important to be able to communicate better whatever you want or need to communicate.

*Answer to one person only—yourself.

100% agree!!


*What can we expect from your next film?
All the above-mentioned facts, added to the conformation of a spectacular human and professional group and mostly ad honorem achieved such a synergy, that among other things, we have the possibility of having a financing from a private producer (which advanced half of the total cost of the film) so that in November 2108, we could film the second chapter of this trilogy, called "Curtino Hnos", in the same amount of shooting days and total budget as the previous movie, but with a jump in the quality of the cameras, the production, the number of locations and the number of people involved in its realization.
"Curtino Hnos" is a violent and hilarious comedy that tells the story of a lawyer come down (addicted to drugs and gambling); a mafia boss in retreat; an ex-convict thirsty for revenge; an orthodox Jew who runs a brothel and sings karaoke at night and the Italian and Czech mafias facing death, always with the Montecastro neighborhood as a place of operations. Currently the film is in the process of editing