David Sherwin

If 1968

Directed by Lindsay Anderson

An Interview with David Sherwin

Agnes Kocsis

Labina Mitevska: The Pride of European Cinema

An interview with the actor and producer on her dual career in film, her family's production company and what it means to be making films in Europe these days.

Labina in Loners (Samotári) as the 'spaced-out' Vesna

It was a pleasure to meet and interview Labina Mitevska at the 18th Panorama of European Cinema last year. She was in Athens to promote her new film How I Killed a Saint (Kako ubiv svetec), a film in which she both starred and produced, and which was also in the FIPRESCI competition.

In this interview she talks candidly about her life as an actor and her new passion for producing her own projects with her director sister Teona and art director brother Vuk.

You made a short with your sister before this film. How long had you been preparing this feature film, How I Killed a Saint?

We first did the short film Veta which was premiered in Berlin in 2001. It was a very good start for us and in that period we were thinking of establishing a film company because Teona and I were thinking of making a feature film and Teona started writing the script. We were thinking that if you have your own film company you can have more control of the film you are doing. So that was how we started, we established a company and we had the script and we started Veta which was very well received in Berlin. We got French and Slovenian co-production and then Macedonia jumped in with money. This film was really low-budget, it’s half a million Euros (€500,000) which is £300,000. The budget was extremely low and because of that it was very hard for us to do it, comprising a few things which I wish we never did, but when you don’t have money you always have to sacrifice.

Did that mean the film was originally going to be longer?

No, it was only a little bit longer. We cut a few scenes on the suggestion of a very good editor we got, a good friend of mine Nicolas Gaster who I worked with on Before the Rain. We were stuck with this film in the editing room so I called him and he came to Slovenia and helped us to finish the film. So, it was not an easy experience for us to do this film, especially for two women to do a film on the Balkans is not so easy but I guess in the end it was fine. You forget all the difficult stuff and the difficulties which you go through in the film.

As you were one of the lead actors in the film you were constantly on set so did you find it hard to be a producer as well as being in front of the camera?

It was very difficult for me. I was never aware before how much because as an actor you are treated differently on set and suddenly as producer you act and once you say ‘Cut!’ the driver will come and ask you where to park the car, for example. So, it was extremely difficult but I somehow learn it, to act and when I have done that to solve the other problems.

How I Killed a Saint: Labina as the troubled Viola back 'home' in Macedonia

Do you think next time you will just be producer and not actor?

Actually, the new film which we are preparing, I am from Tito Veles (Jas sum od Titov Veles) again I’m the producer and actor but it’s a Macedonia-French-German Slovenian co-production and I have a very difficult role there too but I think I will do it a different way. I will not sacrifice myself so much. I guess it’s experience, you know, when you don’t have the experience you make mistakes.

How I Killed a Saint is set in 2001 and it portrays Macedonia, like the former Yugoslavia, as a very dangerous place. Your character is coming back from America and looks shocked at what’s happening. How authentic was this and was Macedonia such a dangerous place in 2001?

Yes of course. In this film we really tried not to take sides, just to be objective and to show how people were thinking and what was happening there. I think it’s very difficult because when you have conflict, when you have a war, and when you are an artist your responsibility is to show this society. I think it is very hard to show it objectively because as persons we always choose sides.

And when it’s your home as well you feel emotional?

Of course, but we try to take ourselves out of this situation and to be more objective. I think it was like that, you know. My sister Teona lived in New York for a long time and I visited her a lot. Every time I came back to Macedonia, I saw it getting worse and worse, and you are noticing that, you watch that so you know exactly the situation and what is happening. Maybe as somebody who lives outside your eyes are more objective than people who are inside.

Are the characters in the film in any way based on people you knew?

The character I play, particularly at the beginning, was based on my sister and her experiences because for a long time was in the United States. The atmosphere she feels as an outsider she wanted to present when back inside too. Regards the other characters no.

So not even the partisan brother?

That’s the worse thing, not only in Macedonia but everywhere in the world when you have a conflict. Suddenly people are becoming very nationalistic, so that’s what happened in Macedonia with a lot of people. When the conflict started suddenly Macedonia people started to be a very nationalistic and this is the same with the Albanian side. The brother is not based on a particular character but a collection of people.

How I Killed a Saint: Viola's patriotic and alienated brother Kokan

How is Skopje now compared to 2001. Is it more relaxed now?

Yes, it is a lot better but it is difficult to live, and it is difficult for average people to survive, but I think things are slowly changing. We hope that one day we will get in Europe so things will be easier. I think in that entire region it is difficult because there were so many wars in the last 14 years. It was very difficult as there was always a war in the region which somehow reflected Macedonia, as in the Bosnian war or the Kosovan war. So I think the last 14 years was very difficult for Macedonia as there was always some war in the region and it was connected with us but now it is better and I think there is a much brighter future than before.

Back to your production company, your family has got an artistic background and you’ve been in the theatre from an early age and also through your film career. Has this given you the confidence to start your own production company thinking that you could make films yourselves?

My family come from an artistic background but they are not connected with film themselves but I think we are very connected. My brother is a sculptor (Labina studied art too) and we were always connected and we always worked together so we established a company just to make it easier for us to do things and it is hard because you don’t have one pair of eyes, you have three pair of eyes and each film we do we look at all the aspects, but is very beautiful and very creative. We are very much involved what is happening in the world today so we cannot ignore it. I think as an artist you always have a responsibility, especially working in the film medium). It’s very powerful, you can tell something to people much easier than through some other art.

What is your next film (I am from Tito Veles) about?

It’s a social story about three sisters living in a very small town in Macedonia called Tito Veles. It’s about a very difficult life for the three of them so it’s a very strong story, very emotional, very beautiful, but very sad, very sad story.

A panoramic POV shot from the forthcoming I am from Tito Veles (Jas sum od Titov Veles)

And that will be released next year?

Actually, we will do it in April next year, so it will probably be released in 2007.

Was How I Killed a Saint shot on Digital Video and how much did it cost?

No it was shot on Super-16 and after that we blew it up to 35mm. It cost between €500-600,000. We were lucky because we got the Belgian guy Alain Marcoen who shot the films for the Dardenne Brothers. We called him because Teona really wanted him.

Did she know him before then?

No, but she knew his films and she really wanted him and I told Teona it was not possible because we have a really low budget. She said, “Let’s try” so we looked up his name in a yellow book and saw two people in Belgium of that name, one who was a cinematographer so we knew it must be him. So we called him, suspicious that he would not accept it, but he did.

So, how difficult is it to make a film in Macedonia, presuming, for instance, that your sister didn’t have you as producer?

It is difficult, it has always been. Not only in Macedonia, I think these days it is difficult everywhere. I mean look at Great Britain.

A lot of it is reliant on American money, taking English stars like Hugh Grant and making films that will appeal to the American market, like Working Title do. However, we are lucky to still have directors like Mike Leigh, Ken Loach and Michael Winterbottom who have established themselves now.

Yes, but I think these days in Europe it is really hard for everyone to make a film. I think it’s easier to make co-productions because Macedonia is so small but we have interesting stories to tell and I believe that good cinema is based on interesting stories so I think you can get countries to get involved in co-production and it is better for everyone.

Does your involvement in the European Film Academy give you more of a voice as well?

Yes.

Does this mean you spend time in Berlin?

No, but I have done a few films that were made in Germany. I did one four years ago and did two there recently.

I Want You: Labina stars as the mysterious Smokey

The films I have seen of yours are Before the Rain, Welcome to Sarajevo, I Want You, How I killed a Saint, and Loners.

I enjoyed making Loners very much. Petr Zelenka (who co-wrote the Loners script) is a friend of mine so it is always a pleasure to work with him and I think David Ondricek (Loners director) is a very talented guy.

Jan Nemec and the Czech crowd I know and Nemec works in digital now.

A lot of people are working in the digital format now because it is cheap.

Now that you are moving into producing, will this affect your acting career or will they work side by side?

I think it will work side by side because I only want to produce our own films. I would love to do others but I don’t have time. It’s a balance; last year I only worked as an actress and did four films which was difficult. I took three months off and now I have started working as a producer for our new film. It’s unique to make compromises as a producer but I think that the films we do together, with my sister and brother, at the moment are my priority as we have already spent a year and a half looking for the money and putting the budget together and writing the script. So of course because it is a small production company you get attached to your film. It’s like you have a baby. I guess it’s easier if it’s a big company because more people are involved, but otherwise it’s difficult.

Does that mean just lately that you’ve had to turn down offers of acting work?

Yes, some films I couldn’t do because I was so tired after making many films but I will never turn down an offer if I think it is really good and think this is it. I’m a big believer in cinema and I will do everything for films that I would like to be made but these days you read so many bad scripts.

Have you ever been offered a commercial film?

Yes but I don’t do it because I’m not interested. I’m at a very good agency in London called ICM and with them you always get good offers.

But has a major producer come up and offered you good money to do a film?

No (laughs), I was never in that position. I think you have actors who establish that they want or don’t want to work in these kinds of films and I have always fought for European cinema.

Because you get actors like Juliette Binoche who do both, do very interesting films, like with Michael Haneke, and then she’ll do something commercial.

Yes she’s somehow managed this vision. I hope that when I’m her age I’m somehow clever enough to make it (laughs), but it’s hard.

Finally, what do you think of the state of European Cinema now. You’ve been to a few film festivals with this film for over a year now. Have you had a chance to see many other films?

I think there are some very interesting films being made. Before this festival, I was on the Jury in another festival and I’ve seen a lot of good films. It’s so satisfying when you see a lot of good films coming from Europe. It’s amazing.

You were on the Jury in Edinburgh one year (1999).

It was the best year. British Cinema was producing so many good films like War Zone and East is East. I think that was one of the best years for British Cinema in recent years, it was very good. This year I’ve been to Cottbus and Karlovy Vary because this year was my year of Juries because I needed to rest a little bit so I decided I would accept Juries, so I was in a few festivals too. Cottbus is a very nice festival and the competition always has very good films.

The 18th Panorama of European Cinema

An interview with Krzysztof Krauze and Joanna Kos, director and co-writers of My Nikifor (Moj Nikifor)

Krystyna Feldman changes gender for My Nikifor

Krzysztof Krauze won a FIPRESCI Short Prize for the film Declination (Deklinacja) in 1978 in Cracow (his second short film) and he is very renowned in his native country. Joanna Kos was six at this time.

My Nikifor won the Globe at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival in July 2005, but couldn't subsequently be screened for eight months, even in Poland, as it was in a Category A Festival program. This unfortunately meant it couldn’t be shown at Cannes, Venice, Berlin, etc., as the strict rules dictated this. It was not even allowed to be screened in the Polish Film Institutes of other countries.

Krzysztof Krauze and Joanna Kos are not the producers of My Nikifor despite it being so much a personal project. Therefore, they were not responsible for the distribution of the film and couldn’t have a director’s final say on the cut.

(NOTE: As Joanna speaks much better English she tends to answer most of the questions but that is only after conferring with Krzysztof first)

Is this the first time you’ve co-scripted a film together?

JOANNA: Yes, but there is a short novel which we have just co-scripted and directed (called Saviour Square).

On My Nikifor, what, if any, disagreements you had with the script. What was the biggest disagreement?

JOANNA: The main problem is that usually we don’t want to write it at the same moment. The biggest problem is usually when you are writing the script. You are putting in all the emotions from real life in the script. I am usually writing the dialogues but Christopher (Krzysztof) is better in dramaturgy construction. Krzysztof usually writes from a male point of view and he has a very synthetic brain. That’s his strongest area.

Krzysztof Krauze and Joanna Kos

Joanna, you enjoy writing dialogue more?

JOANNA: It comes easier to me. Krzysztof tells me something and usually we put it onto the computer. We are now avoiding with this latest movie writing directly onto the Computer. The other part of the brain is working when you are writing by hand, not by writing directly onto the computer; we are convinced that this is true. I now only write directly onto the computer when I write for 30 second commercials.

You said it took 28 Days to shoot. What was the budget for the film?

Between $700-800,000.

Does that include post-production as well because that’s very cheap?

Yes it is, but with a comparatively different salary budget.

How have the Polish public accepted the film?

JOANNA: Krzysztof has his own audience in Poland because his previous films have been successful there. Debt was one of the most important movies of the last decade so his older audience really like him. My Nikifor had a different audience; it had lot of older people.

You say Nikifor was well-known in Paris?

In the early 1950's he had his first exhibition. Dina Vierna had a gallery and was one of the most important people for promoting native painters. Marc Chagall was also involved in this. If Dina Vierna made you an exhibition, it means people will likely buy the paintings. Nikifor’s paintings after Paris were also exhibited in Rotterdam, Amsterdam and London. Before the Second World War there was a group of painters from the Ukraine (The Capists) and Chagall was also supporting this group. They were very interested in Folk Art and apparently they exhibited before the Second World War and used a couple of Nikifor’s paintings which they chose that later were used in Paris.

Despite these exhibitions and his fame, it is true that Nikifor was still living on the streets?

Yes, because he had no idea, he couldn’t speak. Of course he was earning some money but he was also alone, he didn’t have any family. Until the 1960’s, people were of course trying to help him and to put him in some kind of dormitory in the hospital (Government funded) but he was running away. He didn’t want to stay in a dormitory.

So he was very stubborn?

Yes and this changed only when Marian Wlosinski came along and spent 14 hours a day taking care of him.

In the 60s, some of his paintings, particularly his watercolours were destroyed because of the TB (tuberculosis). Were there any important works lost?

I don’t know how many were lost. We are afraid that the best time in his painting career was before the war so many of these works were lost. He had his own wooden box which had a few hundred paintings, and this he didn’t want to sell because he knew they were from the best period of his painting and he knew this. Also, some of them he gave away in return for dinner, etc., and they were to turn up later in the 60’s.

Is there a permanent collection of any of his work in Poland?

Yes, there is a museum (the Nikifor Museum opened in 1995) of his work in a village that is close to Krynica. There are big also big collections in the United States and in Paris. There’s a good story about the Japanese producer who came to Karlovy Vary with his wife. He bought the movie for all the distribution fields and bought us presents. He then started to buy Nikifor’s paintings from the galleries around the world. He was such fun to meet and he fell in love with Nikifor’s paintings.

How did you get cinematographer Krzysztof Ptak to come on board for the film as he’s very famous and in demand?

He’s a very busy man but he’s also a good friend so that helps

The scenes in the snow were manipulated a little?

There was a lot of snow because it was the winter time in a place where you have winter for almost eight months. This is high definition so there was some pictures we could put together and this was the same with the snow. In some parts we were pasting the snow by computer. It was a small budget movie so we couldn’t wait for the snow.

You say the film was a 28 day shoot but how many days break?

It was shot over two months. We were waiting for the spring and then Krzysztof had a small accident in the Spring. There were 23 days of winter shoot and then we shot five days in spring.

How much does it cost to transfer the film onto 35mm?

Just for transferring the picture, not the music, was about €30,000.

That’s quite cheap?

Not in Poland.

What other festivals has My Nikifor played so far?

As well as Karlovy Vary, (it’s played) Vancouver, Montreal, Reykjavik, Bordeaux, but not everywhere in competition, and honestly we don’t where exactly. We have three copies (in circulation) two with English subtitles and one in French. We also have an invitation from Strasbourg…

As far as you know, the film hasn’t played in Britain yet?

Not yet but we have had invitations from Cardiff and maybe London. I should check this. We can’t go though because we are going to Valladolid and then we have two weeks break and then we are going to Strasbourg for some European Parliament screenings. Then it’s Damascus. Tomorrow we are going to Chicago and then to the Mill Valley Film festival. Chicago is showing the first screening of the festival. We only choose nice film festivals to go to, in nice places.