Interviews

In his paean to the wonders of nature, feature debutant Ed Sayers turns to old tech, in the form of Super 8, to offer us a new way of seeing. For Super Nature, which world-premieres October 12 at BFI London FF, 40 collaborators from around the world filmed their natural habitat using this wonderfully imperfect format, replete with its scratches, graininess and oversaturation, and submitted their efforts to Sayers. “If anyone who sees this film has any change in their attitude towards the natural world that we live in, and that we are a part of, then great,” he tells BDE.

Belgium-based Moldovan filmmaker Olga Lucovnicova talks to Business Doc Europe about her dramatic new documentary, which previewed at Flanders Film Days. In the film Olga investigates her family legacy of suicide in Russia, starting with her grandma Antonina, whose letters to her son Slava (Olga’s father) set the whole filmic odyssey in motion. “I hoped that with this film, I would reunite the family and then it will be a happy ending,” Olga tells BDE. “But everything changed when the war in Ukraine started…”

Two-time Oscar-winner Ben Proudfoot makes his feature debut with The Eyes of Ghana, produced by Oscar-nominated Moses Bwayo and exec-produced by Barack and Michelle Obama. It is a film about a remarkable political legacy, a love for cinema, and the discovery of a rich cinematic archive far away in a London vault. And at its core is Ghanaian filmmaker Chris Hesse, who has one final mission to undertake before his days come to an end. Proudfoot and Bwayo talk to BDE before the film’s international premiere October 9 at BFI London Film Festival.

The presence of outsiders - whether missionaries, doctors or illegal gold prospectors - leaves a deep impression on the lives of indigenous Wayana folk living on the border of Surinam and French Guyana. These Invasive encounters continue to reshape their daily lives. The film is shot in black and white to echo the films of earlier missionaries. Another reason was to introduce nuance. “There is no good and bad - but a lot of grey,” co-director Zaïde Bil tells BDE of life in the region.

In Volkan Üce’s new feature doc Two Square Metres, presented at Flemish Film Days, Tayfun is the go-to undertaker for the Belgian Turkish community, many of whom want to send their deceased loved ones back to their former homeland to be buried. If you are expecting a grim and depressing film about death, then think again. Üce’s film is a loving and funny portrait of a good dad and sassy businessman whose natural tendency towards compassion is matched only by his considerable money-making acumen. The director talks to BDE.

Cassette for timescapes producer Emmy Oost discusses Belgian-Turkish director Volkan Üce’s new project, a work-in-progress at Flanders Film Days. It is a film very much about men and masculinity. “Through the lens of the military service, [Volkan] will be looking at the patriarchy, but the conclusion is the same - that men and women are equally victims of patriarchal structures,” she tells Business Doc Europe.

“Initially a small, obnoxious collective of like-minded film students,” is how Brussels-based production outfit Visualantics describes itself. At the inaugural Flanders Film Days, the company is presenting four diverse works-in-progress. “For most of these projects, it is the very first time they have been shared with such a large audience of film professionals. It’s a good opportunity to see how they are received and what feedback we get from the room. Anything else is a nice extra, already a plus,” producer Steven Dhoedt tells BDE.

Produced by prolific Dutch outfit BALDR Film, and set against a backdrop of new hostilities in Afghanistan, the artistic feature doc Paikar sees Dutch-Afghan filmmaker Dawood Hilmandi return to his homeland to challenge his authoritarian father on why life had to be so violent and tortuous when he and his siblings were growing up. “For a child, your father is supposed to be your first hero, right?” Hilmandi reasons to BDE. “But imagine your hero is damaged and you never understood why he is like that, then you feel exhausted throughout your whole life.”

When Jona Honer first visited China, he soon worked out that the easiest way to connect with the young and extremely affluent sub-strata of Chinese society was through their favourite nightclubs. He was also fascinated by the rituals of capitalism, which resembled more a religion in terms of its structure and the social support it offered. “They [the club goers] create their own symbols, maybe without knowing it consciously,” Honer tells BDE. “Every religion has its own symbols. They create their own value system…it’s more than a night out.”

In his new documentary, Tom Fassaert returns to the subject of his family, this time the strained but fascinating relationship between his father Rob and uncle Rene, two men who seem to be polar opposites. “They can’t live without each other and yet when they’re together….” Fassaert sighs as he reflects on the odd couple dynamic between the brothers. “The bittersweet taste - that is what made me make this film.”