Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Filmmaking is about taking risks: Assayas

In the spotlight:French director Olivier Assayas and actor Waheeda Rehman at a ‘Meet-the-Press' programme organised as part of the 15th International Film Festival of Kerala in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Noted French filmmaker Olivier Assayas said here on Saturday that he did not believe in any formula for making good films.

Speaking at a ‘Meet-the-Press' programme organised as part of the 15th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), Mr. Assayas said filmmaking was about inventing new ways of telling stories about an ever-changing world. “It is about taking risks and learning about the world and human conditions,” he said.

Talking about his much talked about film Carlos, featured in the retrospective section of the festival, Mr. Assayas said it was a portrait of a real-life character who became the media image of terrorism in France in the 1970s and 1980s.

About Carlos

“Carlos, who is from Venezuela, got involved in the Middle-Eastern politics and the Palestinian movement and ended up becoming a mercenary planning and executing attacks in France. He was arrested in 1994 and has been in a French jail for the past 16 years. The film is a study of Leftist radical politics in Western Europe and the consequence of violence,'' Mr. Assayas said.

He said it was a pleasure to show his films in Kerala, which he believed to have one of the strongest film cultures in the country, where the art of filmmaking was respected. “India has a great film culture. I think film festivals like this provide a great platform for dialogue between countries. For me, filmmaking is globalised. It is about sharing values,” he said.

Mr. Assayas, who had earlier been married to Hong Kong actor Maggie Cheung, said he had great love and respect for Asian films and filmmakers in general. Ms. Cheung bagged the best actress award at Cannes for her performance in Mr. Assayas' Clean.

“Meeting Maggie has been an important part of my life and I became more aware of Asian culture thanks to her. We made two movies together,” he said.

Veteran actor Waheeda Rehman, who was also present at the programme, said films and events like film festivals brought the world together. While the Indian film industry had grown in leaps and bounds since her time, she wondered if the growth in quantity had affected the quality of Indian films.

“However, there has been a lot more awareness and experimentation in films. Technically also, our films have advanced a lot,” she said.

Insecurity

Ms. Rehman said although actresses today were much more focused and hardworking than those during her times, there was a sense of insecurity because of the stiff competition in the industry. “The life-span of actresses' career today is very short. There are new talents entering the industry every day. So there is a level of insecurity and tension to stay in the field,” she said.

She added that heroines generally had shorter career spans compared to their male counterparts, not only in the Indian film industry but across the world. “Women's priorities change once they get married.”

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