Matt Ruskin, Aaron J. Wiederspahn, Francisco César Filho, translator and Charles Libin
American filmmakers discuss the future of independent films at the Mostra’s Lounge
On Tuesday the 24th, at 6:00 p.m., American filmmakers Matt Ruskin (The Hip Hop Project), Aaron J. Wiederspahn (The Sensation of Sight) and Charles Libin (American Combatant) got together with the public at the Mostra’s Lounge to discuss the directions independent films are taking in the United States of America.They started the debate by pointing out the difficulties in making an independent movie, even in the USA. “My film was made with the financial support of family and friends. It’s a truly independent film,” says Charles Libin. Matt Ruskin reminds us that problems still persist, even after the completion of the film. According to him, screening is only possible in festivals, and even in such events it’s difficult to find someone willing to distribute your film: “Producers are very intuitive. Even if it is well done, they are always interested in the financial possibilities”, he says. Aaron J. Wiederspahn says he has no trouble understanding the logic of this market. “This is not a commercial film. It’s an art film, not a genre one. That’s why studios find it difficult to sell.”
Just because they have to face these challenges, filmmakers affirmed in one voice the importance of events like the Mostra. Libin said he remembers first hearing about the Mostra in the 1980s, when he met filmmaker Wim Wenders: “At that time, he already spoke of the Mostra as one of the most important events in the international calendar.” Ruskin said he is impressed with the number of films in the Mostra, while Wiederspahn joked about staying here in Brazil: “If anyone knows of a nice place for rent, let me know after the debate.”
Another thing the three of them agreed on was the dissatisfaction with their country’s film industry. “I don’t fit in this industry. American commercial movies are not ‘my cup of tea’. I don’t belong in this universe”, says Ruskin. Wiederspahn thinks 99% of the movies produced in the USA are artistically poor. “I feel like a foreigner inside the American system. My target is to be different.” Looking for other ways is also Libin’s objective: “What matters to me is that the content be independent, different from what we usually see.”
When they were asked about the future of independent films, they were vague. Libin outlined the democratization brought to films by digital technology, but emphasized that globalization may bring a standardizing view, what would be like a crime against creativity. “I feel kind of sad with all this. Maybe it’s the beginning of the end,” he says. Not so apocalyptical, Wiederspahn believes the only way to be original is by finding out the price of originality: “The important thing is to keep a unique view. I can only offer myself to people. This is it, this is who I am.” To the director, everybody should study History, learn about the past and learn from it. “To see that cinema is universal is a very beautiful thing, and that it stirs people’s emotions anywhere in the world. Religion divides people; cinema, on the contrary, unites them”, he concludes.