Berlin 2005: the Talent Press

Saturday, February 12th 2005
The seven talents introduce themselves

Alexis Tioseco (Philippines) : Indie Writing
Dee Jefferson (Australia) : Beyond the Comfort Zone
Huang Hsiang-yao (Taiwan) : Fighting For a New Hope
Maria Ulfsak (Estonia) : Necessary Freshness
Müge Turan (Turkey) : With a Social Science Background
Steve Ayorinde (Nigeria) : Criticising Nollywood
Zsolt Gyenge (Hungary) : Watching Movies Like Art Work

Indie Writing

I love the arts. I believe art is a powerful, powerful tool. It has the capability of affecting the very soul of a person in such profound, lasting ways. Film in particular is a medium that I feel to be most in tune with the pulse of society. I first began to write about film for a youth section in a Philippine daily some three years ago. Eight to ten articles after the first I wrote a serious piece on a film for an issue whose theme was addiction. The article was butchered - re-written in a watered down style by an editor who had not even seen the film discussed. That was the last article I wrote for the paper. I have since then become a staff writer and featured writer on Philippine Cinema for the website Indiefilipino.com. The name's prefix "indie" denotes "Independent", which represents both the type of media agent we are, and the main thrust of our coverage (focused on, but not limited to, independent film). Media in the Philippines, and various critics have admitted this to me directly, are given an envelope when they attend a premiere or press preview of a film. Inside that envelope is their "lagay", or in English, bribe-money, which is used to persuade the critic to give the film a favourable review.

The need I have to write for a publication such as Indiefilipino in order to be heard unfiltered mirrors the need of the Philippine filmmaker to work independently in order to be heard unfiltered. In the present context of Philippine Cinema, it is only through working outside the system that any chance for progressive criticism, or for creating progressive works, is possible.

Filipino filmmaker Lav Diaz's 5-hour intimate epic masterpiece, BATANG WEST SIDE, was a ground-breaking work when it premiered in the Cinemanila International Film Festival in December of 2002. WEST SIDE was a landmark achievement not only because of its radical length (by far the longest Filipino film ever made) but even more so as a declaration of independence by Diaz, and call to arms to young filmmakers to nurture their craft and treat their work with respect. I was always keen on writing about cinema and thoroughly enjoyed doing so, but it was only after witnessing the lack of serious critical attention given by the Philippine media to BATANG WEST SIDE, that I truly began to feel a responsibility with regard to my writing on film.
Being a young film critic in the Philippines can be daunting. Aside from Noel Vera, a fearless critic whose opinion I might not always agree with but usually respect, there are hardly any other critics in the Philippines that write regularly and write well about both local and international cinema; there are very few critics that are dedicated to the craft of criticism, in a manner more than simple "good" or "bad" reviews, in short; there are very few people who deserve to truly be called film critics, and therefore very few people to learn from.

It is for this reason that I look forwarding to the opportunity of working with and learning from the pool of established and seasoned critics that will guide the Talent Press, and doing so in the context of such a grand festival as the Berlinale.

Alexis Tioseco
(Philippines)

Beyond the Comfort Zone
I grew up in Sydney, in a suburb that didn't feel like home. I was an only child so I read a lot and talked to myself from time to time. One of my best friends at high school shared my genetic love of classical music, and over years I assimilated her passion for films and filmmaking. I was always a writer, and more of a reader than a film watcher; being a late starter, I still feel comparatively fresh to the body of film history. I am easily impressed by film buffs.

The only thing I love as much as film is history. Again, I feel the impossibility of coming to terms with the vastness of that subject. It still frustrates me, and so I buy excessive amounts of non-fiction books.

I started writing film reviews for a youth media website in 2002, and it was just a hobby. My first ever review was of THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS. That was the first and only review I ever tried to follow any kinds of guidelines for. I thought the film rocked, but I just tried too hard to sound intelligent in explaining why.

At first I wrote so that I could see films for free; then I was beguiled by the idea of connecting with an audience, and the exchange of ideas; then I realised that writing about film was probably the most satisfying work that I had ever done. I started writing really long reviews.

I've thought a lot since then about what I think is the ideal approach to reviewing. I think it is better in general to write for your audience and then yourself rather than the other way around; I think the purpose of a review is to give the reader a sense of what the film might be like to watch - give them enough information to make their own decision about whether or not to see it; I think any discussion of a film should take into account its artistic, political and social context; I think that films are most significant not as an industry or an art form, but as the ways we interpret ourselves, our society and our history. Through representation on one end and interpretation on the other end, great gaps in experience between different people can be bridged.

And this then, is the fundamental core of why I think films are important: they can give us access to the experiences and ideas of "others" - and only by empathy (in the literal sense) with others can one truly be a responsible citizen of the world. And that is how I hope that film can (cough) change the world.

So why be a film reviewer? I think it is totally fatuous and self-indulgent. But if it causes thought, discussion, questions - then it is important at the most, and at the very least harmless.

In one of my other incarnations, I run a short film festival is Australia. It is based around the idea of social change through increased communication through film. It calls on young people to explore the evolving medium of film/video to represent their ideas on issues important to them, whether personal, political, social, local or global. It started as an idea I had in Byron Bay on a holiday in 2002. Now it's 3 years old: a toddler festival. It can walk but it still sort of bumps into things.

I also sell books. Someone pays me to do this. In some ways this is one of life's little cosmic jokes, since my dad is a second-hand-book-dealer and my house has more book shelves than wall space.

Finally, I am in the midst of a truly dreadful and prolonged law degree. I have very successfully eluded my degree for 6 years now. In an alternative universe I would be graduated and working in a law firm. That is generally considered the smart thing to do. You don't meet many people who make a living off writing, still less through film writing. Hell, you don't find many people making a living through the arts full stop. But somehow this anti-social behaviour continues.

I feel totally unqualified to generalise about the condition of film journalism in Australia; however, I do notice that there is a dearth of deep criticism in the mainstream media. What really frustrates me about Australia is the poor state of our own film industry, and the lack of exposure to foreign cinema - particularly our lack of exposure to Asian Cinema, despite the incredible scope and proximity of that population. I feel like in both filmmaking and film-watching we are possibly a trick or two behind our peers.

I hope to soak in new perspectives at the Berlinale, My personal challenge will be to move beyond my comfort zone, and not get too lost in the splendour.

Dee Jefferson
(Australia)

Fighting For a New Hope
I majored in Architecture and Sociology at the National Taiwan University Graduate School. While these subjects do not have the closest relationship with film, they provide me with wider perspectives within which to read film as a text of different dimensions. The condition of film criticism in my country is pretty much in danger, as celebrity photos and PR releases from Hollywood devour most of our media. People expect nothing from films which do not seem to be more than mere entertainment. I am trying my best with some other writers to fight for a new hope.

Any kind of cinema excites me. However, I feel more interested in originality. My favourite contemporary directors are Atom Egoyan, Peter Greenaway, Godard, Resnais, Kaurismaki, Hal Hartley and P.T. Anderson. I love the cold atmosphere of solitude, and encyclopaedic writing. I have written film reviews for three years. Life as a freelance reviewer is difficult but I am willingly committed to this choice. My expectation of being a member of the Press at the 55th International Berlin Film Festival is to be able to exchange ideas with writers from other countries. I think we may have some similar worries regarding the condition of film criticism nowadays.

Huang Hsiang-yao
(Taiwan)

Necessary Freshness
I graduated from the University of Tartu with a degree in journalism in 2003. I work at Estonia's biggest weekly newspaper, Eesti Ekspress as the editor of cultural news and film. I have been a film fan since my childhood, probably because of my background - my father and brother are both actors.

The possibilities to study film criticism and film theory in Estonia right now are limited (actually, there are none). That's why I'd like to go and do my Masters degree abroad soon. All the professional film critics we have are over 40 years old - they all have the old-school cinema education from Moscow or St. Petersburg. There are no young professional film critics in our newspapers. People who write about film are practical filmmakers or wide-profiled cultural journalists, but very few people look deeply into film-business with the necessary freshness, and radical or modern ways of thinking.

Some of my favourite filmmakers are Jim Jarmusch, Kim Ki-duk, Ulrich Seidl, Francois Ozon, and favourite films include LAST TANGO IN PARIS, BEFORE SUNSET, and LOST IN TRANSLATION. My favourite actors are Vincent Gallo and Jim Carrey.

My expectations in Berlin are to see films, learn something new about writing, meet colleagues with different backgrounds and crazy ideas.

Maria Ulfsak
(Estonia)

With a Social Science Background
I was born and raised in Istanbul. I have graduated from the Austrian College, where I studied German for eight years. My undergraduate education was in Sociology, which I completed at Istanbul's Bosphorus University. I continued with the graduate programme in the Film & Television Department at Istanbul Bilgi University. This is my second year, and I am about to finish my thesis. Coming to cinema from a social science background opens many opportunities for studies on many different levels and from many different perspectives.

During my education I also began working at an independent company, and a specialized shop for alternative music and video. I have written press releases of new albums and videos for three years. Apart from this, since 1999 I've been working as a journalist (art, music, and cinema) for various magazines and webzines such as Time-Out Istanbul, Aktuel, Istanbuldostlari and NME. Lastly, in 2002 I started coordinating a music training project here. We are trying to support some underprivileged young people who come from lower socio-economic backgrounds by providing them music and its technology skills. I just recently began working as the Communications Coordinator for the Independent Film Festival Istanbul.

Müge Turan
(Turkey)

Criticising Nollywood
In the last two years I have been the chief film critic of The Punch, the largest circulating daily in Nigeria, although I have also worked as an arts journalists for The Guardian and The Comet also in Lagos, Nigeria. Even though I read music at University, the visual pleasantries of the big screen have always held a tremendous attraction for me. Nevertheless, my background in music is useful in having a complete approach to film as a moving picture.

I enjoy a film better when its story is told through the language of cinema rather than dialogue. I abhor censorship of any kind in film. Films should be rightly classified for viewers. Filmmakers should be allowed to communicate through their creativity.

But the situation is not exactly like that in Nigeria, where the film industry, now dubbed Nollywood by the New York Times, is now the third largest producer of films in the world, after Hollywood and India's Bollywood. My problem with our Nollywood is not with the video format through which nearly all the films are being produced, but the low quality and the arrant disregard for the rules of the profession. However, I have been fascinated as a reporter that many Nigerians still prefer these poorly produced video films to the big flicks from the West. As a critic however, I am yet to see enough reason for celebration.

Because of the "cash and carry" pattern of producing film in Nigeria, critical analysis of the films are lacking. Producers only associate with journalists who sing their praises with their writings, in the name of encouraging them. Rather than have an association of film critics, a group of reporters danced to the tune of producers by forming the so-called Guild of Movie Journalists. What they do is to attend tele-guided film previews that lack critical reviews. Save for a few critics, film criticism is lacking in Nigeria. However, there are a few publications that focus on the film industry. Most are patronising but a few daily newspapers like The Punch, The Guardian and This Day are championing new waves of critical analysis of the film industry in Nigeria, more so that the whole world seemed to have been attracted by the phenomenon called Nollywood.

I have been privileged to have covered the Cannes Film Festival, and I look forward to the 55th Berlin film festival as a platform through which I can reach other worlds through their films, meet and interview filmmakers from other parts of the world, and most importantly seek professional comments on the true language of film - is it about the format on which the film is shot that matters or the expertise put into it?

I hope to discover at the festival what it really takes for a good African film to be considered for mainstream distribution.

Steve Ayorinde
(Nigeria)

Watching Movies Like Art Work
I graduated in art history, and I have turned my attention towards films during the last year of my university, when with my friends I started a Ciné-club, and we edited a small review for every screening. I continued my studies in Paris where I listened to courses in film history and film criticism. Meanwhile, the team of the Ciné-club has developed the review into a professional monthly film magazine, which is still the only one of its kind in Romania. I have been a critic for Filmtett since its beginnings in 2000. I publish film reviews, interviews with film professionals, and articles about film festivals. In 2003 I started a PhD program in film theory.

I am especially interested in art films, but I have somehow a larger conception of this notion, as I like to include in it, all movies with some kind of originality, or with a personal touch of its author. I always try to watch a movie like an art work, and - when possible - only write reviews about films which I liked. I consider that one who has enjoyed a movie has understood much more of it than those who didn't like it. It is much more difficult and interesting to articulate why a film is important, beautiful, touching, etc. than to enumerate its weaknesses.

The biggest problem of film criticism in Romania is that it exists only in the culture segments of daily newspapers or in weekly cultural magazines. Even if there were some short-lived attempts to found film magazines, they all disappeared after a few issues, and this is why our journal is the only one of its kind. Besides this, our position is a little bit special as - being part of the Hungarian minority - we write and publish in Hungarian, and we have strong connections with the more developed cinema culture of Hungary.

My expectation towards every film festival is to find a lot of good and a few great movies. This year's Berlinale will be of course very special for me, as I hope that by being part of the Talent Press programme I will be able to know the festival more intimately. The Talent Press programme will give me the possibility to know other traditions of film criticism and by this, further develop my writing style. I would also like to meet interesting people - members of the Press and filmmakers participating at the festival.

Zsolt Gyenge
(Hungary)

© FIPRESCI / Berlinale Talent Campus 2005

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