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Povratak na Maks Friš, građanin
Intervju sa Matijasom von Guntenom (režiser)
What did motivate you to do a documentary on Max Frisch?
Basically there was my affection for this writer. I liked him since I was around 23 years old; to me it was like discovering a piece of art. I liked his language and the way he was interested in society and his own time. The idea to make a film about him came probably 10 years later when I realized that in Switzerland there are many social and political problems, but there are few intellectuals who are giving their voice to the current situation. During Max Frisch's time it was normal that writers and intellectuals pronounce their opinions publicly.
After doing the film, why do you think intellectuals are not addressing political or social issues anymore?
It's a really difficult question to which I'd prefer not to answer because whatever I say would be stupid. There are possible theories about it but I have no clear idea. Maybe it's that the phenomenon of the market has entered into literature and arts. I think it is less required by the public to do it and less interesting to writers as well, on the other hand.
There's also the sociopolitical situation of the moment. After World War II until the end of the Cold War, there were two options - left and right - and intellectuals used to take one of these positions. We now have other sorts of tensions.
What did you find most challenging while doing the film?
I'd mention three things. The first one, to get the interview partners. I knew the film needed important people to be in it, people as smart as Max Frisch. If I had people of less weight the documentary might appear weak. It was hard to get to people like Henry Kissinger. We worked for almost a year to get him, then he asked for something like $29,000. Finally, we didn't have to pay that.
The next challenge was to find a visual language to present Frisch's texts without obscuring them and yet giving the feeling that you are watching a film. It took us about three months just to find out how to use footage. The third was to go from A to Z: What parts of texts to select, where do they come, what is the development of the whole thing?
How did the public receive the film?
The public response was very good. We have the possibility here to show documentaries in the cinemas, so we have good acceptance. We got a lot of nice reviews in the newspapers and a good reaction to what was going on with the intellectuals. Actually, a newspaper started a series in which they gave an open page to intellectuals to revitalize discussions and debate. Sadly, it didn't continue. It's something you can't force or install.
How easy is it to do documentaries in Switzerland?
Switzerland is known to be very strong in documentaries, so we have very good conditions to finance them. We make many documentaries every year which go to international festivals and distribution. We're stronger in documentaries than in fiction films. There are two sides. The good part is that documentaries have great recognition. The not-so-good one is that as there are so many people aiming to do it, the competition for funding is very tough.
What are your projects for the near future?
I'm working on a big documentary. It's about two opposite places in the world: the most northern human setting on the planet, which is Thule in the north of Greenland, and a little island in the Pacific next to the equator called Tuvalu. It's about how in two opposite parts of the world and two drastically different environments, humans have changed and will have to change their way of living due to climate change. It's not a climate film; it's about people connected through the same story.
Šta te je inspirisalo da snimiš dokumentarac o Maksu Frišu?
U osnovi, to je bila moja ljubav prema ovom piscu. Svideo mi se još kada sam imao 23 godine; za mene to je bila umetnost. Svideo mi se njegov način izražavanja, i način na koji se interesovao za društvo svog vremena. Na ideju da snimim film o njemu došao sam 10 godina kasnije kada sam shvatio da je Švajcarska puna društvenih i političkih problema, ali bilo je tek nekoliko intelektialaca koji su iznosili svoj sud o situaciji. Za vreme Maska Friča bilo je normalno da pisci i intelektualci javno istupaju sa svojim pogledima.
Pošto si uradio film, šta ti misliš, zbog čega intelektualci više ne iznose sud o političkim i društvenim problemima?
To je zaista teško pitanje na koje radije ne bih odgovorio jer šta god da kažem zvučaće glupo. Postoje moguće teorije o tome ali nemam jasnu ideju. Možda zbog toga što je tržište zaposelo književnost i umetnost. Mislim da javnost nema potrebu da to radi a to više nije ni piscima zanimljivo.
Takođe, postoji i uticaj socio-ploitičke situacije ovog trenutka. Posle II svetskog rata pa do kraja Hladnog rata, postojale su dve opcije – leva ili desna – a intelektualci su zauzimali neku od ove dve pozicije. Sada postoje drugačiji tipovi napetosti.
Šta je bilo najizazovnije u vezi ovog filma?
Pomenuo bih tri stvari. Prvo, naći ljude za razgovor. Znao sam da je film zahtevao da važni ljudi budu u njemu, ljudi pametni poput Maksa Friča. Das am našao ljude manjeg kalibra dokumentarac bi izgledao bledunjavo. Bilo je teško dopreti do ljudi poput Henrija Kisindžera. Trebalo nam je godinu dana da dođemo do njega, a potom je on zatražio oko 29,000 dolara. Na kraju ipak nismo morali platiti toliko.
Naredni izazov bio je da iznađemo vizuelni jezik da prikažemo Fričove tekstove bez da ih oskrnavimo a da se ipak zadrži osećaj da gledate film. Trebalo nam je oko tri meseca da shvatimo kako da upotrebimo materijal. Treća stvar bila je ići od A do Š: koji delovi teksta treba da budu izabrani, kuda oni vode, kako teče razvoj celokupne stvari?
Kako je publika reagovala na film?
Publika je odreagovala vrlo dobro. Ovde imamo mogućnost da prikažemo dokumentarce u bioskopima, tako das mo bili prihvaćeni. Dobili smo lepe kritike u novinama, reakcija je bila solidna na to šta se događa sa intelektualcima. Ustvari, novine su započele serijal u kome su sotavile prazne strane za intelektualce da ožive diskusije i raspravljaju. Nažalost, to se nije nastavilo. To nije nešto što možete iznuditi i uraditi na silu.
Da li je lako snimati dokumentarce u Švajcarskoj?
Švajcarska je poznata po dokumentarcima, tako da imamo dobre uslove za njihovo finansiranje. Snimimo mnogo dokumentaraca svake godine, oni se pojavljuju na međunarodnim festivalima i distribuiraju se. Jači smo na dokumentarcima nego na fikciji. Postoje dve strane. Dobra strana je das u dokumentarci cenjeni. Druga, ne tako dobra, je da ima puno ljudi koji ciljaju na to pa je konkurencija za finansiranje jako velika.
Koji su tvoji budući projekti?
Radim na velikom dokumentarcu. Radi se o dva sasvim različita mesta na planeti: najsevernije naseljeno mesto na svetu, Thule, na severu Grenlanda, i malo ostrvo u Pacifiku, blizu ekvatora, po imenu Tuvalu. Radi se o dva suprotna dela sveta, u potpuno različitim okruženjima i uslovima, koje su ljudi izmenili i kako će oni morati menjati svoje načine života zbog klimatskih promena. Ipak, to nije film o klimatskim promenama; to je film o ljudima koje jedna ista priča povezuje.
Povratak na Maks Friš, građanin
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