MIAMI FILM FESTIVAL - DAY 4

2009-03-10 12:38:49

Another busy yet exciting day in Miami. The filmmakers and industry people seem to be enjoying not only the weather but each other's films and company as well. I have to admit that it is thrilling to hear about how an idea for a film was born, developed, and executed. Since day one, we have been focusing on going behind the scenes of the festival to understand how this 10-day event was put together and to hear about the stories of each filmmaker. I had the chance to interview some wonderful people who had great stories to tell about their lives, careers, and experiences in filmmaking.

Ken Kelsch is a director of photography and the jury president of the World Competition at the Miami International Film Festival. His experiences as a cinematographer goes all the way to 1978 when he did his first film Driller Killer with Abel Ferrara. After Driller Killer , the duo worked in many more productions together, including Bad Lieutenant, Black and White Opus, The Addiction, The Funeral, Blackout, New Rose Hotel, and their latest film, which will be screened at the festival, Chelsea on the Rocks .

Kelsch was one of the people in the festival who was extremely knowledgeable and fun to talk to. He had many stories to tell and details to share, including the fact that 95 percent of the camera departments are divorced... which hints at the amount of traveling and stress the people behind the camera go through. Being part of this industry for more than 30 years, Kelsch is of course in favor of film as opposed to a digital camera whether it is the new Red or something else.

Another person who had many interesting stories to tell was Lissandra Haulica, the Parisian producer of Eight a film composed of 8 shorts about world poverty, directed by 8 masters including Gus Van Sant and Wim Wenders. The idea for Jane Campion's (director of The Piano) short film was inspired by a conversation she overheard between her 11-year old daughter and her friends. The young kids were talking about the lack of water in certain areas of the world and how it was affecting the people living in those areas. Realizing that such young kids are concerned about these issues, she decided to make a short film as part of this project.