Advice

[Martin]

Advice time: I'm going to Stockholm Film Festival on Thursday (it starts Thurs and goes on for ten days), and I just got a list from the press office of visiting directors available for interviews during the fest. There's usually no rush to interview these guys, so I probably have a good shot at getting 5-10 mins with anyone I want (not braggin'). There's just one thing: I hadn't really planned any interviews, and I'm not on a specific mission from an editor - I was mostly going to coast on the press ID and watch a couple of movies in between other stuff. There's probably not enough time to catch screenings of the directors' movies before interviewing them either. Still, I'm pretty tempted to request Rian Johnson (Brick) or Kelly Reichardt (Old Joy)... What do you guys think?

These people are available:

Charlotte Rampling (Lifetime Achievement Award)
Wong Kar-Wai (Stockholm Visionary Award)

Rian Johnson - Brothers Bloom
Thomas Clay – Soi Cowboy
Duane Hopkins – Better Things
Anna Novion – Les Grandes Personnes
Courtney Hunt – Frozen River
Fiona Gordon – Rumba
Arnaud des Pallières – Parc
Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire – Johnny Mad Dog
Mathieu Kassovitz – Johnny Mad Dog (producer)
Erick Zoncka – Julia

Solveig Anspach – Back Soon
Lance Hammer – Ballast
Ramon Fernandez – The Argentine (actor)
Laurent Cantet – Entre les murs
Roberto Saviano – Gomorra (writer)
Arnaud Desplechin – A Christmas Tale
Kelly Reichardt – Wendy and Lucy
Chusy Haney – Anywhere USA
Matt Wolf – Wild Combination - A Portrait of Arthur Russell
Juraj Lehotsky – Blind Loves
Dorothee Wenner – Peace Mission
Chris Waitt – A Complete History of My Sexual Failures

[Chris L]

Woah, I'd pick Wong Kar-Wai except that might be kind of intimidating.  Make him take his shades off.  By force if necessary.

Most of those people I'm not familiar with, but I'd say your instincts are right.   

[jbissell]

Yeah I'd go with Wong hands down but I agree with Chris.  I've heard a few interviews with Rian Johnson and he seems like a good interview.

I'm not familiar with most of the list, I know Lance Hammer and Courtney Hunt were recently on The Treatment with Elvis Mitchell.  Desplechin and Reichardt would be of personal interest to me.

[samir]

Monsieur Kassovitz,

How did you go from directing 'La Haine' (all time great) to directing 'Gothika' and 'Babylon A.D.'?

Sincerely,

--Samir in Florida.

[Martin]

I'm sort of mentally shutting out WKW from the equation because of the intimidation (also I have the impression that his English isn't very good and/or he's a reluctant interviewee). And yeah, that's one of the reasons I'm leaning towards Reichardt and Johnson - articulate, young talents that probably won't be covered by the other journalists anyway. I got that situation two years ago with Ryan Fleck who directed Half Nelson - young guy, debut feature etc. Couldn't be nicer.

I just listened to that interview with Lance Hammer today, jbissell. Sounds like a very interesting guy, many fresh ideas ("fascinating", according to Elvis Mitchell). I really want to see his film now.

Samir, that's a very valid question. Poor Mathieu, what happened?

A friend of mine screamed "Rampling!!" but I don't know... what am I gonna ask her? "So, you were in that Jean-Michelle Jarre concert video...?" "Stardust Memories, eh?"

[iAmBaronVonTito]

my vote is still with Wong Kar-Wai...but that's because im of the mind that if everyone else thinks he's intimidating, then im going to interview him merely to spite that rumor. 

yes, sometimes im a jerk.

[Fido]

Why would one be intimidated by Wong Kar-Wai? Hell, I'm not even a film industry type, but I'd jump at that opportunity without a moment's hesitation and I wouldn't be intimidated for one minute.

Samir asks a very good question, by the way. Getting an answer to that would be interesting but would involve great social indiscretion.

[Julie]

Talk to each and everyone of them. They all have something to say. Report back in 1500 words or less. Thank you.

[moonshake]

If I had a chance to talk to WKW and I passed the opportunity, I'd regret it for a long time. And he can speak English just fine. I've seen interviews he gave in this language.

[jbissell]

Why would one be intimidated by Wong Kar-Wai? Hell, I'm not even a film industry type, but I'd jump at that opportunity without a moment's hesitation and I wouldn't be intimidated for one minute.

Well I know personally it would be intimidating for me just because I love his work so much and I'm not an interviewer so it would probably turn into The Chris Farley Show.