Sergei Loznitsa

“This one. Henri-Georges Clouzot, and this film tells a story, which shows us what it means, fascism, and from where it came and how it destroyed society.”

“Do you have Salò by Pasolini? I remember, I watched this film in… Soviet Union collapsed already. A famous scriptwriter, he made the scripts for Sokurov films, Yuri Arabov, he teach dramaturgy in our school and he show us this film like forbidden piece of art, and the door was closed, and I remember people in such a small room, they were standing, watching the TV. For Soviet Union, it was a revolution. I love this. Two brothers, these films, which I love: the films and directors who fight.”

“You have Arturo. Deep Crimson. Fantastic. I will send Arturo a photo with that. So, it’s a great… You know, this film inspired Tarkovsky, made a film, Nostalghia. The story, when somebody closes his family and keeps the family from the world outside, it’s from Arturo Ripstein.”

“I have a relationship to Kira Muratova. So, this is her first film, which is named… -And The Long Farewell. -Brief Encounters. In Russian, it’s Korotkie vstrechi, “short meetings,” if translated direct. And she made this film in ’60s, and ’60s was, in the Soviet Union, a little bit a time of freedom. And after that, she continued… Another film, she made another film, Dolgie provody. It is here, so this is two films. And after that, she lost her job. And till 1988, she was a… member of studio in Odesa, but what she did, she cleaned the floor in the film studio and, after, she made… she made great film, Asthenic Syndrome, also, hook! Serious stroke, punch to all Soviet society. She lived in Ukraine, but it was a very strong voice, very strong voice, and she’s a very strong character. Great, great. Thank you very much.”

“Okay, it’s another great Soviet and Ukrainian director, Larisa Shepitko. Also very strong, like Kira Muratova.”

“So, and another. I know this very good director, Aki Kaurismäki, the great person, the great director. I love his sense of humor and grotesque, which you can find in all his films. And it’s very sentimental and very distanced, at the same time. Good.”

“This is my lovely director, Luis Buñuel. It’s very difficult to read. It’s really not easy to understand his statement in his films. And from the other side, he’s very, very easy and his films are very simple. And I’m a friend with Arturo Ripstein. He was… first AD for Angel Exterminator.”