Please tell us about your background. What made you fall in love with cinema? How did you become interested in filmmaking and what did you work on before making Am Rande der Zeiten?
When I was ten years old I saw a movie in which an Indian boy was accused for stealing a ring, but I saw it very clear, it was the blind man in the shop, who wasn’t blind, who stole the ring. This film left a lasting impression in me for weeks, identifying myself with the innocent boy. An immortal love for film was born.
Which filmmakers influenced you and your filmmaking? Which films have affected you the most?
The list is long. From Fritz Lang to Renoir, from Lubitsch to Scorsese, from Coppola to Hitchcock to Tarantino… The list of films is even longer. Here only two new ones: “As Good as It Gets” and “Grand Torino”.
What are the themes/issues you try to reflect in your films? What, in your opinion, is the most important quality of a film?
The troubles and the victories of an artist. His life full of misery, struggle and of course poetry.
Where did the idea for the film come from? What made you want to tell this story, did it come from your personal experiences?
Of my personal experiences and all the books I read about the lifes of artists.
To let the public look behind the curtain of a writer.
Please tell us about the production and your experiences of making Am Rande der Zeiten. What are some of the challenges and difficulties you faced?
We hadn’t the big money so we had to do different jobs on the set.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of independent filmmaking and working with smaller budgets? Does it liberate the filmmaker or limit his or her freedom?
Both. It liberates you to put precisely in scene what you want. Nobody takes away lines. Sometimes your heart is bleeding while you miss more time or more money for light or crew. But in the end of the day it’s what you got in the can and the content that counts. This is the reason you make this film.
Tell us about your festival run. Have film festivals provided you with the experience and exposure you needed?
I was really surprised about all the prices we won. For that we are really thankful.
What was the reaction of those who watched your film? Was the feedback what you hoped for?
More than that…
Please tell us about your future project(s). What are you working on?
I play as an actor in different films and I’m writing a new story…