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| VIFF ’06 Interview – The Photographer, His Wife, Her Lover director Paul Yule |
The Photographer. The Wife. Her Lover. At VIFF (www.viff.org) |
by Jason Whyte
“Lust, Art, and Money … How a film that I made fifteen years ago about the photographer O. Winston Link played its part in sending his wife Conchita to prison for theft, twice! But it’s not as simple as it at first seems …” Director Paul Yule on his film “The Photographer, His Wife, Her Lover” which is screening at the 25th Vancouver International Film Festival (Sep. 28- Oct. 13)
Is this your first film in the VIFF? (Or the first film you have) Do you have any other festival experience? If you’re a festival veteran, let us know your favourite and least-favourite parts of the festival experience.
Could you give me a little look into your background (your own personal biography, if you will), and what led you to the desire to want to make film?
Politics has always been important to me. I was born in South Africa but we left when I was a child for political reasons. Later I became a photojournalist and filmmaking just seemed an obvious progression.
Growing up, you were no doubt asked the eternal question “When I grow up I want to be a …” Finish this sentence, please!
…Photographer.
How did this project come to fruition? If you could, please provide me with a rundown, start to finish, from your involvement.
Having made a film about O. Winston Link fifteen years ago, I wanted to follow the strange story of what had subsequently happened, particularly since I was the only person with access to all of the elements of the story – it traces the acrimonious divorce between him and Conchita, the way in which he accused her of theft, Conchita’s subsequent imprisonment, her marriage to her lover, the re-arrest, and so on.
What was the biggest challenge in the production of the movie, be it principal photography or post-production?
The biggest challenge was in putting together the competing versions of the “Truth”.
Please tell me about the technical side of the film; your relation to the film’s cinematographer, what the film was shot on and why it was decided to be photographed this way.
The original film I made about Winston Link in 1990 was highly stylized and reflected in its style Link’s photographs of the fifties. This new film I wanted to be very different - I used my film shot 15 years as evidential archive. The cinematographer of the original was Karl Kriegskotte and we were working on 16mm film whereas the new footage is shot on DV - the textures are very different , not just in aspect ratio but also in terms of grain, which I like very much.
Talk a bit about the festival experiences, if any, that you have had with this particular film. Have you had any interesting audience stories or questions that have arisen at screenings?
It opened at IDAF in Amsterdam and whenever it has been shown subsequently it has provoked enormous debate – different audiences draw very different conclusions as to whys and wherefores of what happened, and the guilt or otherwise of Conchita.
Who would you say your biggest inspirations are in the film world (directors, actors, cinematographers, etc)? Did you have any direct inspirations from filmmakers for this film in particular?
John Cassavetes.
If you weren’t in this profession, what other career do you think you would be interested in?
Photography.
Do you have an opinion on the issue of “A Film by (Insert Director Here)” ? Is this something you use? Many people collaborate to make a film yet simultaneously, the director is the final word on the production.
Documentary is the auteur’s medium par excellence – “A Film by Paul Yule” is exactly what you get.
What would you say to someone on the street to see your film instead of the latest blockbuster playing at the Paramount?
“Go and see it because it’ll be one of those rare chances to makeup your own mind”
No doubt there are a lot of aspiring filmmakers at film festivals who are out there curious about making a film of their own. Do you have any advice that you could provide for those looking to get a start?
“Don’t study film making.”
And finally…what is your all time favourite motion picture, and why?
Distant Voices Still Lives by Terence Davies.
The 25th Vancouver International Film Festival runs from September 28th to October 13th, 2006. To see when this film is playing, and for more information on other screenings, happenings and what is going on at this year’s VIFF, point your browser to viff.org. – Jason Whyte, jasonwhyte@efilmcritic.com
link directly to this feature at http://hollywoodbitchslap.com/feature.php?feature=1972
originally posted: 10/09/06 05:22:32
last updated: 10/09/06 05:25:47
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