WAR OF FILMS INTERVIEW with Lydur Arnason.

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First of all we would like to know a little more about you. So that the audience has as much information as possible.

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Who is Lydur Arnason?

A 60 years old educated doctor and self educated film maker.

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How many years have you been making movies and how did you end up making movies?

I've been making movies since 15 years old and movie making and beeing a doctor turned out to be not enough so I ended up in both.

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Let's talk about your project. How long did it take from the initial idea to have it ready to be released?

25 years.

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Can you tell us a bit about the process you've had with Audur?

In 2000 I read a medical journal about a young woman going insane. She came from a tiny village and behaved in some ways like an animal. 15 years later I was on a holiday in the most remote part of Iceland and staying overnight in an abandoned village in a former doctor's house, a very gloomy place. Then the history about the girl errupted in my mind and I made my own story of her background and how things could have been but of course I changed her name. In the midsummer 2017 we began shooting and the shooting period was three years with intervals. The rest took us two years.

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Is it self-financed or were you able to get financing?

The film is self financed. We applied four times to the icelandic film fond, first for the script, then for the production, and twice for the post-production and their answers were always negative.

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No spoilers, but what will the public find in Audur?

Iceland special and nonstreamlined movie making.

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Have you been inspired by any other film of the same genre?

Often, I can mention Birdy and Nymphomania.

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There are many creators who seek inspiration from other artists, literature, music, painting, etc. To create this work have you used references from other arts?

No, not in this film.

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We would also like to know more about your film preferences, which directors you like and which are your favorite movies.

I like the artwork itself but don't mind so much who is doing it. So I don't have any favourite directors but a couple of movies have caught me. The french abstract movie, Delicatessen, the danish movie about family secrets, Festen, the american movie, Seven and the icelandic movie, Devil ireland.

 

There are great classics of cinema considered masterpieces, but for us cinema is subjective and we also love films that critics may consider bad. Do you have movies that are not considered masterpieces but that you could watch over and over again without stopping?

The cartoon film, Animal farm, pops up in my mind.

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Which are your favorite black and white movie?

The great dictator by Charlie Chaplin.

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Have you seen anything by David Fincher?

Seven.

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How would you define it in one word?

Genius.

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Your favorite 2010-2020 movie or series? Your favorite actor or actress?

The hunt, Thomas Winterberg. Favourite actors are the Mikkelsen brothers and my favourite actress is Najwa Nimri.

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Changing the subject, one of the concerns of many creators is the lack of financing or opportunities that producers provide. What do you think about this?

The most obvious option is doing both, create and produce. Most of us will never see their ideas come to live unless to take the tour themselves. At least, that what I did and if I hadn't I'm pretty sure all my creation would have ended in the drawer.

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A very personal question, but... What are your strong points and weak points? Do you have experience on the festival circuit?

It is always a bit odd to judge oneself but I would say my strongest point is creation and my weakest point marketing. I don't have an experience on the festival circuit but I'm getting there.

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As a filmmaker, how do you see film festivals?

With a positive view as a good platform to expand your work, get some connections and find some spots for selling and distributing.

 

Where do you think they should improve?

Film festival could drag the distributors and the network providers near to the film maker and help the latter one to get some direct connections to the “decision makers”

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Do you have any other project in mind? Can you advance us something?

Yes, I am trying to find a leading co-producer for a TV-serie (8 episodes), a magnificient drama and lovestory about a known icelandic componist and his wife, a nurse and herbalist. The film is periodical from the early 1900's and has a tight connection to Iceland and Denmark. The icelandic film fund has rewarded the manuscript as excellent. All copyright of the story is mine.

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Would you like to add something else?

Yes. If some one could give me a direct connection, phone or email to Netflix, I would appreciate it.