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#1 - LIEVEN DEBRAUWER
05/09/2004
The director of Sweet Jam, in Venice for the premiere of the film, talks about his second film and his cinema. Lieven, first of all let’s talk about the atmosphere of your film. It is very funny but also very melancholy at the end. You were able to fit these feelings together well with the style of the film. How did you manage that?
Sweet Jam is my second feature film but I actually began making films when I was only fifteen, using my Super8 camera. I didn’t know anything about cinema at the time, but I was sure that the best way to learn was to try to understand what was good and what was bad in what I was doing. This was this way that I learned that most of the good things come out of things you really feel you need to do. “Confituur” came about like this and in this case there were more good things than bad.
How did you get the idea for Sweet Jam?
I really like looking at the things that surround me and analyse different life situations which either make you laugh or make you cry. I simply try to recreate these situations and these feelings in my films. In the case of Sweet Jam it was somehow easier given that this was a film set in a limited space and the walls help to restrain the emotions which liberate the characters.
The idea of the title is really very amusing...
It is, isn’t it? In truth, this was not supposed to be the title of the film but the idea came to me while I was writing the screenplay. I liked the play on words and the fact that it also explained the essence of the film. For me, jam is a symbol of daily life and the continuity of things. There are many signs of this throughout the film: the folded pyjamas on the bed and the table set for breakfast are two examples.
Belgian cinema does not produce many films per year but there are some superbly talented directors who have been recognised and praised internationally. Have any of your fellow countrymen inspired you in any particular way?
I have always thought that a director can inspire one to do things well or inspire one to avoid doing certain things when making a film. However, the answer is no. I don’t think there are any particular sources of inspiration from my country. I prefer to think that I have been influenced by cinema as a whole.
Alessandro De Simone
Browse the photogallery with the pictures of the day and see below the video of the press conference.
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lieven debrauwer.mov |
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