CINÉTRANGE: How have you become a director?
CARLOS ATANES: I am still becoming a director! In fact, I am basically a writer who can occasionally shoot my ideas. Every film I make is like doing the first one, and I want to surprise myself with every new work. I started to make movies in 1987 with my friends and a video camera. Since then I have not changed essentially my philosophy. More people, better cameras and a greater budget (often, not always), but I keep a totally independent working way, for better or for worse.
CINÉTRANGE: How did you meet Arantxa Peña?
ATANES: In a casting, a lot of years ago. I was preparing my infamous The Metamorphosis of Franz Kafka and she was a wannabe actress. The rest is History of Cinema.
CINÉTRANGE: What’s the matter with the milk?
ATANES: I don’t know… What’s the matter?
CINÉTRANGE: Why is FAQ in French language?
ATANES: FAQ began improvising a shooting in the forest. The actress was French, and I liked she spoke in her language. Then I wrote the screenplay and placed the action in France. So it was normal to continue in French. Suddenly I felt everything fitted properly, and the film was becoming what many people reckon as a French arty movie. That’s so funny!
CINÉTRANGE: I didn’t understand many things, is it normal or am I dumb?
ATANES: Even me don’t understand all! It is not worrying. All the films I like are a little incomprehensible, a little mysterious. The total clarity is boring and easy to forget. I am sure if you watch FAQ again you’ll see things you didn’t noticed the first time. I think a dumb is not a person who does not understand entirely something, but somebody who thinks that a movie, a book, whatever else (the world itself!) must be absolutely intelligible. Art and life are full of ineffable aspects.
CINÉTRANGE: FAQ and PROXIMA both seem pretty “sweet” compared to your short movies? What happened? Have you calmed down?
ATANES: Yes, it does if you compare them with Codex Atanicus trilogy. But it is not meaninful. I have done just two (finished) feature movies. Several of my shortfilms are also sweet compared with the Codex. The Codex is especially disturbing, but maybe my next feature would be even more crazy, hard and annoying. Who knows. I prefer not to jump the gun. I like challenge myself. I am older but not exhaust.
CINÉTRANGE: Is Welcome to spain a clip to attract tourists in your country?
ATANES: Sure. As you can see in the film we have sunny reedbeds, tripe, hens and bold girls. What else can a tourist ask for?
CINÉTRANGE: Is there a meaning to Welcome to spain or is it just complete madness?
ATANES: The plot contains a very simple message: how much hard is to do aything here! You’re always surrounded by envious bastards who have nothing to do but stopping you. But don’t misinterpret me, I’m clear about there are suckers aywhere around the world. I know it’s a widespread trouble, but I am Spaniard and in the time when I shooted it I felt especially weighed down, so my country carried the can. Nevertheless, besides the message Welcome to Spain is, yes, a complete madness.
CINÉTRANGE: How have you managed to imply famous directors in Morfing?
ATANES: I called all the filmmakers I scarcely knew personally at that time, when I was living in Barcelona. It’s not a big town and all the filmmakers from there knew each other directly or indirectly, more or less. But notice that some of them, for example Jaume Balagueró, was not still famous. He had made only one or two shortilms in those days. José María Nunes instead was a living legend, as he’s still now, and he was kind enough to come (he had played before a role into my Metamorphosis). All of them improvised their dialogues according to their own idiosyncrasy. Of course Nunes declaimed an apology of suicide, one of his favourite subjects.
CINÉTRANGE: Can you make a living with your movies ?
ATANES: Oh, yes, of course… Not just a living for me, but for the banks that give me credits for making the movies. I’m not a selfish person, so I work for them. Bankers are very happy with me and they repair their yatchs thanks to my films.
CINÉTRANGE: What will be your next movie about ?
ATANES: I am now taking up again my old project of making a feature movie about Aleister Crowley, the British magician. The screenplay is finished and I am looking for financing and co-producers from around the world. I hope I could shoot it next year, in spring, gods willing.
(Cinétrange.com - October 2009)
