Atom Egoyan: I Don't Think Of Profits When Shooting My Films

[MosJan]

ATOM EGOYAN: I DON'T THINK OF PROFITS WHEN SHOOTING MY FILMS

 

Famous film director Atom Egoyan was born in Cairo and grew up in Canada. He shot many films that became popular and acknowledged in many countries. "The Sweet Hereafter," was nominated for Annual Academy Awards, "Family Viewing" was awarded the special prize at Berlin Film Festival, "Exotica" was given the prize for the best foreign film at the International Film Festival, Cannes.

 

"Where the Truth Lies," his last film didn't win any prizes in Cannes, but attracted the attention of the spectators. The film dwells on the lives of movie or pop stars. In the interview to "Moskovsky Komsomolec" Egoyan didn't agree with the opinion that the film was of commercial character.

 

"I never think of commercial profits when shooting my films. I am interested in types, characters and their behavior in different situations. It is not a sex thriller, as I had quite a different goal," he said about his last film.

 

Egoyan thinks that marketing is a kind of art and one should have creative thinking to make good advertisement for a film. It is wonderful when a film critic can explain the characters and the ideas of the film director to the spectators.

 

When shooting the film based on the novel by Rupert Holmes, Egoyan depicted the characters of the people living in the given period. The film is about both common and famous people. The lives of the famous ones are created by their fans.

 

Egoyan believes his film belongs to the "black" genre. It is a story of broken human lives and destroyed relations. The real tragedy is when the character can't create his life the way he wants and has to obey to the fate. The lives of all of characters are ruled by the fate, though they all try to control it. But they all come to the conclusion that the private life is a closed area where only imagination can penetrate.

 

The films of "black" genre have made certain influence on the art of Egoyan. But in this case, the narration is meant to belong to this genre. 1950s and 1970s are depicted in this film. "When shooting the film, the 1950s seemed to be very sensitive, while it was mere eroticism. 1970s seemed to be puritanical but, in fact, this was a period of spoiled moral values," Egoyan said.

 

By Petros Keshishian