STEFAN SCHWIETERT PRESS CONFERENCE
The award-winning director and producer Stefan Schwietert spoke about the elements that connect him to music, the main theme of all his films, at the press conference that took place Thursday, March 19 at the Ianos Bookstore. The press conference was given on the occasion of the tribute to his work that is being held during the 11th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival - Images of the 21st Century.
Dimitri Eipides, Artistic Director of the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival welcomed the Swiss director by saying: “Stefan Schwietert is an old friend and a very important director. The audience always enjoys his films, no matter how many years go by. This is the one thing that proves the existence of his talent and his devotion to his work, in which he is very good”.
Speaking about the beginning of his career and his decision to specialize in documentary filmmaking, Stefan Schwietert stressed: “When I was studying in film school I didn’t think of documentaries. I made short films and admired filmmakers such as Rainer Werner Fassbinder and John Cassavetes. My turning to documentaries surprised me as well. At that time, to make fiction films in Germany you had to write the scripts yourself. I discovered that I was not a good fiction scriptwriter and I didn’t want to turn to television, as did many of my former fellow students. I started to work on documentaries after an offer from a friend, and I discovered a whole new world”.
Then the 48-year-old director described the way he approaches his subjects: “Some directors don’t want to know their leading characters beforehand so they don’t lose the element of surprise during shooting. But it is the exact opposite for me. I choose to spend as much time with them as possible, without a camera, in order to get familiar with them. So when shooting starts, there is a different level of communication and that shows in the film itself”.
Through this process, Stefan Schwietert created strong relationships and friendships: “When shooting lasts 3 and 4 years, it's reasonable to get attached to the people you are filming. These human relationships are your profit through the passage of time, together with the memories each film leaves in your heart”.
At the same time, Mr. Schwietert clarified that music is not a goal in and of itself in his documentaries: “In my films music is the vehicle, the means I use to pass on the message I want. Naturally, musicians are a common characteristic of my films, but this is not the issue. What I search for and want to record is the human condition: That is, what happens to people when they lose their identity, culture, religion, either because of adaptation to a new environment or because of a change in living conditions”.
Answering a question on his contribution to saving musical traditions that are being lost, Stefan Schwietert noted: “In my first two films, Tickle in the Heart and The Devil’s Accordion that’s the direction I followed. Especially Tickle in the Heart is now archival material in a way, since traditional Hebrew Klezmer music has begun to be lost. In the next films though, I felt awkward about dealing with musical traditions in a nostalgic way. Music can be lost, but I don’t look at this pessimistically, because new things come and take its place. Whatever exists develops, taking new shape and new form”.
He revealed that his goal in selecting his subject matter is diversity: “When I am about to shoot a film I deal with music with different criteria than my personal ones as a listener. There is music that fascinates me, but it is already being broadcast widely by the media. For example, I adore Leonard Cohen or Youssou N’Dour, but I find it too obvious for me to record their stories. The challenge for me is to look at more rare things, such as the yodeling of the Swiss Alps. With films that will make me question myself and about which I will have to convince everyone that they deserve to be made. In the end, when you can justify the risk, the feeling is wonderful and you feel much stronger”.
In closing, Stefan Schwietert revealed that in his next documentary he will be following the footsteps of Bela Bartok with an elderly Swiss couple as his guide. Bartok, aside from a great composer was also a pioneer in recording the musical traditions of Bulgarian and Romanian villagers.
