{"id":200616,"date":"2019-05-23T12:00:16","date_gmt":"2019-05-23T10:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/berlin030.de\/?p=200616"},"modified":"2019-05-23T12:00:16","modified_gmt":"2019-05-23T10:00:16","slug":"der-eigentliche-film-entsteht-im-kopf-des-zuschauers-sebastian-schipper-im-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/berlin030.de\/en\/2019\/05\/23\/der-eigentliche-film-entsteht-im-kopf-des-zuschauers-sebastian-schipper-im-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"“The Real Film Exists in the Viewer\u2019s Mind.” | Sebastian Schipper in Interview"},"content":{"rendered":"

A feature film without a single cut \u2013 that had never been done before. Sebastian Schipper, 51, dared to try the crazy experiment with the Berlin crime drama “Victoria” and was celebrated for the coup at the Berlinale. Schipper had already caused a stir in 1999 with his debut “Absolute Giganten”. He followed up with another buddy film, “A Friend of Mine”, starring Daniel Br\u00fchl and J\u00fcrgen Vogel. Schipper also played Detective Katz alongside Wotan Wilke M\u00f6hring in “Tatort” on four occasions. Additionally, he regularly appears in films by Tom Tykwer. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Now, with “Roads”, he presents the story of a friendship between two teenagers who travel from Morocco to Europe in a camper van. Our contributor Dieter O\u00dfwald spoke with the director.<\/p>\n

Mr Schipper, your film claims that hugs need to last 20 seconds for hormones to be released. Is that just a pretty invention or the truth?<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

Schipper<\/b>: The idea came from our actor Ben Chaplin, who plays the father in the film. He made that claim about hugging and I spontaneously used it for the film. Whether it works, anyone is welcome to try it out for themselves! (Laughs<\/i>)<\/p>\n

“Roads” tells the story of a friendship between a young Briton and an African as they travel from Morocco to Calais. To what extent do you see this as a refugee film?<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

Schipper<\/b>: I didn’t want to make a film about refugees. “Roads” is set in the Europe of migration, yet we didn’t make a social drama or a problem film. Refugees are simply a reality that my main characters can’t avoid. But above all I made a film about two eighteen-year-olds. One just happens to be from London, the other from the Congo. That’s really the first sentence about this film. All the others come after.<\/p>\n

\"roads
On the way to Morocco: the main actors Fionn Whitehead (left) and St\u00e9phane Bak.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The beginning of a wonderful friendship unfolds in an unusually understated manner \u2013 why is that?<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

Schipper<\/b>: The two young heroes aren’t friends right from the start; the crucial thing is that they simply spend a lot of time together. This leads to moments where they tell each other about their lives, where they laugh or argue together. And then there are those moments when they just sit next to each other in the camper van, not saying much at all.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How important are such gaps in the narrative? Do you want the viewer to assemble the mosaic for themselves rather than everything being spoon-fed?<\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Schipper<\/b>: The real film is created in the viewer’s mind, that’s how cinema works. What it’s really about happens between the images.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The friends are challenged by a rather bizarre hippie, played by Moritz Bleibtreu. How do you get big stars to take on small roles?\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

Schipper<\/b>: In every one of my films, there\u2019s always been a moment when I wondered whether I should do it with Moritz Bleibtreu. Sadly, it never happened until now. So it made me all the happier that this fantastic actor was keen on this little, madcap part. We both had a lot of fun with it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The atmosphere in the Calais refugee camp seems less enjoyable. How were you received there?<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

Schipper<\/b>: The Mayoress of Calais didn’t grant us filming permission, as she was concerned about its image as an attractive holiday destination. The volunteers, on the other hand, supported us and allowed us to film in their warehouse where donated clothes are sorted. All other scenes set in Calais were recreated elsewhere. The refugees were also played by extras, since many of the migrants do not have papers. And our filming was very closely monitored by the authorities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With “Victoria”, you completely did away with editing; this time, you spent plenty of time in the editing suite. Did you feel the need to catch up on that?<\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Schipper: <\/b>I actually enjoyed my time in the editing room, not least because I had a wonderful editor. We edited the film itself very quickly. However, when we found the right music, we took extra time to find the right rhythm between sound and images.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n