Making short films was really hard for me
An interview with German director and festival juror Matthias Luthard on the international success of his first feature film Pingpong and his festival experiences.
Matthias Luthardt at Fresh Film Fest
What do you think the most important moment that helped you to get your first feature Pingpong to the audience and to festivals was?
Of course, Cannes was very important for the career of the film. I was invited to La semaine de la critique 2006 and it helped a lot because the whole film industry is there and I got two prices. Later, I was invited to many festivals all around the world.
Pingpong is also a universal story. It’s a drama, a chamber play, really minimalistic, I think everyone knows this kind of tension, emotional journeys. I can’t give you the recipe for a successful film. I just think that it’s a very universal story and that is why it was bought for so many countries. I’m just happy that it’s not only a German film, something that can only be understood in Germany, but that it was also understood in Mexico or Japan.
How are you enjoying being in a festival jury?
I like it, otherwise I would not have come. It’s interesting because I’m in the jury for short films and when I did my short films at school, it was really hard for me. I tended to make fragments of longer stories and I wanted to make longer stories. So I’m curious to see different approaches to telling short stories.
How do you like Fresh Film Fest so far?
I like it. I‘ve been to lots of festivals, recently to Locarno, and there are all these professionals working in the industry for a very long time and now here I like the mood of the younger ones who are at the beginning. I feel I’m in between. I am not an old director, who made twenty films, and I’m not a student anymore, so I like my position here. Also, for film students, festivals like this are very important. If you are invited to a festival, it really motivates you to go on with your work. The worst thing for a filmmaker is the idea that no one is interested and no one likes your films.
AK
