MANILA, APRIL 12, 2013 – Award-winning director Erik Matti engaged the audience on the first day of Kidlat Festival 2013, starting with the screening of his seven-minute silent horror short “Vesuvius”.
Being the renowned director of acclaimed films such as “Pasiyam”, “Exodus”, “Gagamboy” and “Tiktik: The Aswang Chronicles”, the Kidlat attendees took in the process Matti goes through to make a movie. He asks himself four questions: 1) What is it about? 2) Does it matter to me? 3) Is it relevant to everyone else? 4) Is it worth exploring?
Vesuvius answered all these questions, Matti said. However, he added, “Vesuvius was meant for an international audience. The only way it could stand out is to make the story local.”
Next, he stressed the importance of collaboration, which was exactly what he did to make “Vesuvius” happen. However, Matti acknowledged that finding the best people to work with is tricky. “The ‘best’ is when the person that is passionate about the work we’re doing,” he said. “Best ka nga sa field mo pero natutulog ka naman sa set, bihira lang makita sa dami ng ginagawa (You may be the best in your field but you sleep on the set and we rarely see you because of the many things that you have to do).”
Here are some quotes from the master director:
“With the few movies you make in a lifetime, you’d rather make movies you want to make.”
“It’s important that people can relate to your story, or else it’s nothing. And when you’re on your deathbed, bago ka lumagpas dun sa light after the tunnel, maaalala mo na tatlo lang yung may gusto sa pelikula mo.”
“Clarify the vision with every collaborator.”
“The auteur theory is out. It’s now important that everyone collaborate and claim their work, not just the director.”
