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Interview: Im Gespräch mit dem japanischen Filmemacher Arata Mori konnten wir mehr über seinen Dokumentarfilm „A Million“ (OT: „A Million“), der auf dem 64. DOK Leipzig in der Reihe ‚Camera Lucida – Außer Konkurrenz‘ lief, erfahren, warum es ihn immer wieder auf Reisen zieht und welche visuellen und erzählerischen Kriterien für diese Reise an der neuen Seidenstraßen wichtig waren.
The original english language interview is also available.
Wie hat alles angefangen – hat Marco Polo den Anstoß gegeben?
Um ehrlich zu sein, war Marco Polo nicht meine erste Inspiration, auch nicht die Seidenstraße, als ich begann, über diesen Film nachzudenken. Eigentlich war die Seidenstraße nicht mein Hauptinteresse, vor allem wenn es um das typische Bild geht, das die meisten Menschen von ihr haben, nämlich exotisch und geheimnisvoll. Aber ich wollte schon immer einen Film machen, in dem es weniger um Menschen, sondern mehr um eine Stadt geht. Ich wollte eine Stadt so darstellen, als wäre sie lebendig wie ein Mensch und würde sich ständig bewegen und zirkulieren wie das Blut im Körper. Und die Idee, einen Dokumentarfilm über die Seidenstraße zu machen, kam mir, als ich von dieser neuen Seidenstraße, „One Belt One Road“, die von China initiiert wurde, hörte. Ich wurde neugierig darauf, wie sich die modernen Städte entlang der neuen Seidenstraße entwickeln und radikal verändern, vor allem durch den gigantischen Ausbau der Infrastruktur. Meine Neugierde hat mich dann dazu gebracht, mich für drei Monate auf diese verrückte Reise zu begeben.
Welche Route hast Du genau genommen?
Wie hast Du die Orte ausgewählt, die Du in Deinem Film aufgenommen hast? Wie viele verschiedene Orte hast Du besucht und wie viele davon haben es in den Film geschafft?
Wie war es, vor Ort zu drehen – bist Du allein unterwegs gewesen oder hattest Du ein Team?
Wie hast Du die Drehorte gefunden oder selbst ausgewählt?
Google Maps war mein wichtigstes Hilfsmittel, ohne das meine Reise nur eingeschränkt möglich war. Manchmal schaute ich mir Google Maps auf meinem Telefon an und prüfte Straßenansichten oder Bilder, die jemand hochgeladen hatte. Am nächsten Tag nahm ich einen Zug und war da.
Warum hast Du Deine Begegnung mit den Einheimischen am Ende des Films aufgenommen?
Was war für Dich visuell bedeutend?
Auf der klanglichen Ebene fällt auf, dass die Sprache hier keine große Rolle spielt, aber was war Dir wichtig?
Dieser Film war mein Versuch, das ‚Bild‘ einer Stadt darzustellen, anstatt Städte oder Menschen auf konventionelle Weise zu dokumentieren. Daher habe ich mich darauf konzentriert, alle nationalen Zeichen und Identitäten aus dem Film zu entfernen. Ich habe versucht, die Sprache absichtlich wegzulassen, weil Sprache immer die Identität und Nationalität von Städten und Menschen definiert. Ich wollte eine Stadt ohne Namen und bedeutungsvolle Symbole zeigen.
Kannst Du mir auch etwas mehr über die Höhlenszenen erzählen?
Kannst Du mir mehr über Dich und Dein Verhältnis zum Reisen und Filmen erzählen?
Ich bin viel gereist, vor allem als ich jung war, meist allein, wie ein Rucksacktourist oder Vagabund. Jetzt reise ich immer weniger auf diese Weise, aber ich reise, um einen Film zu machen. Ein Dokumentarfilm ist die beste Ausrede, um zu reisen, wohin man will.
Wie bist Du von Japan nach Berlin gekommen?
Was sind Deine nächsten Projekte?
Im Moment recherchiere ich für die neue Idee eines Dokumentarfilmprojekts, das sich mit dem ‚Übergang‘ von Geistern und Menschen, von Tod und Leben beschäftigt.
Die Fragen stellte Doreen Matthei
Übersetzung von Michael Kaltenecker
Lies auch die Rezension des Dokumentarfilms „A Million“
Interview: In our conversation with Japanese filmmaker Arata Mori, we were able to learn more about his documentary “A Million” (OT: “A Million”), which was screened at the 64th DOK Leipzig in the series ‘Camera Lucida – Out of Competition’, why he is always drawn to travel and what visual and narrative criteria were important for this journey along the new Silk Roads.
How did it all start – did Marco Polo give the initial idea?
Honestly, Marco Polo was not my first inspiration, nor the silk road when I started to think about this film. Actually, the silk road was not my biggest interest, especially when it comes to its typical image in most people’s mind, which is exotic and mysterious. But I always wanted to make a film less about people but more about a city. I wanted to depict a city as if it is alive like a human and constantly moves and circulates like blood in the body. And the idea of making a documentary about the silk road came to my mind when I heard about this new silk road, “One Belt One Road” initiated by China. I became curious about how modern cities along the new silk road are developing and changing radically, especially caused by this gigantic infrastructure development. My curiosity then led me to set off on the crazy trip for three months.
Which route did you take exactly?
I began my trip from Japan, my home country. My plan was to return to Berlin, where I am currently based, on the land route. I took a ship to Shanghai from Osaka bay, taking almost 3 days. From Shanghai, I went to southern China, Shenzhen, by a high-speed train, and headed to the west afterwards, the cities such as Xi’an, Langzhou, Kashgar and Ürümqi. Then, I crossed the border from China to Kazakhstan, kept traveling around central Asia like Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. Finally, I headed to the middle-eastern countries like Iran, Turkey and Georgia. I had to take a plane from Georgia to Germany due to the time limitation, otherwise my initial plan was to take a bus or night train through the eastern Europe to arrive at Berlin.
How did you choose the places you included in your film? How many different places did you visit and how many made it into your film?
The selection of places I made during my trip is the mixture of the main urban cities along one of the ancient silk road routes, some places which I thought were linked to the theme of the film and also random spots I spontaneously found on Google Maps. There were many places I filmed but whose scenes I didn’t include in the film, like the ghost city near Langzhou, but nobody moved into. Basically, I shot 60 hours long material to be cut to one hour in the end.
What was it like shooting on location – did you travel alone or did you have a team?
I wished I would have taken a team to the trip, but this was a self-financed project. I travelled alone just with a small camera and tripod, pretending to be a backpacker. Local people thought I was just a tourist and, occasionally, that let me sneak into some places which were normally not allowed to be filmed.
How did you find or choose the locations yourself?
Google Maps was my strong tool, without which my trip was more limited. Sometimes, I looked at Google Map on my phone, and checked street views or pictures someone was uploading on it. On the next day, I took a train and was there.
Why did you include your encounter with the local people at the end?
The scene wasn’t planned in the beginning of the post production. But at the end of the film, I wanted to put some elements which were slightly different from the rest of the film. The scene, in which I was talking behind the camera to the local people, happened purely accidentally in the shooting. I drove a 4WD by myself in Pamir Mountains, Kyrgyzstan. It was almost sunset and I was in a hurry to return to the nearest town, which would be reached in one hour by car, otherwise there were no hotels around to sleep. When I was filming that stone structure, these local people walked closer to me out of curiosity and asked me a thousand questions, which frustrated me. But later, I found the scene quite symbolic, especially in a sense that it represents the notion of the perspective of this film – namely, a question that would occur to audiences: Whose eyes are that through which we watch this film. And it was that of me, the filmmaker.
What was visually important to you?
I think that every image has the same weight of importance particularly in this film as its concept was to make the collage of “a million” of different images and turn them into a film.
On a tonal level, it’s noticeable that language doesn’t play a big role here, but what was important to you?
This film was my attempt to represent the “image” of a city rather than to document cities or people in a more conventional way. So, my focus was to remove any national signs and identities from the film. I tried to opt out language intentionally because language always defines the identity and nationality of cities and people. I wanted to depict a city without names nor meaningful symbols.
Can you also tell me a bit more about the cave scenes?
I shot the scenes in the cave of Safranbolu, Turkey, without knowing what I was using the shots for. I used them to start the film because I thought that, despite the fact that the film is so concrete and full of colorful images, it also has the abstract side, which is to do with “image” and “illusion”. And I thought that the film should begin platonically. So, the cave in the beginning is Plato’s cave for me, in which the origin of all images in this world is.
Can you tell me more about yourself and your relationship with travel and filming?
I travelled a lot especially when I was young, mostly alone like a backpacker or vagabond. I travel less and less that way now, but I travel in order to make a film. A documentary film is the best excuse to go wherever you want.
How did you end up in Berlin from Japan?
It wasn’t my initial plan to move to Berlin. I moved to London from Japan 12 years ago because I felt that I didn’t quite fit into Japanese society. I used to live there for 4 years. Then, I was looking for the next place to settle down as my visa was expiring. I found Berlin very attractive as an alternative city and the place where the film “Wings of Desire”, which was one of my favorite films, was shot.
What are your next projects?
For now, I am doing research on the new idea of a documentary project, which deals with the “transition” of spirits and humans, and of death and life.
Questions asked by Doreen Matthei
Read on the german review of the film “A Million“