NZIFF Q&A - Rebecca Tansley

NZIFF Q&A - Rebecca Tansley

My film is… 
The story of a ballet inspired by the 1993 film The Piano, but it’s not just a dance film! A lot happened.

The moment I'm most proud of is…
When the film screens and audiences enjoy it, take something from it and talk about it.

The Heart Dances

The reason I carried on with this film when it got tough is… 
The same reason people do anything that’s hard – they are driven to do it. Some people climb mountains, some people paint. I get an idea to make a film and I have to see it through, even when you’re in the middle of wondering why you thought it was a good idea, you don’t stop. That’s how it is.

The one moment that will resonate with an audience is… 
Well hopefully there are more moments than one – but I think that the human relationships depicted in the ballet  (which of course originate in Jane Campion’s story) are very real, and very relatable. I defy anyone not to look at it and recognise moments from their own lives.

The hardest thing I had to cut from this film is........
One and a half minutes of a pas de deux set to a Shostakovich concerto. The music and the dancing are both so intensely beautiful but unfortunately film duration matters. Maybe it’ll make the dvd!

The thing I want people to take from this film is ...... 
That making art is hard, that art is worth having and celebrating, but should also challenge us and make us think and talk about stuff.

The reason I love the NZIFF is....... 
Affirmation, because my film screens alongside great and wonderful and vibrant films from all over the world. It means I’m one of that community of storytellers.

What the 50th NZIFF means to me is......
A celebration of the institution that for 50 years has brought us diverse stories and other ways of seeing the world. Here’s to the next 50 years!