Ant Timpson talks The Incredibly Strange
Every year the New Zealand International Film Festival gets incredibly
strange - thanks to the cinematic choices made by film supremo Ant
Timpson.
This year's no exception - and we caught up with Ant, to get the
lowdown on his cinematic selections and reason for them..
So another year, another Incredibly Strange - how's it been sourcing
them this year? Well, there are always hiccups when it comes to
securing films for the festival. So many things can go askew at the last minute.
This year was particularly bad as I lost two strong titles at the last minute
and was scrambling to replace them. There was some pressure from outside sources
that kept a title away from us. Sometimes we're battling against the big boys
for titles, so it's a miracle we get any
of them to be honest. Lots of
times, it's having good relationships with people that snag us the gems. This
year just seemed tough, we literally were placing films a day before the guide
went to print.
It's going to be interesting to see if online petitions translate to
bums on seats for Cabin in the Woods. Given the pressure to get this on a big
screen rather than a straight to DVD release, what are your hopes for this film?
The film is going to do well even though many have probably
downloaded it and watched it via other means. They will turn up in droves
because they are fans and want to see it in great surroundings. Piracy does
affect many titles but there are some interesting swing benefits as well. I
could write 10,000 words on the issue of downloading and what really needs to
change. Getting angry or threatening with downloaders is a joke, you need to
work with them and to understand the mindset of those who do download. How the
hell did I get onto this?! Ok back to Cabin - what I wanted to say was how
often do you get to see a very commercial horror title like this in a cinema
like The Civic? In the 80s I used to see every horror film in that period in The
Civic, Scanners etc but that's a long time ago. And even better there are no rats
or water leakage these days.
Awesome to see another Ben Wheatley title this year too as last
year's Kill List was a stunning piece. What can you tell us about Sightseers?
I can tell you that it's funnier than it reads and it's more bloody
than it reads but it's not nasty like Kill List was. I just think Ben has
captured whats great about the work of folks like Shane Meadows / Mike Leigh and
managed to transfuse their aesthetic with a unique vision and tone that is all
his. I've always wanted to make a serial killing couple movie, ever since I was
deeply affected by Badlands as a youngster. I remember loving the black humour
and poetry in that film and I think Ben's done a tremendous job in managing to
subtly make a wry commentary about life in the midlands.
V/H/S seems to be a cool choice as well - it's a kind of horror
anthology film? Not a kind - it's very much an anthology film
through and through. It just doesn't look like your typical anthology. No creepy
crypt keeper or comic book pages. It's very lo-fi and analog all the way. What
the film does do is offer some major scares for those who like 'BOO' horror
outings. It also has a lot of humour in it which people may not be expecting.
Some of the stories are much better than others but you never know how each one
is going to play out - they all have something cool in them and the film ends
really well. If you think Paranormal Activity was scary, then you're going to
dig this.
Klown looks intriguing - what is it about this film which spoke to
you? Well the crowd I was watching with spoke to me. It was one of
the best audience reactions I've seen to a comedy for a long time. So I thought
I have to get this film, and I even went so far as to partner up with Vendetta
Films to put money into purchasing the rights for NZ/AUS. So now I have my arse
on the line and am hoping people don't just think this is normal Ant Timpson
hyperbole. This film delivers major solid laughs throughout.The characters are
incredibly realised and the humour so biting it's brilliant. Women will love it
because it's how idiotic men are and the lengths they go to remain unchanged by
adulthood. It's really at its heart one man's attempt to be a father and failing
miserably. The humour is very adult and is quite graphic. Not intended for kids
that's for sure.
Generally, what do you look for from an audience who see your
choices? I generally look for them to be in the cinema at the end
of the film. That's always a good sign. I just want a reaction to be honest.
Positive is obviously the best but I'll take the polar opposite as well.. I just
don't want a flat response. Nothing hurts me more than someone saying "Hmmmn
well that was ok I guess" OK? OK is for losers. I want "That was fucking
amazing" or "Oh God, what the hell did you just drag me to" effect.
You're often lurking around during the screenings - do you get
something from every film each time you see it? Well I lurk for
other reasons but let's not get into that here where it can be used against me
in a court of law. But for sure, I love checking in on screenings of films I've
already seen a few times. I'm
a meta-voyeur in that respect.I get off
watching people get off. Every good film has the ability to transform into
something new each time you watch it. That's the power of great cinema, that
there are areas you haven't peeled away until you've seen it a few times.
We always want to know - what's the one film that you didn't quite
get that you wanted? This year I wanted The Final Member, a
documentary about two men competing for their penises to be placed as the human
specimen in the World Famous Penis Museum. It is far more compelling and crazy
as even that sounds. And You're Next, the fun horror film by my buddy Adam
Wingard who we brought down for Pop skull his $2000 feature a few years back.
That was looking good but the distributor has other plans for it. There was also
Wrong, which was in and then out and then in.. this is the surreal new feature
by the mysterious director behind the cult hit Rubber.
You've been hinting online that there's another film coming that has
not been announced yet - what more can you tell us? Well that was
Compliance which I saw earlier this year. From Craig Zobel who many older net
nerds will know from being the creator of Homestarr Runner. This film which is a
composite of some truly strange true crimes will provoke a lot of discussion, it
will piss some people off and others will be mesmerized. It's one of those films
that the director gets accused of somehow exploiting the subject matter and make
the audience complicit in the onscreen activity.
You've been involved in the Make My Movie competition. How is the
winner How To Meet Girls From a Distance looking? It's looking
excellent considering all the pressures those guys have been under. I think it's
a surprisingly commercial film and that folks will find it a pretty enjoyable
romcom with a bit of added weirdness to it. There are not many folks who could
deliver a film on that tight a schedule for $100k. We're very happy with the
team behind it. We threw everything at them and they still came out smiling. To
be selected in the NZFF is a major achievement as well. People might think with
my association it was a no brainer getting it in. Well, let me just put the
kaibosh on that right now. There is no way on earth that Bill Gosden will
programme anything he doesn't like. Just no way. I know how he feels and I was
never going to request a favour for the film to be included. But he dug it and
it shows in that he's programming the film outside of its hometown of Wellington
into other regions. That's the proof right there.
What's your pick outside of the IS of course, for this year's
festival?
Oh man there's way too many. Holy Motors is high on my
list and of course Compliance. I really hope people take a punt on the smaller
films in the IS section like Room 237 about the mysteries of The Shining which
is such a beautiful and heady pic.
You can get the full NZ Film Festival programme at www.nzff.co.nz and also, get details of how and where you can book tickets for the event which kicks off in Auckland on July19th!
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