Interview with director Dee Rees, member of the international jury at the 20th Marrakech IFF
US director Dee Rees about being invited in the jury in Marrakech, to debate on 1st and 2d feature films
“I think the thing that’s beautiful about being at the Marrakech Film Festival, and being on the jury, is that you get to witness everyone’s first love, so for me, it reminds me of my first love, because that’s the sanctity and the preciousness of that first film: you see what these filmmakers are really passionate about, what they care about, who they are.”
“It’s rare to get to talk about film with actors too. So you’re in the room with Alexander Skarsgård, Joel Edgerton, I mean!, Jessica Chastain… You really get to talk about film with actors, which I find super interesting: what is the actor noticing that I’m not noticing, what are they saying? And with other directors also, we don’t usually get to sit down and talk film. […] There’s a lot of positivity because we’re all interested; we all get it, we’re all sympathetic to filmmaking: it’s hard, no matter the film, no matter the timing. So everyone is just trying to find a moment of celebration and so it’s been edifying in that way. […] It’s just fun to love film with other people who love film. […] It feels connective, it’s nice to see films from different crafts, different points of view. […] It’s a really good vibe.”
On what inspires her first and foremost and following your heart with every project
“I always follow the character. For Pariah, it was Alike, for Bessie, it was Bessie Smith. I kind of go where the characters lead me. In Mudbound, I was interested in Hap Jackson and Ronsel, in The Last Thing He Wanted, I was interested in Elena, kind of following into Didion… I think when you get away from your first film, the hard thing is listening to what your heart really wants to do, because there’s a lot of people coming with things that they think you should do, or that they think you’re good at doing, and so I try to still listen to that voice. I was talking to Tilda Swinton the other night… I was telling her that I was writing some weird experimental thing, and she was like: ‘Do that, do that thing!’. It’s kind of a reminder to try and follow that heart’s tug… Filmmaking is such an arduous and never-ending journey, you have to really love that thing and be doing it without any kind of connection to, or anticipation of what the outcome will be. You have to do it because you love it, so I’m trying to get back to that magic – because when we did Pariah, nobody was watching, nobody knew who we were: I want that freedom again !”
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