Uta Arning

I could never understand how my friends and classmates could put up posters of pop stars on their walls. Of course, without music there is no life. Studying at NYU and working in film productions allowed me to learn the craft from acclaimed directors, such as Oliver Stone, Shekhar Kapur, Roger Spottiswood, and Todd Solondz - interesting personalities. It is fascinating to learn about their path to where they are today, but isn’t it much more impactful to listen to a friend you make who was forced to leave their homeland? I once filmed a short portrayal of a “Hibakusha”. It’s a term used for those who survived the Atomic Bombs thrown on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. That is something I won’t forget: Spending time with this person and having her share this very personal history.

I love genre films, I love creating worlds between reality and surrealism that deal with contemporary themes of our times, with some dark humour in it. But I also like documentary films as this is a form in which you can meet real people and their stories.

I think, as for independent cinema, if you start from the demand of the public, then you are bound to fail. Try to tell the story you want to tell as well as you can with the material and the constraints given to you. If you are authentic and truthful, it will work out.