News  ·  03 | 03 | 2022

“Locarno was the beginning of the most amazing things”

Baran Sarmad, the winner of the Locarno Shorts Weeks, recounts her love for Locarno, the difficult years of the pandemic, and the advent of a new age of cinema: the age of women

What does this award mean to you? 
«First of all, having this chance to make my film available for an international audience again through Locarno Festival was amazing. This award is precious to me for two reasons. First, the Locarno Shorts Weeks Audience Award is the best award I could get from the international audience. Second, I’m getting it in Locarno. The Locarno Film Festival has always been very dear to me, because it was the first one to notice my films and my art. After attending Locarno, the most amazing things happened to me.» 

What did it mean to take part in Locarno2020, in a year where the world ground to a halt?
«When I received the news about getting accepted to the Locarno Film Festival two years ago, the world had already stopped, and so did my personal life, as I lost my father because of the pandemic. But the news gave me hope to go on and I think it was really important that, despite all the difficulties, the festival could take place online.»

What do you remember of that experience?
«Art is the only thing that can make hard days more peaceful. During the Festival, I had a great experience watching the wonderful works of other filmmakers. I built valuable personal and work relationships.»  

Two years later, how do you view your film?
«I still have the same feelings towards Spotted Yellow. In my head, I still have the same dreamy image I saw and turned into a film. But I think there is more to Roya’s life story and one day I might make a film about it.»

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Art is the only thing that can make hard days more peaceful. During the Festival I built valuable personal and work relationships.  

Two years later, how do you view your film?
«I still have the same feelings towards Spotted Yellow. In my head, I still have the same dreamy image I saw and turned into a film. But I think there is more to Roya’s life story and one day I might make a film about it.» 

These past two years have changed the world. How has your filmmaking changed?
«On the one hand, the pandemic created an opportunity for us to spend time alone and think; on the other hand, it caused irreversible problems. For instance, the budget for buying short films and making new ones has significantly decreased and that has made it hard for filmmakers to work. But these are all part of our life experiences. I hope it will pass soon and a better time will arrive.»  

What is cinema to you?
«It’s like asking “What is the world to you?”. I think cinema has a vast and limitless ground and, like life itself, can at any second take the shape of new concepts and forms. But I feel cinema’s depth whenever I live a moment in it, like when you watch a film and at a particular moment, you feel like you’re experiencing an actor’s feelings or a light or a sound. Films add something to your living experience which hasn’t been there before. This year, I experienced that while watching Memoria by Apichatpong Weerasethakul.» 

What kind of stories do you want to tell today?
«My new film, which I’m writing, will also be about human life in the modern world and its connection to nature. It is, in fact, about freeing oneself from pre-defined structures.»

To whom do you dedicate this prize?
«This year was a great year for women filmmakers in festivals all around the world. I believe there is a new age of cinema of women filmmakers coming, because now they have more opportunities to gain various experiences.» 

What is Baran's dream?
«My dream is to live in a world of peace and equal opportunities. I’d like to experience filmmaking with no restrictions and without worrying about financial and legal issues. There are lots of images and stories in my head that I’d love to turn into films.» 

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