MARTA PRUS: "NOT ONLY SPORT IS UNPREDICTABLE, BUT ALSO MAKING A DOCUMENTARY FILM"
During the Olympic Games, beginning today in Rio, Marta Prus will shoot her latest film "Over the Limit" – a documentary portrait of the Russian gymnast Margarita Mamun. We would like to invite you to read the interview with the author of the project.
Daniel Stopa: Before our interview, I watched a couple of videos with Margarita Mamun (the protagonist of "Over the Limit") on the Internet. Rhythmic gymnastics is a discipline which fascinates by its beauty - just like figure skating, ballet. Was the desire to capture the beauty of this sport one of the reasons for making the film?
Marta Prus: My fascination with rhythmic gymnastics stems from personal experiences. In childhood, I trained this discipline myself seven years long. A fondness for this sport remained in me, as it combines beauty and elements of gymnastics with significant mental effort, everyday lonely struggle with one's limitations.
The film's protagonist is Margarita Mamun. What is the special thing you noticed about this player so that you have chosen her from among many others?
Three years ago I went to Moscow in search of a protagonist for my film. Margarita grabbed my attention first because of her appearance. She is half-Bangladeshi, and hence her dark complexion, as well as the type of beauty totally distinct from the Slavic one. She stands out from among all other Russian players. She is a very sensitive, meditative person, which is not a common feature of athletes. She was intriguing for me as a human being and I wanted to get to know her thoughts. After the period of pre-production, when we started shooting, Margarita became the oldest gymnast in her team, and the upcoming Olympic Games in Rio are her only and the last chance to fulfil her sports dreams. Jana, two years her junior, will be allowed to participate in yet another Olympics. That is why the stakes are so high for my protagonist.
The road to the Olympics in Rio will determine the plot of the film?
Now we are in the second half of shooting. The film will show the road from the World Championships in 2015 to the Olympic Games in 2016, but exactly what story will be shown? We will find out when the shooting is finished. Not only sport is unpredictable, but also making a documentary film.
The Olympics in Rio are the last chance for Margarita. She must be under extreme pressure. Doesn't your camera intensify it?
I try to concentrate on the protagonist's emotions. I really care about being close to her. It is a challenge, because Margarita is a person who keeps to herself, living under constant pressure. That is why the film does not always give her pleasure.
World Championships and the Olympic Games are great events. How do you deal with the rights to filming? Where is your camera not allowed?
Luckily, so far during large events, we did not have any problems with accessing every place where Margarita was. Unfortunately, before the flight to Rio, we still do not know how it is going to look like there on site and what we will be allowed to film.
I can guess that there is quite a lot of footage. How does the work on the editing look like? Is the film edited on an ongoing basis?
Even now, there is a lot of material. I watch it in parts. There is not much time for editing, because in addition to intensive filming, there are also trips to pitching forums. At the same time, I also made my graduation film "Hot and Cold" and completed my master's degree at the Film School in Lodz. However, we talk to the producer Maciej Kubicki, art supervisor Leszek Dawid and the editor Maciej Pawliński, on a more or less ongoing basis and I have control over where the project is heading. All of them try to support me in this great challenge.
"Over the Limit" is a Polish-German co-production. When did interest arise on the German side? When can we expect the film and in which format?
A lot of countries are still interested in this project, I think because of the attractive subject matter and the film's teaser. Hans Robert Eisenhauer was the first foreign producer to whom I talked and basically, he immediately wanted to join our project. The film's premiere is planned for the summer of 2017, the format - over 60 minutes.
So far, what made you the most difficulties during making the film?
Difficulties... It is a hard film for several reasons: the protagonist speaking a different language than me, living according to plans about which she herself learns a moment before their implementation. Therefore, we cannot plan too much in advance. Filming abroad, in unfamiliar places, working with protagonists who are very stressed and the director, who agonises about her first feature-length film!
Thank you very much for the interview.
Thank you.
The interview was conducted by Daniel Stopa.