It is always cold in the Red Hall of the Cinema House, where the festival Docudays UA is traditionally held. But not this time because the audience took a mental trip to the state of Bahia in the south of Brazil, where a talented artist Danna Arabahiana has lived for 10 long and happy years far from other people. She can be compared with Robinson Crusoe, except for one thing – the young woman chose such lifestyle on her own. But why? Kamila Jozefowicz, Polish film director, lived close to Danna for a long time and tried to give an answer to this question in her documentary Galumphing. By the way the word “galumphing” was invented by Lewis Carroll and was first used in the fairy tale Through the Looking Glass, it means useless embellishment of reality.
The Day spoke with the director of the film about how she met the artist, what message she wanted to convey with her film, and about contemporary documentaries after the screening of the documentary.
“I grew up in Warsaw. After graduation I lived in London. Then it seemed to me that I was the center of the universe. But after a while I started to get tired of the pace of life. I decided to go to Brazil for two weeks. When I returned to London, I caught myself thinking about Brazil at all times. So after eight months I sold everything and moved to live in this paradise,” said Kamila JOZEFOWICZ. “I lived there for a year and a half and still want to go back there. Things are totally different there – you live dynamically without television and the Internet, even without a washing machine. All you need is a roof and food. Even the walls are not necessary because it is warm outside. And coconuts and other fruit are always at hand. The rest of the time you spend alone. For me it was a period of meditation, I stopped and saw the things I did not notice when I lived in a city. Naturally I wanted to show this to others, but I did not know how. I kept thinking about making a film. And then I met Danna. Suddenly, I realized that I should make a film about her! By doing this I would be able to tell about my feelings.”
What did you bring back to city?
“New ideas. But when I returned to Warsaw, I found out that the urban life swallows you up with its speed and distances. It is dangerous and difficult. One day I woke up and realized that I went back to the state I was before. I think fast, move fast. In order to avoid this fuss, I meditate every day. I try not to hurry because then you can better see the things happening around you.”
What was the reaction to the film at festivals?
“When I was working on this film I did not think about the reaction of people because I did not intend to please everyone. I just wanted to share what has accumulated inside of me, hoping that there will be people who will understand me. After the screenings of the film, people, touched by it, come up to me and I usually hear basically only positive feedback. But, for example, several of my friends were unpleasantly surprised by the film. They asked me with great surprise about what the main character was saying. I was impressed that the film was accepted for the competition of the International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival since it is different from the main program. But the film also presents an aspect of human rights violation. Just imagine, Danna is a woman who lives her life and suddenly the Brazilian government attempts to deprive her of the piece of land she owns giving a meager compensation for it in order to settle Indians there.”
Every year more Polish films are presented at the Docudays UA. Is there a secret to success?
“Polish school of documentary film-making begins in the 1950s-1960s. But, I think that it is not only about the school. Today, the most important thing in documentaries is the idea they present.”
Czech-Canadian director Petr Lom says that if you want to make a documentary go and make it. There is no need to receive any special training for that. Explanation like “I will not do it because there is no funding” or “we do not have a school of documentary films” will not work.
“It is true. You can take a camera and go shoot. The main rule is to have something to tell the audience. The film may appeal to people, even if your camera is shaking or everything was captured on you phone, but the idea is good. If the idea is not interesting or appealing the cinema hall will soon be empty. I made this film on my own, without any funding, I did the montage myself and my brother wrote music for it. I proved to myself that you can do something interesting and worthwhile on your own. Now is a good time for making documentaries.”
Why did you decide to come back from Brazil?
“It is difficult to make money there. Not only for Danna, but also for me. It is a small village. I earned my living from taking photos for magazines and selling postcards on the beaches. You do not need a lot of money to live there but you can’t make enough to be able to travel and visit home. At that time I had many unfinished projects here. I wanted to finish the film, but couldn’t do it while I was there. I found my paradise very early in my life.”
