Miguel Fonseca Director of As Ondas

In what context did this Project came about?

MF: I felt my last film, Alpha, was a bit too complicated and dark. At the time I felt I had gone too far. So I wanted to do something completely different. This project actually suffered a lot of changes from the original concept. It was suppose to be a summer film. I had a light narrative script about two twin teenage sisters on a beach holiday. But due to complications with the Portuguese film institute the shooting took a long time to start. I wanted to shot it in the summer, so by the time I actually got to do any shooting I had fallen out of love with the story. My relationship with this film changed drastically. But the focus of the story, the sea and its sound, stayed the same.

…and how did the audience react?

MF: I was surprise to find out the film works a lot better than I expected. This is actually the first time I see it in a big screen. My objective was to take a lot of the energy of the original script. For instance, one of the characters, the sick girl, doesn’t really do anything in the film. I took so much out of it. I thought it had became cold, that it would be a hard film to watch. I was not sure if the audience would be interested as I took so much out of the story. So I was surprised to see it selected for competition and hear people telling me they enjoyed it so much, that they though it was beautifully shot. So I am curious to see the reaction in future screenings

You graduated in Philosophy. How did you end up making films?

MF: I began working with Sandro Aguilar and I started to learn slowly. I used to love watching films and now I’ve learn I enjoy making them as well. I´m actually beginning to think of starting to work on a feature, but as things stand now in Portugal, with all the budget cuts, I’m not so sure if it is a good idea. In Portugal nobody knows what is going to happen. If the cuts are going to last one or two years. To be honest, I don’t think it is worth it to make films without decent conditions. In the past I´ve done films without any money, and I see people shooting films with mobile phones and I see nothing wrong with that. But to make the films I want to make without the necessary conditions it´s not worth it. I´d rather not do them at all. Apart from that I am also not sure I am ready. I think filmmakers should first gain a lot of experience doing short films. I´ve done a few, but I am not sure I am completely ready for a feature.

Don’t you think it is strange to be in such a large and influential festival with 10 Portuguese productions in the program at a time when film production in Portugal is completely halted?

MF: Ofcourse. Just yesterday I was at the screening of João Salaviza´s new short and everyone was asking what was going on. How come such a small country was producing so many and such great films. It is wonderful to have so many films here. This is a great time for Portuguese cinema. I obviously understand the budget cuts at a time when everything else is being cut. What I find strange is how they don’t explain exactly what is going on.

You´ve seen the other films in competition. Have you seen anything you liked?

MF: So far I’ve not thing many that blew me away. I still have not seen session 5 and 6. I did enjoy the Brazilian film I watched today ( Dinosaur Eggs in the Living Room by Rafael Urban), I thought that one was good. It was very well structured and controlled. It could have been easy for the director to take it in to the comedy realm, but he did well not to do it. The rest of the films are not my beach as we say in Portugal.