OPEN LETTER TO LEBANESE CINEMA PROFESSIONALS
A FEW PERSONNAL IDEAS. MY REACTION TO THE MEETING REGARDING FILM PRODUCTION IN LEBANON, WHICH TOOK PLACE AT THE FRENCH INSTITUTE ON THE 6TH OF SEPTEMBER 2012.
Dear film professionals,
First of all, I would like to congratulate Pierre Sarraf and the French Institute for this well organized and essential event.
For those who don’t know me, let me introduce myself briefly: I’ve been working on Lebanese films for ten years now, mostly as an assistant director, I directed a short film Bukra sette w noss/ Tomorrow, 6:30, and I am actually developing a feature film.
What I am about to say is just my personal opinion, a few ideas from a fellow film professional.
I was amazed by the keen interest sparked off by this event and by the presence of almost all the key players working in the very peculiar world of Lebanese cinema. The event revealed a very important element: the professionals’ undeniable will to create a viable industry and to put an end to our sector’s “poverty”.
As Pierre Sarraf underlined it from the start, the number of films produced in Lebanon is raising. The desire to make films as well. Today, there are new players in the Lebanese cinema’s landscape, new tendencies, but mostly new visions regarding cinema and the way to make it. For example, a strong will to develop a popular and commercial cinema.
I think this is very healthy. I also think Mr Bereyziat’s intervention was extremely necessary, and his presentation of the CNC (France’s National Cinema Center) simple but essential. Essential because many players of the Lebanese film industry [including me] have very little information on how the European film financing systems really works.
Here are the few ideas I would like to share:
1-
A young director or screenwriter who has a project is often blocked early on in the process because he seldom knows what to do with it. He doesn’t know on which door to knock. First thing to do, of course, is to find someone who is going to guide him through the process. But this is easier to said than done.
On the other hand, a young talent who has an interesting project rarely has enough information regarding the steps to follow to “start things up”. This information needs to be accessible to everyone interested in cinema, and centralized. A Lebanese CNC? Yes, sure, why not? But before even talking about creating a Lebanese Fund for cinema, we should think about the way to create a center that would gather information to which every Lebanese would have access.
In short, there should be an alternative to the usual mouth to ear process (ie some director hears that another got a writing development fund somewhere and decides to have a go). It doesn’t cost much… it only requires will.
Having participated two years ago in the Rawi-Sundance screenwriter’s lab in Jordan, I realized how much the Jordanian Royal Film Commission was active and efficient. In a country where the film industry is less developed than in Lebanon, where there are less productions and where technicians aren’t (yet) as experienced, the RFC has succeeded where Lebanese players haven’t: it managed to canalize the energy and talents and to centralize the information linked to cinema.
I am also thinking about organizations such as Sundance in the USA, or Raindance in London, that started – parallel to their exponentially popular festivals – writing, directing and production workshops and created numerous “matchmaking” platforms. This logic creates a priceless dynamic. It also builds, on the long run, an industry…
2-
I realized something flagrant during Thursday’s meeting: the fact that no one mentioned what I think is the major problem in Arab Cinema in general, and in Lebanon in particular: screenwriting. The problem was mentioned vaguely a couple of times, but should be, on a later stage, assiduously developed.
Most of Lebanese filmmakers have a tendency to jump into the making of their project before reaching a solid version of their script.
Blaming international commissions, regional distributors and the Lebanese government is unnecessary. It’s wasted energy. Learning to write a readable and original script is, in my humble opinion, much more important. The reason why most of the Lebanese (and foreign) projects fail is often linked to a fragile script. If the Lebanese cinema world wants to win the bet of “producing in Lebanon”, I think this factor should become a priority.
Screenwriting should be taught much more seriously in Universities and real and regular screenwriting workshops should be created. By the way, I salute the Lebanese Cinema Fondation who created, not long ago, a screenwriting workshop. I think the Fondation should be encouraged [and maybe even other organisms] to push this project even further, but also inform young talents more efficiently about the existence of these initiatives.
I would also like to point out that in parallel to screenwriting, young talents should know how to create a selling presentation file. Numerous people still don’t know how to write a synopsis, a director statement or even a biography.
3-
I am personally tired of hearing the famous words “there is not money for Lebanese Cinema” and “we struggle too much to make films”. I think that filmmaking is a risky business, that everyone has to struggle to make it happen and that everywhere in the world the risk is the same. I do not want to count on the Lebanese State. The government is drowning enough in its own moving sands for me to allow myself to waste time in useless hopes. Of course, I hope that one day a National Fund would be created to develop the cinema industry, but I would not bet on it.
I think it would be judicious for the time being to develop matchmaking platforms so Lebanese directors, screenwriters and producers could be put in contact with international producers and “middlemen” who would help them in elaborating the right strategy for their projects. Because, let’s face it, one of the most recurrent problems of Lebanese projects is that they lack strategy, which leads filmmakers to seek improbable private sponsors.
4-
I also felt a latent tension between two groups: a group which feels it belongs to a “quality cinema”, that advocates the virtues of an European method and defend “auteur films”, and another which consider itself belonging to the world of mass entertainment, American style. The debate didn’t really have the time to start, but I think a cold war has started, without anyone admitting it yet. It’s a debate as old as cinema itself. It takes all kinds to make a world, and the fact that viewers now have the choice between “auteur films” and a purely commercial cinema is, in my opinion, very healthy. I think that, on the long run, these two cinema visions should not make war but take into consideration that they do not fight on the same grounds. Note, by the way, that there are several degrees of possibilities between those two extremes and that there is a way to make intelligent films that are accessible to a mass audience.
5-
Another thing that stroke me: the aggressiveness towards Lebanese cinema owners. Several people criticized the fact that cinema owners don’t encourage Lebanese Cinema. Local owners – alike international cinema owners in general – think in terms of free market economy. They want to sell as much tickets as possible. It’s normal. And I don’t think it is worth criticizing that attitude. I do not wish to defend this vision in general, but I don’t think they are the bad guys. I totally understand the logic that leads a cinema owner to priorities Transformers 2 over a Lebanese film that, four times out of five, is not likely to reach more than 20.000 entries, even if it’s kept in the theaters for a whole year.
I think Lebanese producers and directors should play the market’s game as the international distributors and producers do, whether they are betting on a “commercial film” or on an “auteur film”. Trying to deny the market reality is useless. Players should know the market, know their target and play the game accordingly. Producers of “auteur films” in Europe usually know that they can’t really fight against an American blockbuster and that they can’t win the competition in national multiplexes. However, they have alternatives, independent theaters which promote this kind of cinema. I find that the Metropolis theater plays that role beautifully in Lebanon. Maybe it is not enough and maybe other alternative theaters should be created, I don’t know… but I know it is useless to expect Planète, Empire and other circuits to play the part of the promoters of Lebanese Cinema. This will simply not happen.
It is an extremely vast subject. I just wanted to share with you these thoughts.
I wish you all good luck in all your projects.
Gilles Tarazi
A FEW PERSONNAL IDEAS. MY REACTION TO THE MEETING REGARDING FILM PRODUCTION IN LEBANON, WHICH TOOK PLACE AT THE FRENCH INSTITUTE ON THE 6TH OF SEPTEMBER 2012.
Dear film professionals,
First of all, I would like to congratulate Pierre Sarraf and the French Institute for this well organized and essential event.
For those who don’t know me, let me introduce myself briefly: I’ve been working on Lebanese films for ten years now, mostly as an assistant director, I directed a short film Bukra sette w noss/ Tomorrow, 6:30, and I am actually developing a feature film.
What I am about to say is just my personal opinion, a few ideas from a fellow film professional.
I was amazed by the keen interest sparked off by this event and by the presence of almost all the key players working in the very peculiar world of Lebanese cinema. The event revealed a very important element: the professionals’ undeniable will to create a viable industry and to put an end to our sector’s “poverty”.
As Pierre Sarraf underlined it from the start, the number of films produced in Lebanon is raising. The desire to make films as well. Today, there are new players in the Lebanese cinema’s landscape, new tendencies, but mostly new visions regarding cinema and the way to make it. For example, a strong will to develop a popular and commercial cinema.
I think this is very healthy. I also think Mr Bereyziat’s intervention was extremely necessary, and his presentation of the CNC (France’s National Cinema Center) simple but essential. Essential because many players of the Lebanese film industry [including me] have very little information on how the European film financing systems really works.
Here are the few ideas I would like to share:
1-
A young director or screenwriter who has a project is often blocked early on in the process because he seldom knows what to do with it. He doesn’t know on which door to knock. First thing to do, of course, is to find someone who is going to guide him through the process. But this is easier to said than done.
On the other hand, a young talent who has an interesting project rarely has enough information regarding the steps to follow to “start things up”. This information needs to be accessible to everyone interested in cinema, and centralized. A Lebanese CNC? Yes, sure, why not? But before even talking about creating a Lebanese Fund for cinema, we should think about the way to create a center that would gather information to which every Lebanese would have access.
In short, there should be an alternative to the usual mouth to ear process (ie some director hears that another got a writing development fund somewhere and decides to have a go). It doesn’t cost much… it only requires will.
Having participated two years ago in the Rawi-Sundance screenwriter’s lab in Jordan, I realized how much the Jordanian Royal Film Commission was active and efficient. In a country where the film industry is less developed than in Lebanon, where there are less productions and where technicians aren’t (yet) as experienced, the RFC has succeeded where Lebanese players haven’t: it managed to canalize the energy and talents and to centralize the information linked to cinema.
I am also thinking about organizations such as Sundance in the USA, or Raindance in London, that started – parallel to their exponentially popular festivals – writing, directing and production workshops and created numerous “matchmaking” platforms. This logic creates a priceless dynamic. It also builds, on the long run, an industry…
2-
I realized something flagrant during Thursday’s meeting: the fact that no one mentioned what I think is the major problem in Arab Cinema in general, and in Lebanon in particular: screenwriting. The problem was mentioned vaguely a couple of times, but should be, on a later stage, assiduously developed.
Most of Lebanese filmmakers have a tendency to jump into the making of their project before reaching a solid version of their script.
Blaming international commissions, regional distributors and the Lebanese government is unnecessary. It’s wasted energy. Learning to write a readable and original script is, in my humble opinion, much more important. The reason why most of the Lebanese (and foreign) projects fail is often linked to a fragile script. If the Lebanese cinema world wants to win the bet of “producing in Lebanon”, I think this factor should become a priority.
Screenwriting should be taught much more seriously in Universities and real and regular screenwriting workshops should be created. By the way, I salute the Lebanese Cinema Fondation who created, not long ago, a screenwriting workshop. I think the Fondation should be encouraged [and maybe even other organisms] to push this project even further, but also inform young talents more efficiently about the existence of these initiatives.
I would also like to point out that in parallel to screenwriting, young talents should know how to create a selling presentation file. Numerous people still don’t know how to write a synopsis, a director statement or even a biography.
3-
I am personally tired of hearing the famous words “there is not money for Lebanese Cinema” and “we struggle too much to make films”. I think that filmmaking is a risky business, that everyone has to struggle to make it happen and that everywhere in the world the risk is the same. I do not want to count on the Lebanese State. The government is drowning enough in its own moving sands for me to allow myself to waste time in useless hopes. Of course, I hope that one day a National Fund would be created to develop the cinema industry, but I would not bet on it.
I think it would be judicious for the time being to develop matchmaking platforms so Lebanese directors, screenwriters and producers could be put in contact with international producers and “middlemen” who would help them in elaborating the right strategy for their projects. Because, let’s face it, one of the most recurrent problems of Lebanese projects is that they lack strategy, which leads filmmakers to seek improbable private sponsors.
4-
I also felt a latent tension between two groups: a group which feels it belongs to a “quality cinema”, that advocates the virtues of an European method and defend “auteur films”, and another which consider itself belonging to the world of mass entertainment, American style. The debate didn’t really have the time to start, but I think a cold war has started, without anyone admitting it yet. It’s a debate as old as cinema itself. It takes all kinds to make a world, and the fact that viewers now have the choice between “auteur films” and a purely commercial cinema is, in my opinion, very healthy. I think that, on the long run, these two cinema visions should not make war but take into consideration that they do not fight on the same grounds. Note, by the way, that there are several degrees of possibilities between those two extremes and that there is a way to make intelligent films that are accessible to a mass audience.
5-
Another thing that stroke me: the aggressiveness towards Lebanese cinema owners. Several people criticized the fact that cinema owners don’t encourage Lebanese Cinema. Local owners – alike international cinema owners in general – think in terms of free market economy. They want to sell as much tickets as possible. It’s normal. And I don’t think it is worth criticizing that attitude. I do not wish to defend this vision in general, but I don’t think they are the bad guys. I totally understand the logic that leads a cinema owner to priorities Transformers 2 over a Lebanese film that, four times out of five, is not likely to reach more than 20.000 entries, even if it’s kept in the theaters for a whole year.
I think Lebanese producers and directors should play the market’s game as the international distributors and producers do, whether they are betting on a “commercial film” or on an “auteur film”. Trying to deny the market reality is useless. Players should know the market, know their target and play the game accordingly. Producers of “auteur films” in Europe usually know that they can’t really fight against an American blockbuster and that they can’t win the competition in national multiplexes. However, they have alternatives, independent theaters which promote this kind of cinema. I find that the Metropolis theater plays that role beautifully in Lebanon. Maybe it is not enough and maybe other alternative theaters should be created, I don’t know… but I know it is useless to expect Planète, Empire and other circuits to play the part of the promoters of Lebanese Cinema. This will simply not happen.
It is an extremely vast subject. I just wanted to share with you these thoughts.
I wish you all good luck in all your projects.
Gilles Tarazi
LETTRE OUVERTE AUX PROFESSIONNELS DU CINEMA LIBANAIS
QUELQUES IDEES PERSONNELLES, MA REACTION SUITE A LA RENCONTRE AUTOUR DU THEME « PRODUIRE AU LIBAN ».
Cher professionnels du cinéma,
Je voudrais tout d’abord féliciter Pierre Sarraf et l’Institut Français pour cette rencontre essentielle et très bien menée.
Pour ce qui ne me connaissent pas, je me présente rapidement : Je travaille sur des films libanais depuis maintenant une dizaine d’années, principalement en tant qu’assistant réalisateur. J’ai réalisé un court-métrage, Bukra sette w noss/ Demain : 6h30, et je suis actuellement en train de développer un projet de long-métrage.
Ce que je vais dire n’implique évidemment que moi. Ce sont quelques idées de quelqu’un qui côtoie le cinéma libanais depuis quelque temps et qui est régulièrement en contact avec différents acteurs de la scène libanaise.
J’ai été assez marqué par l’engouement qu’a suscité cet événement et par la présence de quasiment toutes les personnes-clés travaillant, partiellement ou exclusivement, dans le monde très particulier du cinéma libanais. Cet événement unique en son genre a démontré une chose très importante : la volonté indéniable des professionnels du cinéma de créer une réelle industrie viable. L’énergie et le désir sont là, clairement. Mais aussi la volonté de les canaliser, de mettre un terme à la « pauvreté » liée à ce secteur.
Une constatation s’impose. Comme Pierre Sarraf l’a bien souligné au début de la rencontre, le nombre de films produits au Liban est en train d’augmenter. L’envie de faire du cinéma aussi. Il y a aujourd’hui de nouveaux « acteurs » dans le paysage cinématographique libanais, de nouvelles tendances et surtout de nouvelles visions du cinéma et de la manière de le développer. Une envie de développer un cinéma populaire et commercial, par exemple, qui ne s’était jamais autant manifestée. Je trouve cela très sain. Je trouve également très saine l’intervention de M. Bereyziat, sa présentation du CNC, simple évidemment, mais essentielle. Essentielle, parce que de nombreux acteurs du paysage audiovisuel libanais [j’en fais partie] ignorent le fonctionnement réel des systèmes de financement européens ou ne le connaissent que très peu.
Voici les quelques idées que je voudrais partager :
1-
Un jeune réalisateur ou scénariste libanais, porteur d’un projet est souvent arrêté au tout début de son élan parce qu’il ne sait pas quoi en faire. Il ne sait pas à quelle porte frapper. La première chose à faire est, évidemment, de trouver un accompagnateur, quelqu’un qui va encadrer le projet, quelqu’un qui va le guider. Mais cela est plus vite dit que fait.
D’autre part, un jeune porteur de projet n’a souvent pas d’informations concernant les démarches à suivre pour faire démarrer celui-ci. Il faudrait que ces informations soient accessibles, à tous ceux qui ont envie de cinéma, et centralisées. Un CNC libanais actif, oui évidemment, pourquoi pas, mais avant de parler d’un fonds d’aide libanais il faudrait peut-être penser à un centre de gestion des informations liées au cinéma auxquels tous les libanais auraient accès. En gros, qu’il y ait une alternative au bouche à oreille (par exemple, tel réalisateur entend parler d’une bourse à l’écriture que tel autre a obtenue et décide du coup de tenter sa chance à son tour…). Cela ne coûte pas si cher que ça… cela nécessite une volonté.
Ayant participé, il y a 2 ans, à l’atelier d’écriture Rawi-Sundance en Jordanie, j’ai constaté à quel point la Royal Film Commission était active et efficace. Dans un pays où l’industrie est moins développée qu’au Liban, où les productions sont beaucoup moins nombreuses, où les techniciens ne sont pas encore aussi compétents, la RFC a réussi quelque chose que les Libanais n’ont jamais réussi : canaliser cette énergie et centraliser les informations.
Je pense aussi à des organismes comme Sundance aux Etats-Unis, ou Raindance à Londres, qui ont lancé en parallèle de leurs festivals exponentiellement populaires, des ateliers parallèles d’écriture, de réalisation et de production, ainsi que de nombreuses plateformes de rencontres. Cela créer une dynamique inestimable. Cela crée aussi, à long terme, une industrie…
2-
J’ai constaté une chose flagrante au cours de cette rencontre : le fait que personne n’ait parlé du problème de base du cinéma arabe, en général, et libanais, en particulier : l’écriture de scénario. Le problème a été vaguement évoqué à deux reprises, mais il faudrait qu’en un deuxième temps, il soit développé assidument.
La plupart des porteurs de projet ont tendance à se jeter dans la concrétisation de leur film avant que celui-ci ne soit prêt.
Blâmer les guichets internationaux, distributeurs régionaux et gouvernement libanais n’est, à mon sens, pas nécessaire. C’est de l’énergie gaspillée. Apprendre à écrire un scénario lisible et réellement original est, à mon humble avis, plus important. La raison principale de l’échec des projets, au Liban comme ailleurs, est souvent liée à un scénario fragile. Si le monde du cinéma libanais veut réussir le pari de « produire au Liban », je crois qu’il faudrait que cette donnée devienne une priorité. Il faut enseigner l’écriture de scénario beaucoup plus sérieusement dans les universités et créer de véritables ateliers d´écriture réguliers, de suivi de projets. Je salue au passage l’initiative de la Fondation Liban Cinéma qui a lancé, il y a peu, un atelier d’écriture. Je trouve qu’il faudrait encourager la Fondation [et même peut-être d’autres organismes] à aller encore plus loin dans cette démarche. Et surtout informer les jeunes talents de l’existence de ce genre d’initiatives plus efficacement.
Cela dit au passage, il ne s’agit pas uniquement de savoir écrire un scénario, mais de savoir présenter un dossier. Et nombreux sont ceux qui ne savent pas vraiment écrire un synopsis, une note d’intention ou une biographie, bref constituer un dossier vendeur.
3-
Je suis personnellement las d’entendre les fameuses ritournelles « il n’y a pas d’argent pour le cinéma libanais », et « on galère trop pour faire des films ». Je pars du principe que le cinéma est un métier risqué, qu’il faut se battre pour y arriver et que partout dans le monde le risque est pareil. Je ne compte pas sur l’Etat Libanais. Celui est suffisamment embourbé dans ses propres sables mouvants pour que je me permette de perdre du temps à espérer. Evidemment j’espère qu’un jour sera créé un fonds libanais d’aide au cinéma. Mais je ne veux pas miser là-dessus.
Je crois qu’il serait peut-être judicieux, en attendant, de développer des plateformes de rencontres, afin que des réalisateurs, des scénaristes et des producteurs libanais puissent être mis en réseau avec des producteurs ou des intermédiaires, qui pourront les aider à établir la stratégie nécessaire à l’aboutissement de leur projet. Car je crois que l’un des problèmes récurrents de la majeure partie des porteurs de projets libanais, c’est qu’ils n’ont pas de stratégie et, le constatant, se mettent à chercher des mécènes improbables.
4-
J’ai aussi senti une tension latente entre deux groupes : le groupe qui se sent appartenir au cinéma dit « de qualité », prônant une méthode à l’européenne, défendant un cinéma personnel voir « d’auteur », et l’autre qui se proclame de « l’entertainment », du show business à l’américaine. Le débat n’a pas eu le temps d’avoir lieu, mais je crois qu’une guerre froide a commencé sans que personne n’ose encore se l’avouer. C’est un débat vieux comme le cinéma lui-même, mais c’est un débat positif. Il faut de tout pour faire une industrie, et le fait que les spectateurs ont à présent le choix entre « films d’auteurs » et un cinéma purement commercial est une donnée très saine. Je trouve qu’à long terme ces deux cinémas ne devraient pas se faire la guerre par conférence interposée mais prendre conscience du fait qu’ils ne se battent vraiment pas sur le même terrain. Noter au passage qu’il y a plusieurs degrés entre les deux extrêmes et qu’il est possible de faire du cinéma de qualité accessible au grand public et éventuellement rentable
5-
Encore une chose qui m’a marquée. L’agressivité vis-à-vis des exploitants libanais en général. Le fait qu’on leur reproche de ne pas encourager le cinéma libanais. Les exploitants locaux – comme les exploitants internationaux en général – réfléchissent par rapport à la loi du marché. Ils veulent faire le plus d’entrées possibles. C’est normal. Et je trouve que ça ne sert à rien de le leur reprocher. Je ne les défends pas. Mais je ne crois pas qu’ils soient de « méchants rapaces » comme plusieurs l’ont laissé entendre. Je comprends parfaitement la logique qui pousse un exploitant à favoriser Transformers 2 aux dépends d’un film libanais x qui, quatre fois sur cinq, ne risque pas de faire plus de 20.000 entrées, et cela même si on le garde en salle pendant un an.
Je crois que les producteurs et réalisateurs libanais devraient jouer le jeu du marché, comme le font les distributeurs et producteurs internationaux, qu’ils soient des porteurs de projets « commerciaux » ou « d’auteurs ». Essayer de se battre contre la réalité ne sert à rien. Il faut connaître le marché, connaître sa cible et jouer le jeu en fonction. Un producteur de « films d’auteurs » européen sait normalement d’entrée de jeu qu’il ne peut se battre sur le même créneau qu’un blockbuster américain et qu’il ne peut espérer concurrencer ce dernier dans les multiplexes nationaux. Par contre, il a des alternatives, des salles dites indépendantes qui défendent ce genre de cinéma. Je trouve que la salle Metropolis joue parfaitement bien ce rôle au Liban. Peut-être n’est-elle pas suffisante et qu’il faudrait en créer d’autres, je ne sais pas. Mais je sais que ça ne sert à rien d’espérer que les circuits Planète, Empire et autres jouent le jeu du protecteur du cinéma libanais. Ça ne se passera jamais.
Le sujet est très vaste. Je voulais simplement partager ces quelques idées.
Très bon courage à tous dans vos projets.
Gilles Tarazi
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