Faraz Arif Ansari, Film Director of Sisak

Who are you?

I am a dreamer. While dreaming, I write films, I make them too. I paint, I doodle, I cook food for people I love. I am working for children who live on the streets of Mumbai, providing them with food and basics, from time to time. Still so much more to discover.

What is Sisak about?

Sisak is India’s First Silent LGBTQ Love Story. On the surface, it is a love story, yes but it is not just that. It is a political statement towards the law of the Constitution of India that condemns love and a social statement that refuses to accept their own sons & daughters for their sexual and emotional preferences. It is trying to open a dialogue for acceptance and love.

An anecdote about your filming?

I had to sell my car, rent out my own apartment & move back with my parents to make Sisak since no one wanted to produce my film! After having such a terrific response in the international festival circuit and winning 16 international awards since our World Premiere in April, I am more than elated. The courage is paying off.

What represent Excuse My French “Audience award” for you? Also, a friend of yours attended the festival, did you get a feedback?

I always believe that winning an Audience Award is a far bigger win than winning a Jury Award. Every filmmaker makes films for their audiences. When one wins an Audience Award, it reaffirms your faith in your film and makes you realize the immense power of cinema – touching lives without having met people. I have never been to Paris or France but my film has and it also won the Audience Award at EMF! What a great way to begin my romance with the city of love!

What is next for Faraz Ansari?

Currently, I am working on my feature film ‘Lottery’ and plan to start shooting soon. I am also writing two short films: Gaajar Ka Halwaa (Carrot Pudding) & A Little Life that will go on floors end of this year or early next year. Other than films, I am writing a book for a major publishing house & hoping to start with my own chat show featuring major influencers called ‘Frappé with Faraz’

Fábio Barros, Film Director of Escape

Who are you?

Hi! I’m Fábio Barros, a 27 years old Portuguese filmmaker and co-founder of Armazém Criativo, a creative multimedia agency. My venture in filmmaking is fairly new, I focused in motion graphics most of my career. I also like to do photography, and music.. and 3D… To be honest I can’t focus on the same thing for long, after a while I get bored and have to try something new and challenging, not sure if this is a good thing.. But filmmaking is working for now.

What is Escape about?

Escape is about the custom motorcycle scene in Portugal and the reason why people choose to go through all the trouble of customising a bike instead of just get a new one of the shelf. I explore the emotional process that goes into the making of your own unique bike, a choice that seems illogical but at the same time the right one. I found that very intriguing when the custom Café Racer style resurfaced, I realised people build a relationship with their bike, it’s not just a commodity.

An anecdote about your filming?

After I got a support from Mondim de Bastos’s county, I was able to shoot the inicial sequence of the film there and with a full team of sound engineers, drone crew and production assistants. Two days before the shoot, the driver we found to be the subject of this shoot said he had misunderstood the date and that he couldn’t make it, I had everything set up and no actor, so I made the best use of social media and frantically posted messages in motorcycle facebook groups asking for help. The night before shooting day, I received a call from Ulaak José, a lawyer, offering his time (and bike) to spend the night at a local hostel and shoot at sunrise in the middle of a juridical process. I couldn’t believe my luck, this really shows the mentality of the motorcycle community. I am a motorcycle rider, that’s what made me start this project in the first place, this was just one of the many friend I made during the process of making this documentary.

It was a premiere for Escape in France, what does it represent for you?

Well I was actually born in France, Blois to be exact. So it was pretty special, I couldn’t think of a better place to premiere my film internationally!

What is next for Fábio Barros?

I will just continue to grow doing what makes me happy. I would really like to make travel related films, as well as fictional. Let’s see what the future brings!

Pierre A. Roch, Film Director of To Be delivered Awards winner – Best actress and best Screenplay – of Excuse My French First Festival 1st edition.