UN CERTAIN REGARD RENDEZ-VOUS – Norte, The End of History by Lav Diaz

Norte, The End of History is the eighth film from Lav Diaz, who is in the Official Selection at Cannes for the first time. As with Death in the Land of Encantos (2007), which was honoured with an award at the Jeonju International Film Festival, the Philippino filmmaker has seen a number of his films receive a unanimous vote at international festivals. The film tells the story of a man wrongly imprisoned for murder.

Tell us how your film came about…
It was offered by Moira, an old friend who’s a screenwriter and a producer. (Her official name is Raymond Lee.) She told me the story’s basic premise, which came from an idea by the person who eventually financed the film. I said, “Let’s shoot it”.

Do you have a particular memory or anecdote from filming?
I had a root canal in the middle of the shoot. While the dentist was drilling away, I connected the principle of the root canal to the vision of one of the characters in the story.

What type of cinema has influenced you?
Everything. I watch everything. A huge influence is Andre Bazin, whom I consider a great filmmaker even though he didn’t make a single film.

Can you tell us about your next project?
There are a number of projects ready for production but just waiting for the right timing and also funding.

What question would you like to ask the director of your choice?
To Tarkovsky: How did you do it?

SCREENING
Thursday 23rd May / Debussy Theatre / 11 a.m.
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