Interview with Danny Germansen by Bruno Miguel Resende from Ramaldar Productions
Link to Interview.
1 – Hi. Congratulations for you´re great movie.
Thank you very much, it was an honor to win 3 prices at your festival.
2- In our Festival, Short Invictus, we had geat movies, but it was very clear that you´re movie was introducing something new, something where we live in. How have apeared this dystopian world?
The dystopian world view, came from a period in my life where I was suffering from mental breakdown, depression and loneliness. The film is directly inspired from that period and has been dramatized into a short film. Its a feeling of eksistentialisme and weltsmert, That I think most people will feel from time to time. When your mind breaks down, you become more sensitive and the world around you feels more enhanced, The shield that we humans have up to defend ourself from bad experiences is gone and all problems of the world hits you much stronger. And when you are down and ill , some people seems more wicked and evil because they don’t care about you, but only themselves. This is the fact about human nature, it is many times only about survival of the fittest. So, this is how this negative but also true dystopian world appear. Even if I’m doing better today, I know it still exists out there. The darkness is a part of all of ours life.
3 – Orwell is now on public domain. So, how come after this long time the warnings where not heard?
My thought about that is, all out thru history there where always the intellectuals, the thinkers and there where always the ignorant that need to be lead, the mob. Even if many people know Orwell and story of big brother. I guess they are too powerless to do anything about it. Because the majority af people probably never pics up a book or watch challenging films or art. The Roman empire fought rebellion with a motto “People should have bread and circus”. So if peoples stomach are full and they are entertain. Nobody care about rebellion and revolution. What a few philosophers and intellectuals are thinking dos not matter. As fare the majority of the population is silent and satisfied. It was always like that and I think it always will be, for sure by my opinion the human race did’t get more enlightened or evolved. Its the same shit all over.
4 – Do you think, like Lipovetsky said, we live in an enterteinment society, and a film like yours is seen as enterteinment also?
Even if films are entertainment, most films still have a premise, a message to communicate. And is entertainment the same as an audience finding a films premise intriguing or fascinating? Thats the question? And I can not be the judge where the entertainment starts and where it ends. I think most people watch films about stuff they already know something about or are interested in and therefore reflect themself in the film/art – And the film will confirm themself or give them an ansver where they are looking for an ansver. I myself always try to captivate the audience and keep them entertain, but in the same time push as many messages as possible. So I think people can be entertain and enlighten at the same time. Different people like different entertainment, some entertain themselves by knowledge, as others purely by a laugh, but comedy also have messages.
5 – What masks simbolize?
The masks symbolize the emotionel and unsympathetic society. The humans with masks do not see or feel the lead character with his problems. They do not notice him at all. They live in their own world and do not understand or notice anything else then their own life. Its a symbol and feeling of being in a hard and cold world, Where you are alone and sensitive and nobody sees, feels and understand you.
6 – The emotion can be a problem? Or a disease in the future?
I’m actual experiencing that the young people and kids learn in school to talk about problems and emotions. Here in Denmark anyway. The use of psychologist is more often used i cases with crises where doctors and hospitals grants psychologist help to patients and people who has been in an accident or are very ill or deadly ill. So from that point I don’t see that emotions and mental illness is being prohibited, but more or less is being taken more seriously now than in the past history. So on that point I actual think the treatment for people with emotionelle and mentally pains and problems is being taken more seriously now and that, that is a progress of society.
7 – What do you think about this pandemics?
Well, its here. I don’t think or believe in conspiracy theories. We have to deal with it and get thru it the best way possible and what ever liberties has been taken from us, will be back in the near future when we will have even more effective vaccines and learned how to deal with the virus. It might have to be something we have to deal and live with forever and it will mutate and we vill need to be vaccinated in the future also.
8 – Do you think art can change minds?
Yay, and then not really, art might help to enlighten issues on society and the human condition. But change history as some blowed up artist egos thinks not really – You might change an idea here there in people minds personally. As for the majority of people they don’t care about art and if they do they don’t like to be challenged and as I stated earlier reflect themselves in art, music, and film where they already feel home and not is complicated for them. As you stated earlier, why was Orwells warnings not heard. Because most people don’t care. I know people who is big fans of The Matrix films, but do not understand the issues its addressing, They purely see them as great sci-fi films.
9 – Thank you very much and it was a pleasure to have your film with us and to have you´re words.
The pleasure is on my side, you have a great think going on here and I’m happy to be a part of it.
