Night cap with Helga Är I Lund (Helga is in Lund)

Interview with Thelyia Petraki, director of Helga Är I Lund (Helga is in Lund)

 So, tell us a bit more about who Helga is and where Lund is.
Who is Helga is best finding out watching the film. Lund is a town in South Sweden where Helga can be probably found, or not?

 Can you explain your idea of opening the film to the music of Vivaldi?
First of all by using the music of Vivaldi in the opening scene my intention is to introduce the audience to a universe full of contradictions. So the doctor is trying to relax and meditate with this song, even though “storm” is powerful, awakening, dramatic and exceptionally tense. Furthermore, even though this music piece is undoubtedly a masterpiece, because it is overplayed (you can listen to it in restaurants, elevators, supermarkets, etc.), one might say that it is also a cliché. As a result these antitheses set the tone for a film that can be funny and sad at the same time. Also I want the viewer to ask himself this question: what kind of person is this doctor when surrounded by all these books and his cat he chooses this kind of “trivial” music as a retreat from the world.

 What were you seeking to explore in the relationships between the main character and her father and her psychiatrist?
What I aim to explore within these relationships is the need and desire to connect, communicate, understand and be understood and why this can be very difficult or even impossible sometimes.

 There are both comic – dark humour at least – and tragic elements in the film. What film genres and moods do you like working on the most? Any projects in the pipeline?
Yes. These elements coexist in the film because, the way I see it, many times real life can be extreme or even shocking, resulting in the dramatic in balance with the ridicule at the same time. Indeed I am very much interested in the surrealism and the absurdity of reality, which can often overpass the extraordinaire of fictional stories. My next projects in development are a short and a feature, both hybrid fiction/documentary style.

 Any cinematic coups de cœur in the past year you’d like to tell us about?
To answer this question I can easily talk for hours and for many films from different eras and genres but I will narrow it down to just one, which I watched just recently and got me mesmerized by its cinematic approach and by its theme. The name of this film is The Embrace of the Serpent by Ciro Guerra. Apart from the incredible photography and plot I was amazed by the combination of its ethnographic nature and its hyper-realistic elements that made this whole experience unique for me.

 If you’ve already been to Clermont-Ferrand, could you share with us an anecdote or story from the festival? If not, what are your expectations for this year?
It is my first time in Clermont-Ferrand and since it will be the film’s international premiere I anticipate the reaction of the audience outside the borders of my country. Of course I see it as a great opportunity to see as many great films as I can.

 Are you taking part in other events during the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival? (Espressos, Conferences, other?)
I will try to attend as many as I can but my priority is to watch films.

 Wishing you the very best and have a great festival!
Thank you very much, I wish you the same.

Helga Är I Lund is being shown in International Competition I8.