Night cap with Premier amour [First Love]

Interview with Haris Raftogiannis, director of Premier amour

Why did you want to deal with the theme of desire?
To love and to be loved is something that concerns me a lot. Love is a political act as one of my friends says. To make a film especially on the sarcastic side of love, was something much intriguing for me and Nikos Vavouris, the editor of the film, whose warm contribution was essential. The key point of the idea was mainly this mysterious image, the junction of the dogs as they stick together when they make love. It is like a symbolic image of unification, of completion – and at the same time, of incompletion, when the dogs are trying to unstick and escape from each other. Sexual desire does exist in nature. Though many times, we as humans want to hide this part. So, in a way, this film is about this confusion between animal instinct and political and social correctness.

Were you most interested in the question of emotional isolation or that of practicing sexual enjoyment without attachment?
I am not sure. The film is about loneliness and the search for love. The main perception was that these two people are like two virgins, two raw people who look out for love, who cannot express themselves clearly. Besides, I believe that there is an attachment in anything we are dealing with.

Why did you set the film in the dusk and build that grey-looking environment?
At night, things get more silent and intimate. As a song goes, “because the night belongs to lovers”. Initially the film as going to be black and white. It ended up multi-coloured. The colour range has a variety. On the one hand, there is this grey-looking , open-air basketball court that looks like a cage. On a larger scale, this court is part of a big park with big trees. And in between, there is a red and blue light motif and the archive footage.

Did you shoot the dog sequences or use previous material? How long did it take to select and integrate the needed ones?
The footage was found mainly from pet owners we knew. We contacted many people. The process took no more than seven days, but choosing and editing the material took much longer.

Can we suggest dog’s candour is better than cat’s lasciviousness?
Humans and animals, all have their own unique style. It is up to each one what fits better.

Would you say that the short film format has given you any particular freedom?
Perhaps the pressure is not the same as it is on feature films, where budgets are much higher. Risks can be more easily be taken in short formats. But again, this is in theory. It is up to each one of us whether to take risks or not, no matter the formats or the budget.

What are your reference works?
Very diverse. Anything that is authentic could be a reference. For this film, the reference was the talks and walks I had with my girlfriend along with her dog. Cinematically and spiritually, it might sound strange, but the main reference was Bergman’s film Persona.

Premier amour is part of National Competition F6.