A bleak future for war films?
Three award-winning directors come together to discuss the status of a genre inextricably tied to the dangers of reality.
Danis Tanović, Janus Metz and Samuel Maoz with moderator Ben Gibson.
Film is a medium that offers us the widest platform in which to tell the story of our lives. While some opt for tales of love, others view life threatening wars as the stories of their lives. It is with this in mind that the 9th Berlinale Talent Campus brought together three filmmakers who have dealt with war in their films.
The event dubbed “Filming War” brought together Danis Tanović (NO MAN’S LAND), Janus Metz (ARMADILLO) and Samuel Maoz (LEBANON) at the Hebbel am Ufer Theatre in Berlin to discuss their individual approaches. The panellists, who were led through the discussion by Ben Gibson, Director of the London Film School, told their audience about working in war-torn areas of Afghanistan, Lebanon and Israel.
Though the three critically acclaimed filmmakers portray people under tremendous pressure, their ideas about making films of this nature are very diverse. While Danis Tanović believes that making anti-war films is effectively the way to change public opinion, Metz, who trudges into this subject with an aim of documenting the untold stories of war, is of the opinion that making anti-war and politically correct stories about war is not possible. Critical of taking a neutral stand in making war films, Tanović regards neutrality as a lazy excuse to do nothing.
In a rare moment of accord, all three however agree that it is important for any filmmaker to have a choice whether to make a war film or any other kind of genre.
So then what is the future for filming war?
It may not be bright. Perhaps those intrigued by Maoz’s way of telling the inside stories of war will have to be disappointed. As for Janus Metz, he believes that it is time to move on and explore other kinds of stories. He doubts whether he will continue to address the same themes as before. It is a dangerous path for the trio to take when there are more and more wars taking place in the world. It seems a pity that these three fine filmmakers seem to have decided to explore entirely new themes.
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