ANJA'S LONGING, 33min., Taiwan

Directed by Elen Ji

“If I could live my whole life on my own will, what would it be like?” Anja, a 22-year-old biracial film school undergraduate, imagines her ideal life from birth to death. The perfection of her fantasy starkly contrasts with the incompleteness of her reality, highlighting Anja’s deep longing and the story of her life.

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

When I worked as a teaching assistant during my postgraduate studies in the Department of Motion Picture, I encountered a 5-minute doc by college student Anja about her original family. The film was short, but I was deeply touched by the unspoken emotions inside. I wanted to do a film about her, but didn't yet know in what form.

Later, I attended a course called "Documentary Production", which required finishing a short doc in one semester. I thought to myself, instead of recording something ongoing, what about recording someone's inner world? Anja came to my mind. I wanted to record Anja's longing. So I developed an idea to shoot Anja's fantasy about her ideal life and invited Anja to play herself in this world.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?

It takes about nine months. In the first three months, the crew developed the idea, shot the film, and made the rough cut. Then I put the materials aside and turn to prepare my graduation project. It was two years after my graduation that I came back to the materials and re-edited the film. It took another half year to finish the whole work.

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?

Authentic & creative.

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

Since it was the first time I told a story about another person in a non-fiction way, I needed to tackle the subject more carefully. I tried my best to present Anja's inner world and real life. Meanwhile, I bore in mind that I needed to avoid any possibility of exploiting someone's pain. So, regarding what to tell, how to tell, and where to draw the line are challenges for me.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?

The audience feedback is very sincere and insightful, extremely precious to me and the crew members. I was both impressed by their high levels of appreciation and deeply touched by their capacity for empathy. I appreciate that a lot!

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?

When I was a child, like 5 or 6 years old, my favorite game with my pals was making up stories and acting them out. Now looking back, that "childhood pretend play" is the seed, and it naturally turns into making films.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?

The classic films by world master directors, such as Ingmar Bergman, Andrei Tarkovsky, Krzysztof Kieslowski, David Lean, Ozu Yasujiro, and Abbas Kiarostami. Recently, I've become a fanatic about Martin Scorsese's "Taxi Driver".

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?

More physical screenings and more audience interaction.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?

As always, it is handy and efficient. However, as the platform expands and thus includes more festivals, you need to make a more careful selection.

10. What is your favorite meal?

A daily meal cooked by my mum. She emphasizes the original flavor of the ingredients and knows how to make a nutrition-balanced one. Oh, I missed her cooking since we live in different cities right now.

11. What is next for you? A new film?

At the moment, I'm working on my first feature-length script, a story about four women's friendship and their entangled destiny. Hope everything goes well, and it will be made into a film in the near future.

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