What is your experience of making films and getting them shown at festivals?
For me, making a film is an amazing experience. My favourite parts are definitely the conception of the film, actually filming it, and showing it at festivals. Working with a creative team of people is both exciting and stimulating – I absolutely love it. Festivals are where you get feedback and input from other creative minds about your work, which is a priceless exchange. Getting to know new people and interacting with them about the work being showcased at festivals helps me and, I believe, every other filmmaker, to develop and mature.
Tell me about something that happened during the filmmaking process?
I was very scared figuring out how to approach people about appearing naked on film, so I started talking about the project with friends and colleagues. I asked them if they knew of anybody who might be willing to talk about their relationship with nudity and their bodies… naked, on camera. In the end, it turned out less difficult to find volunteers than I had thought it would be. I was even surprised by some friends who were willing to go on camera themselves. Now I have so much material that not every contributor made it into the final cut!
What drives you to make the films that you make?
I have always been attracted to storytelling and film is an outlet that really draws me. I’ve been working with film for about 8 years now, and this is my second film as director and screenwriter. I started in the art department – which I loved and still do – but I grew out of it and got into writing and directing, which makes me feel much more complete. Making films is tough because it is composed of several challenges, but I believe that the challenges themselves are what drive me the most. One challenge that I love is figuring out how I will display a sentiment with sound and image – without putting it into dialogue. My films are very personal. I believe that the more personal you get, the more relatable and universal your film will be.
Trailer for The Naked Body (O Corpo Nu)
Diego Carvalho Sá’s film The Naked Body is a hybrid of documentary and fiction in which a director documents how people relate to nudity and their own body. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, the director gets involved with one of his subjects. It will screen at the Scottish Queer International Film Festival as part of the SQIFF Shorts: The Gayz alongside other films that queer ‘the act of looking’ in films. Screening at the CCA on 29th September 2017. Tickets are priced on a sliding scale, from Free – £8 in £2 increments. A guide to the sliding scale can be found here.
See here for more information on access measures in place for SQIFF 2017. If you have any questions about the content of films or events or about accessibility at the Festival, please contact info@sqiff.org. We are continually working to improve our access measures and welcome any feedback.