Scene by Scene - On the Road

The popular globally-broadcast television series linked to the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, Scene by Scene – Films of Asia Pacific returns to CNN International in 2009, providing audiences with unique insights into the power, reach and dynamic personalities of Asia-Pacific cinema. 

Join us in coming weeks for a ‘behind the scenes’ as the production team journeys to vastly different countries and continents to meet the talented filmmakers of this region now described as the powerhouse of film.

KAZAKHSTAN

By Kimberley Sakzewski - Assistant Producer

Monday, June 15, 2009

Kazakhstan Day #1

Greetings from Almaty, Kazakhstan!  The APSA Productions team of Kerry Lonergan (producer), Drew
Llewelyn (cameraman) and I landed in the former Kazakhstan capital early to start our five day shoot interviewing and
filming the country's much lauded filmmakers.  If you are a fan of Kazakhstan movies such as Tulpan, Karoy, Nomad
and Native Dancer, you may think you have a pretty good idea of what the Kazakh landscape is all
about. But nothing can prepare you for the beauty and verdant richness of cosmopolitan Almaty. 

The first thing that strikes you about this city is its generosity of scale.  The streets are wide and lined with
well-established trees, buildings are grand, shops are set back from the street with many fronted by small gardens,
and stately public buildings sit within rich parklands.  With an unofficial population of around two million people,
Almaty (literally Kazakh for 'apple') is quite relaxed but you feel it is on the verge of something big.

Stunning, modern Almaty

Almaty's 'walking street' full of local arts and crafts; Cameraman Drew outside a typical shopfront in Almaty

Whoever designed the Almaty International Airport was a clever soul ... as you exit your aircraft you are visually
knocked out by the surrounding snow-capped Zailiyskiy Alatau Mountain range and its accompanying blast of mountain
air.

We were met at the airport by our interpreter Kirill Roschin.  Little did he know, but one day's work for Kirill would turn
into five days' work as interpreter, driver, fixer, chaperone and cultural adviser.  As we sped around Almaty with 'doof
doof' music blaring from Kirill's black hatchback, we each thought how lucky we were to come across someone like
Kirill who appeared to know everyone in Almaty.  But he was but one in a long line of people who would help us during
and even before our trip, such as Asset Isenali at the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Singapore, Olga Khlasheva, with the
Eurasian International Film Festival and long-time friend of APSA  and Helen Larionova, assistant to the 2008 Asian
Filmmaker of the Year and legendary Kazakhstani producer Gulnara Sarsenova ... lots more about her later.


Kirill 'you won't get any any better' Roschin - our intrepid interpreter and minder for our trip

Our afternoon was spent at Kazakhfilm National Film Studios.  We interviewed the President of Kazakhfilm Mr Ermek
Amanshayev before taking a look around the country's official centre for film production.  Built in 1981 the Kazakhstan
government has deemed the studios will undergo both a technical and aesthetic renovation, in line with the financial
production incentives for Kazakhstan's filmmakers.

Kazakhfilm National Studios


The museum dedicated to Shaken Ajmanov is a faithful replica of the director's office in 1970;
An image of much loved Kazakhstani director Shaken Ajmanov in the museum dedicated to him
at Kazakhfilm National Studios


It is believed Soviet classic 'Ivan the terrible' was processed using this very table; Colour grading at Kazakhfilm studios

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Kazakhstan Day #2

First up this morning we interviewed award-winning director Zhanna Issabeyava.  Zhanna won acclaim for her
directorial and writing debut with Karoy, and her lyrical comedy My Dear Children was theatrically released in
Kazakhstan in March.  Zhanna is a wonderfully passionate woman who pours her heart and soul into her films.

Kerry Lonergan interviewing Zhanna Issabayeva - writer, director and producer of Karoy

We then met feature-film director debutante Kanagat Mustafin.  A former professional basketballer, Kanagat has
directed Ryvok (Dash), a film about the world of basketball starring a line-up of current Kazakh pop culture identities
which he hopes will see the film become a commercial success at the box office.  Kanagat has one eye firmly on the
business side of film and with his intense focus you get the feeling Kazakhstan's next generation of filmmakers will
bring something new to the table.

Kerry Lonergan interviewing Kanagat Mustafin about his directorial debut and basketball film Ryvok

In the afternoon we journeyed to a nearby mountain top lookout to get a better perspective of Almaty and its
surrounds and to shoot a 'piece to camera'.

Filming Kerry's piece to camera; Beautiful Almaty countryside complete with wild roses

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Kazakhstan Day #3

Back out to Kazakhfilm studios to meet animation department head Zhaken Danenov and discuss new animation
projects coming out of the Kazakhstan.  A feature-length animation has not been produced nor publicly funded for over
decade, but on the horizon is a project based on Kazakh fairytales and folklore.  We met an intriguing and very
spiritual artist called Gali Myrzashev whose work will form the basis of more animation projects out of Kazakhstan. 

Zhaken Danenov and Gali Myrzashev discuss storyboards at Kazakhfilm's animation department

Gali Myrzashev's animation concept design

At Kazakhfilm we also met and interviewed filmmaker Daniyar Salamat.  Daniyar was the only filmmaker we
interviewed who responded in the native Kazakh language (all other interviewees responding in Russian or English)
necessitating two interpreters for his interview - a fascinating dynamic.
 

Interviewing filmmaker Daniyar Salamat

In the afternoon we were invited to meet Gulnara Sarsenova and her colleague, the extremely witty director Ermek
Shinarbayev for lunch at an amazing Chinese restaurant.  We had memorable meal of local delicacies including 'critter'
fish and horse meat ... the latter more emotionally confronting for some of our crew than others!  Afterwards we
travelled to Gulnara's offices for her interview with Kerry.  Gulnara is larger than life, extremely magnetic and
incredibly generous.  While she is an enormously patriotic woman, it comes as no surprise to me that she is able to
transcend cultures and bring co-productions involving multiple countries together, such is her international
perspective.


Kerry Lonergan interviewing Gulnara Sarsenova

Later that night Gulnara arranged for me to meet a phenomenal local fashion designer and art director called Balnur
Assanova.  Balnur is a true artist - she has shown at Moscow Fashion Week twice and has piqued the interest of
fashionistas throughout Europe, the United States and even as far as Australia ... her work offers an extraordinary
point of difference and it was an utter privilege to see her creations.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Kazakhstan Day #4

We went very early to the Almaty Circus, the base of horse wrangler and stuntman Jaydok ('JD') who has worked on
some of the great films shot in Kazakhstan, including Mongol and Nomad.  Jaydok is the supreme professional in his
field and his stuntmen and stunt horses are now in demand all over the world ... next up for Jaydok is a Peter Weir
production in Morocco.


Jaydok's stuntmen going through their early morning paces


'J.D.'; Kazakhstan's famed stuntmen

In the afternoon we had the absolute honour of meeting and interviewing the esteemed Russian director/writer/producer
Sergei Bodrov and award-winning Kazakhstan director/writer Guka Omarova, who is now based in Holland. We were so
fortunate to coincide our visit with their own personal visit to Almaty.  You will not meet more gracious and grounded
people.  We all chatted for a while and Kerry Lonergan and Sergei found they had a mutual acquaintance back in
Australia - Brian Benson  - who ran the former Crystal Cinema in Brisbane.  Small world!  Sometimes the people who
leave the biggest impression on you are the ones who don’t try to... and this was certainly the case of Guka and
Sergei's effect on me.


Guka Omarova and Sergei Bodrov

Friday, June 19, 2009

Kazakhstan Day #5

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Monday, April 27, 2009

AUSTRALIA - Samson & Delilah

Today Scene by Scene had the absolute pleasure of interviewing Australian director/writer/cinematographer Warwick
Thornton and producer Kath Shelper about their feature debut Samson & Delilah, a powerful film about indigenous
Australians and their lives in Central Australia.  Samson & Delilah will screen at next month’s Cannes Film Festival in
the Un Certain Regard section and Warwick and Kath will attend along with actors Rowan McNamara and Marissa
Gibson.  Often the conversation you have after the interview - when the camera is turned off - is the most telling about
people and its clear why Warwick and Kath are such a strong team.  Like many of the filmmakers we have met for the
Scene by Scene series, they both have a genuine desire to help people and further the cause of storytelling through quality
filmmaking. (And Warwick really liked our stills camera too!). Kimberley, Assistant Producer.

Kerry Lonergan interviewing Warwick Thornton and Kath Shelper

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TURKEY

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Turkey Day #1 - Greetings from Istanbul!

There could be no better time for the APSA Productions team (Kerry Lonergan – producer, Drew Llewelyn – cameraman,
and me – Kimberley Sakzewski – assistant producer) to be in Turkey to begin filming for our upcoming Scene by Scene
story on Turkish filmmakers.  The 28th International Istanbul Film Festival has a stellar line-up this year and we’ve spent the
day being utterly impressed with not only the films on show, but the filmmakers present.  Ustungel Inanc, foreign press
coordinator, has been unflappable in enabling our every (and growing) request for interviews in the short time we are
here. 

There is such a great buzz in Istanbul and lets face it, you got to love a city where onion rings are on the breakfast
menu!  Going from festival venue to venue today, you couldn’t escape the excitement on the streets of the eagerly
anticipated football game later tonight between Galatasaray and Fenerbahce … and an accompanying strong security
presence as well.  Drew’s keen to go to the game, but getting a ticket to this local derby could be a whole experience in
itself.

So we’ve had a great first day, full of screenings, filming and very briefly catching up with the wonderful Azize Tan,
Festival Director, at a hosted lunch for media and festival guests in the heart of Galatasaray. (Azize also happens to be a
founding member of APSA’s Nominations Council in the awards competition). It’s still chilly here and the streets and squares
are filled with roasted chestnut vendors and garden beds of beautiful tulips in full bloom.  The coffee is good here and
beers are big, which makes Kerry and Drew happy. 

  
A chilly Kerry Lonergan                                                   Azize Tan and Kimberley Sakzewski

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Monday, April 13, 2009

Turkey Day #2

By our second day we’ve pretty much got our bearings around Taksim Square and one of its major pedestrian thoroughfares
Istiklal Caddessi.  There are numerous cinemas on Istiklal which are all playing host to screenings for the International Istanbul
Film Festival.  Coincidentally, and quite significantly, we seem to keep returning to or meeting up at a small cross street named
Yesilcam Sokak.  Yesilcam (literally “Green Pine”) is a term (similar to “Hollywood”) used to describe the Turkish film industry
in its heyday in the 1950s and 60s.  Yesilcam was named after this very street on which many actors, directors and crew
once lived during this boom period. 

We’re doing interviews today out of the Akbank Centre on Istiklal, which is also the location of the IIFF’s Media Centre.

Its hard to describe the experience of driving around Istanbul in a taxi – its one of those things you just have to experience
for yourself.  We took our first white knuckle taxi ride during the middle of the day out to the Blue Mosque and Aya Sofia to film
a ‘piece to camera’ for the APSA 2009 Australian launch back in Brisbane tomorrow night.  You quickly realise that Istanbul’s taxi
drivers can operate with millimetre precision at break-neck speed, and somehow you seem to feel comfortable with the fact that
you will get to your destination intact, even with no seatbelts.  This is a town where people seem to have a third sense about
where everything is at any one moment – pedestrians wander in and out of fast-moving traffic and everything just flows. In a
city of 15 million people with no major underground train system, everything seems to move along just fine.  I’ve noticed Drew
has already adopted the ‘devil may care’ attitude of the locals when walking through traffic…

  
The slick media centre at the International Istanbul           Literally a sign of the times .. new Turkish cinema on
Film Festival                                                                   old Turkish cinema 'Yesilcam' street

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Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Turkey Day #3

We were allowed to film a couple of interviews first up at Akbank Centre before having to move to the International Istanbul Film
Festival’s headquarters for more interviews later that night.  Today was one of those days in television spent setting up, striking
down, moving gear, rearranging schedules at the last minute and using any down time to shoot overlay.

At the end of today I attended a dinner hosted by festival director Azize Tan in a beautiful seafood restaurant in Balo Sokak,
again off Istiklal Caddessi.  After a long day it’s hard to back up with a long night, but I was lucky to very briefly meet some
amazing people involved in the Turkish cinema industry while at the dinner, including Hüseyin Karabey, the Producer/ Writer/
Director of the international hit My Marlon and Brando.


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Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Turkey Day #4

Today was one of those great days where you become totally displaced from your normal routine and environment and as a
result have a fantastic new experience.  We had arranged to go on location to film and interview one of Turkey’s favourite
directors who was shooting a television drama series in a rural part of outer Istanbul. We were met by first assistant director
Huyla at 7.30am in Taksim Square, and were driven for over an hour to the film location. We met the director, cast and crew at
their breakfast location and everyone clicked right from the start, despite any language barriers. Huyla was just amazing – she
instinctively picked up on everything that everyone needed way before they asked. The breakfast location was a simple café, but
as us Australians are just not used to smoking in public anymore, it felt like being in a nightclub. I quite liked it, but Kerry and Drew
preferred to be in the open air.  Most of the Turks we met spoke of the impending ban on smoking in enclosed public areas – a
major social change to a nation where 40% of the adult population smoke.

  
The lovely Huyla - our chaperone on our location shoot    

We sat for what felt like ages talking and waiting for the call to move onto location. The morning was very cold and windy and we
hadn’t really dressed for the day. Luckily the wardrobe van gave us plenty of big warm coats. We then filmed lead actor Ismail
Hacioglu and actress Vildan Atasever play out a violent fight scene and car chase (no stunt men here!) and did our field
interviews in between set moves. Huyla and our driver Attilay then took us for a traditional Turkish meal before driving us all the
way back to Istanbul. We arrived at about 2pm and Huyla and Attilay then turned around and drove all the way back out to
complete their day. The Turks make about 90 minutes of television in six shooting days here – they are quick and highly
efficient! We finished our last day in Istanbul completing two interviews in the afternoon.

  
Award-winning Turkish actress Vildan Atasever (right)     Tulips in full bloom

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Scene by Scene will screen globally in the lead up to the 2009 Asia Pacific Screen Awards Ceremony
on November 26. The broadcast dates are:

Episode 1:       October 3–5, 2009
Episode 2:       October 10–12, 2009
Episode 3:       October 17–19, 2009 
Episode 4:       October 31–November 2, 2009

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2008 SCENE BY SCENE CLIPS NOW ONLINE

Segments from Scene by Scene 2008 are now available to view in the online Video Gallery featuring interviews and
exclusive on set access with acclaimed filmmakers from the region including Peter Jackson (New Zealand), Eran
Riklis (Israel), Ashutosh Gowariker (India) and 2008 Jury President Bruce Beresford (Australia).

Episode One: New Zealand / Pakistan / Thailand
Episode Two: Russian Federation / Jordan / Palestinian Territories
Episode Three: Israel / India
Episode Four: People’s Republic of China / Australia

> Click here to view these segments.




Scene by Scene is an Asia Pacific Screen Awards production in association with CNN International.
CNN International global broadcasts reach more than 249 million households and hotel rooms around the world in more
than 200 countries and territories.


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