Laila Pakalnina
Dawn, Laila Pakalniņa (2015)
Laila Pakalnina is a Latvian screenwriter, director and producer. She has directed more than 20 films since 1991, including Theodore, which won a Special Mention at Karlovy Vary, and Dawn, Latvia's official submission for Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards.
In an exclusive interview with Filmatique, Laila Pakalnina discusses the role of propaganda, manipulation and humor in her films.
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FILMATIQUE: The story of Pavel Morozov has received much treatment, in songs, poems, books, and even an Eisenstein film. You have re-claimed what is considered by some to be classic Soviet propaganda and set the story in occupied Latvia. What drew you to the tale of this young pioneer, who broke with his family in the name of a greater good? What about Pavel Morozov's story resonates with you?
LAILA PAKALNINA: I'm not so interested by the story itself but rather the story as mirror of propaganda and propaganda as mirror of society— not only manipulators, but also (and even more important) the manipulated.
FLMTQ: How do you believe that the re-purposing or re-claiming of cultural legends can allow societies to better cope with their pasts, to better confront their present? Was this artistic mediation among your motivations for making Dawn?
LP: I would say it was the main motivation. For me Dawn is not about the past. Unfortunately it is about the present.
FLMTQ: One of the most fascinating aspects of the film is its humor— the long takes snaking through immaculately designed scenes that escalate into situations of pure chaos. The effect ranges from feelings of encountering the absurd, to the surreal, to madness and hysteria. What purpose does humor have in your construction of a story, and this story in particular?
LP: First— life is funny. In my films I try to keep a realistic proportion of fun and seriousness. Second— to survive we need to smile. Third— power (totalitarianism) is absurd and therefore funny.
Dawn, Laila Pakalniņa (2015)