Sacha Polak

Hemel , Sacha Polak (2012)

Sacha Polak is a Dutch screenwriter and film director. Her debut film, Hemel, premiered at IFFR - Rotterdam International Film Festival, Göteborg, New Directors/New Films, and the Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the FIPRESCI Prize. Most recently, Polak’s third feature Dirty God premiered at Rotterdam, Sundance, and Nederlands, where it won Best Film.

In an exclusive interview with Filmatique, Sacha Polak discusses intimacy, the challenge of shooting one's first feature, cinematic inspirations and her upcoming projects.

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FILMATIQUE: Hemel revolves around the eponymous title character, a young Dutch woman who seems in this period of her life to be driven almost solely by sex. Hemel has few close relationships besides that with her father, and is combative with his girlfriends, her abstinent step-brother, and even her lovers when they engage in post-coital intimacy. When did you first have the idea to make this story into your first feature?

SACHA POLAK: The initial idea was that I wanted to make a film about a relationship between a father and a daughter. Though I had a very different relationship with my own father he was the only one that raised me. Helena and der Meulen who wrote script and I talked a lot about intimacy that can be too close. I had previously made a short film about a young promiscuous woman and we decided that these two would combine very well.

FLMTQ: Actress Hannah Hoekstra serves as the film's center of gravity with her unconventional depiction of contemporary femininity. She is headstrong but also wounded, mediating this conflict through a series of sexual encounters that prove more and more perilous. Can you discuss your casting process for this film? How did you come to know Hoekstra, and how did you work together to bring her character to life?

SP: Hemel is Hannah's first film. I saw her at the audition and I immediately knew she was the one. We became friends and we worked very closely together during the shooting of the film. Hannah is a great actress and has starred in many more films after Hemel.

Hemel, Sacha Polak (2012)

FLMTQ: Several film critics have compared Hemel to Steve McQueen's Shame, given its stark depictions of sex, longing, and modern loneliness. What directors, living or dead, have had the greatest influence on your work, and what films in particular did you use as reference when making Hemel?

SP: To be compared to Shame is such a great compliment. I am a huge fan of Steve McQueen. Shame was released at the same time as Hemel so I only saw it afterwards. A Nos Amours by Maurice Pialat was an inspiration. There are scenes between Pialat and Sandrine Bonnaire that are absolutely stunning.

FLMTQ: What obstacles did you face when shooting this film, and how did you overcome them?

SP: This was my first feature and I must admit that I was insecure while making it. I didn't have a great time shooting it. I loved working with the actors but there wasn't a great vibe with the crew. And I really wondered if I should be a director. After Hemel I made two other features, Zurich and Dirty God. I had much more confidence at that point and I love making films.

FLMTQ: Are you working on any new projects, and if so, can you tell us a bit about them?

SP: At the moment I am directing a television show for Amazon that I can't say anything about. But after that I will make another feature with Vicky Knight, the actress of my last film, Dirty God. It's called Silver Haze.

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Interview by Ursula Grisham
Head Curator, Filmatique