Budding Filmmakers and Professional Training in Germany

Pamela Macarena Biénzobas Saffie was born in Santiago de Chile in 1976. From 1999 to 2002 she was working as a film critic and journalist in Chile. She is a regular contributor to the editorial project Cinemas of the South and a Spanish-English translator for the website of FIPRESCI, the International Federation of Film Critics. Since June 2005 she has also been Vice President of FIPRESCI. Besides, Biénzobas Saffie was a jury member of several international film festivals such as the festivals in Sydney, Venice, Taormina, Cannes and Berlin. In 2004 she participated in the Talent Press workshop within the Talent Campus of the Berlin International Film Festival. Pamela Macarena Biénzobas Saffie lives in Paris.

Laurence Boyce was born 1979 in Leeds. He also participated in the 2004 Talent Press (the first year). Currently, he is working as a programmer for the Leeds International Film Festival and as an award winning freelance journalist. Laurence Boyce has written for national magazines including Hotdog, Little White Lies and Netribution.co.uk amongst others.

Vivienne Chow was born in Hong Kong. She is a journalism graduate at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Upon graduation she joined Hong Kong’s largest English language newspaper South China Morning Post in 2000 working as a feature writer, columnist, and a news reporter. Since 2007 she has been the senior writer at Muse Magazine, Hong Kong’s English language monthly focusing on arts and culture.

Why did you want to participate at the Talent Press?

Biénzobas Saffie: It seemed like a great opportunity to attend the Berlinale and to participate in such a vibrant project as the Talent Campus. I was already involved in FIPRESCI and was eager to participate in this kind of activity.

Boyce: It was a great opportunity to learn from some experienced journalists whilst also meeting up with peers from other countries who were doing the same things as me. Of course, there was also the enticing prospect of being able to go and see Berlin as well…

Chow: I always have great interests in film and luckily when I joined the South China Morning Post after graduating from university in 2000, I was assigned to write a lot about films, ranging from reviews to interviews and some industry type story. However, I never had a chance to attend world-class international film festival back then. One of my editors told me about the launch of Talent Press and I just sent in my application. I was ecstatic when I was picked to be in Berlin along 10 other talented young film critics and journalists.

One of the main reasons to take part in the Talent Press is that, I felt that I needed more training on film journalism. I don’t know about other countries, but in Hong Kong, there has been a long time tradition of journalism training, partly because of the fact that Hong Kong is truly a city for freedom of speech. The training, however, focuses mainly on news reporting. As I consider film journalism to be a special stream of journalism, there should be another set of training provided for young film journalists and critics. Thus you can’t imagine how excited I was when I learnt about the Talent Press and I have been passing this around to fellow Hong Kong journalists interested in writing about film. I hope there will be more Talent Press from my city.

How did you like it, what experiences did you have, and how did it influence your work, your thinking and writing about film?

Biénzobas Saffie: It was a lovely experience. It was fun and stimulating. I took part in the first generation (2004), and at least in our case, many of us have remained in touch (personally and regarding projects). We created a network that’s still alive, throughout the world.

Boyce: It was an experience that will stay with me for a long time. It teaches you that you’re not working in a bubble and that there are plenty of like-minded people who are – like yourself – trying to find their way into the weird world of film journalism. How it influenced me? Mostly it’s about having passion and enthusiasm and trying to convince readers to check out new and exciting films and get them to broaden their horizons. I also made some good friends (who I will try and make into great friends should they become rich and famous). The Talent Press also teaches you that some people simply don’t like film journalists, as one famous actor – who shall remain nameless – advised me to “get another f**king” job”.

Chow: The only thing I didn’t like about the Talent Press is that, it was TOO short. I was very grateful to the organisers who gave us privileges to attend the Berlinale just like other experienced film journalists. Being able to work in the same room with all the world famous film critics and writers was like a dream come true. They gave us inspiring advice and I wish I could spend longer time with them to learn more from them. Producing the Talent Press Daily under such a tight deadline was challenging, and writing under the guidance of great writers improved my reporting and writing skills a lot. I also learnt a lot more about film and the industry. Film journalists and critics aren’t just people who like writing about films. We are opinion leaders affecting the public’s choice of films and their way of thinking through our writing. Film journalists must not underestimate and limit themselves to just film, because film is a way of living.

What happened after the workshop when you got back to your home country, personally and concerning a career? What are you currently working on/which focus did your work take since then?

Biénzobas Saffie: After taking part in the Talent Press, I’ve gone on attending the Berlinale. This edition (2007) will be my fourth time. I now go on my own, as a freelance journalist, to cover it for major Chilean publications. I got increasingly involved in FIPRESCI, becoming Vice-President in 2005.

Boyce: The Talent Press gave me a boost in my confidence but funny enough the journalism took a back seat to my work in film festivals. Film festivals are very much like journalists: the good ones want to educate and inspire audiences about all kinds of films. I still love writing and keep at it for various national magazines and websites. The main point is that I’m still involved in a business that I love. And my passion for film hasn’t been dulled at all.

Chow: After the way too short workshop I returned to the South China Morning Post and continued to develop my career as a journalist. My experience with the Berlinale and my enthusiasm managed to convince the bosses to send me off to attend and cover other European film festivals like Venice and Cannes, just like other very experienced film journalists coming from around the world. And just recently I have joined to help launching an English-language arts and culture monthly magazine called Muse. It is very exciting because there is a lack of such magazines in Hong Kong, so Muse is like an oasis in a desert. I’m writing about a variety of culture related stories and I’m currently writing about the Hong Kong International Film Festival, exactly my area.

And as personally, well, one great thing about the Talent Press is that we were a small group. And for some reason we got on very well in our year and we always hang out and rushed between screenings. I met some great friends, like Saul and Pamela, at the Talent Press and I’m very grateful to the organisers. We had a little reunion at the Venice Film Festival in 2005 when I went to cover the event and Saul and Pamela were sitting on the FIPRESCI jury. Later on Saul decided to move to Hong Kong and we have been living together for exactly one year. I guess this is the biggest bonus from Talent Press.