When you started working on the story, did you already know that it would be set in Transylvania?
I had the story first and found the location later. I wanted a mythological atmosphere like what I had seen in Herzog's film The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser or Prajanov's Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors, so I was sure that I should look for a place somewhere in Eastern Europe. I had a long list of possible locations, and Transylvania became a sure winner.
How did you look for an actress for a role that had to be authentic in an environment you did not really know?
I was looking for someone with many faces. The most important thing for me was that she should be able to express family peace and also wild aggression. I originally wrote the role for a Budapest actress, Kata Pető, but she moved to Kaposvár. I thought that if I was shooting in Transylvania, I might as well work with local actors. I met Hilda Péter in 2005....
How much did the locals and your crew members contribute to making the story authentic?
At first, I did not hear the differences in verbal communication between Hungarians and Szeklers but after some time it became clear that not only their accents were very different, but also their mentalities and lifestyles. Fortunately, I made some good friends in Sfantu Gheorghe and I had a lot of discussions with them about the Szeklers' way of thinking, they took me to museums and we listened to a lot of folk music together. At one point, I even had to remind myself that I was not going to shoot a film about Transylvania and I only needed to focus on some basic characteristics that served the story, such as Catholicism, folk motives, the relationship between people and the land, and the ballad-like pace of life. I gathered some very pleasant experiences in Transylvania because in a town like Sfantu Gheorghe, I found surprisingly strong bonds between the local people and communities, something that you would not even dream of in a city the size of London, where everyone needs to make ends meet independently.
The sound effects and music in Katalin Varga are also powerful. Is film primarily a visual genre for you or is in interaction between different areas of art?
That depends on the script. No matter what a director does, it must be in the service of the story and the atmosphere. I would never elaborate on sound effects just for the sake of experimenting or to get a primary effect. I wanted to bring out the soul of the film and sound design was a great help in the process. As a director, it is difficult to find a balance because the work of the cinematographer, the sound designer and the set designer must never overshadow the work of others in the film. I do indeed like the interaction between the arts, for instance in the early films of Peter Greenaway where the minimalist music, painting, the landscape and gardens were so perfectly combined.
How do viewers in Britain relate to ballads?
They do not really know the genre but both the critics and audiences liked that I slowed down a trashy revenge story and transferred it to a different world. This was a very exotic change for British audiences and almost every single time they ask me how come a mobile phone appears on a horse-drawn carriage....But the story to me is universal and the reason I did not want it to be set in contemporary London was that a fast thriller would have made it cheap and boring. Katalin Varga had to find its own dignity, so I had to lift it slightly over the real world.
The film did not receive support from either the British or the Hungarian film funds, yet both countries are now very proud of it. Who are you proud of?
This whole story is rather strange to me. I started making the film out of anger, since I had not been accepted in film school and received financial support for the script. Fortunately, I inherited some money and so I could turn my back on the institutional system. Since the success of the film, I have of course received money for a new film plan. I had a lot of good and bad experiences in recent years and of course I am glad that not only one but two countries are proud of my film. However, I consider filmmaking as an activity above borders so I do not feel any sort of national pride. I am primarily proud of those talented Hungarian and Romanian actors that I could work with. And the fact that I did not give up and persisted in filmmaking despite having no connections. My dream has come trhough in the end, it only took a little longer than I had hoped for.
Peter Strickland was born in Reading in England, to two teachers, a Greek mother and a British father. While writing the script, he would listen to music by the bands Cure and Suicide. During the shooting of the film, the crew would sleep in sleeping bags on the floor, since they did not even have money for proper beds.
Katalin Varga received a Silver Bear award in Berlin for sound design. Strickland won the new talent of the year award from the European Film Academy.
Source: Est.hu
